A Yeoman’s Letters by P. T. Ross collects the correspondence of a volunteer of the Imperial Yeomanry during the South African War. Written from the field, the letters convey the experiences of a citizen-soldier who answered Britain’s call to serve against the Boer republics at the turn of the twentieth century.
Conversational and observant, Ross describes the voyage out, the unfamiliar landscape of the veldt, the routines of mounted service, and the discomforts and dangers of campaigning. The intimacy of the letter form gives the book an immediacy that formal histories lack, preserving the voice of an ordinary participant. It stands as a modest but engaging firsthand witness to the Boer War and the volunteer spirit of the British Empire.