C. R. N. Burne’s With the Naval Brigade in Natal, 1899-1900 is a journal of active service kept by a Royal Navy officer who fought ashore during the South African War. When the Boer republics besieged British towns, sailors landed their heavy guns and joined the land campaign, and Burne records the daily life of this improvised brigade.
His diary follows the marches, gun emplacements, and engagements in Natal, including the relief of Ladysmith, written with the candor and detail of a participant. The unusual sight of naval crews and artillery operating far from the sea gives the account particular interest. As a firsthand military record, it preserves a distinctive chapter of the Boer War and the versatility of the Victorian navy on land.