Ian Wood. Transvaal: The Boer War 1899-1982, Goulburn and District Volunteers.

March 2002 Ian Wood 38 Bainton Cres Melba ACT 2615

One of the most valuable contributions to mark the centenary of the Boer war has been the small shelf of varied publications from diligent researchers tapping into the columns of small country newspapers of the period. In some ways the memory of the men who served is kept alive better in rural districts where family members still reside than in the cities, and many small monuments across the land link some bush community to a lonely grave on the veldt. For young Australians intrigued by our participation in this war such modest books provide many answers.

The author has gathered relevant extracts from The Goulburn Evening Penny Post and presented them chronologically in numbered columns to give a feeling for how the district experienced this war. The large district embraces south-east New South Wales from Bowral to Cooma and from Gundagai to the coast. A map showing the localities would have been appreciated. The names of local men who served in NSW units Mounted Rifles, Bushmen and Australian Commonwealth Horse--as well as irregular units, are shown in bold type and in a comprehensive index. Extracts, sometimes abbreviated, refer to actions at Slingersfontein, Elands River, Rhenoster Kop and elsewhere. Here again a map of the battlefield would show that the men served in Cape Colony, Orange Free Stale and Natal as well as the Transvaal. There are entries referring to deaths and wounds, disease and hardships, but also to life on the home front--the sendoffs and the welcome homes, the Ladies Auxiliary, and the Memorial Fund.

The author warns against accepting all that appears in newspapers, which perhaps explains mention of Adelaide Horse instead of Australian Horse, and an award of the DSM instead of the DCM. Illustrations show memorials at Goulburn, Bungonia, Queanbeyan, Burrowa and Gunning, and an In Memoriam list has sixteen names, including Sergeant-Major G A Griffin, the first NSW soldier to die in this war. The text includes reference to the four Tame brothers, three of whom did not return. Although the war was scarcely remembered before the centenary, such books should ensure that future generations will have a point of reference about the names on the memorials.