I’d like to promote this excellent new blog from my friend Nick. Great pics and Nick is great researcher. Check it out!
This is one of my favourite pictures from the Boer War. It is labelled Royal Munster Fusiliers fighting from behind redoubt at Honey Nest Kloof (Feb 16th 1900).
Now I have always wondered if this was real or staged for the photographer. A number of things have concerned me.
1) the Cameraman is very high up on the ramparts, It looks like his camera and head are above them (not a good idea as a battle is raging)
2) The two soldiers closest to the camera are bareheaded, would a NCO or officer allow this?
3) The soldier laying in the centre seems to be sitting up staring into the camera.
Then again, the treatment of the casualties seems to be real and the officers in the background look like they are directing the action.
This afternoon I was browsing the excellent boer-war.com and came across this picture.
Obviously, this…
View original post 76 more words
History and Hobbies 
The sixth officer of the Titanic had an elder brother that fought in the Boer War (the Second Boer War, I believe it was).
Our friend Nick could probably find something out. The period is a bit of a specialty for him.
Maybe. I haven’t come up with much on him. He died in what was then “Southern Rhodesia” (Zimbabwe) in 1942 and was listed as a medical officer. I’ve assumed that after the Boer War he just stuck around in Africa.
Sounds like he had an interesting life.
Despite the drilled calmness of the British soldier I say this is staged. All three rifles that are visible have their bolts open. If it was a real fight those bolts would only be open if a hand was on the bolt. The openof bolts suggest no oneones wanted an accidentalat discharge by oneyour of thethe troops. Plus in both photos no ones hands or positions has changed except the shooter closest to us and we all know their were no SLR cameras back then to shoot two frames a fraction of a second apart.
Sorry for the sloppy typing. I was typing on my Droid….
I understand. I only type on my iPhone when I have to!
Yes, the consensus on the site of origin and twitter seemed to agree with a staged shot although no one made your observation regarding the open bolts. Well done and thanks for stopping by.