Anglo-Boer War Blockhouses: A Military Engineer's Perspective

Anglo-Boer War Blockhouses is a fresh analytical look at how the construction of over 9000 small fortifications during the Anglo-Boer War sought to change its course. The author examines all aspects of the South African blockhouses during the war: how the initial concept of protecting key bridges morphed into mass-produced low-cost pre-fabricatedforts deployed in long lines across the veld; how they were built manned and operated in a system designed to defeat roving Boer commandos.The evolution of the blockhouse strategy used by Lord Kitchener during the guerrilla phase of the war is examined as part of the wider strategy used to bring the war to its conclusion. Detailed analysis through the lens of a military expert finally answers the question Did the blockhouses win the war or were they - in the words of the British Armys nemesis General Christiaan de Wet - merely he strategy of a blockhead?From tracing the use of blockhouses prior to the war to describing the conditions enjoyed by the average Tommy living and fighting in these structures to recording their post-war dismantling or preservation this is a deep dive into a topic previously little explored.