From Boer War to World War: Tactical Reform of the British Army, 1902–1914

309 Pages·2013·2.14 MB·English

by  Spencer Jones

From Boer War to World War
CAMPAIGNS AND COMMANDERS
General Editor
Gregory J. W. Urwin, Temple University, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
Advisory Board
Lawrence E. Babits, East Carolina University, Greenville
James C. Bradford, Texas A&M University, College Station
Robert M. Epstein, U.S. Army School of Advanced Military
Studies, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
David M. Glantz, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Jerome A. Greene, Denver, Colorado
Victor Davis Hanson, California State University, Fresno
Herman Hattaway, University of Missouri, Kansas City
J. A. Houlding, Rückersdorf, Germany
Eugenia C. Kiesling, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York
Timothy K. Nenninger, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Bruce Vandervort, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington
From Boer War to
World War
Tactical Reform of the British Army,
1902–1914
Spencer Jones
University of Oklahoma Press : Norman
This book is published with the generous assistance
of The Kerr Foundation, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in-P ublication Data
Jones, Spencer, 1981–
From Boer War to World War : tactical reform of the British Army,
1902–1914 / Spencer Jones.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Great Britain. Army—History—20th century. 2. Great Britain. Army—
Drill and tactics—History—20th century. 3. Tactics—History—20th
century. I. Title.
UA649.J66 2012
355.4'2094109041—dc23
2012013996
From Boer War to World War: Tactical Reform of the British Army,
1902–1914 is Volume 35 in the Campaigns and Commanders series.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the
Council on Library Resources, Inc. ∞
Copyright © 2012 by the University of Oklahoma Press, Norman,
Publishing Division of the University. Manufactured in the U.S.A.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
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To request permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, University of Oklahoma Press, 2800 Venture Drive,
Norman OK 73069, or email [email protected].
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
To my parents

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Maps xiii
Introduction 3
1. The Boer War, 1899–1902 17
2. Doctrine and Ethos 37
3. Infantry 71
4. Artillery 114
5. Cavalry 167
Conclusion 207
Notes 217
Essay on Historiography 247
Bibliography 259
Index 281

Illustrations
MAPS
South Africa and bordering states, 1899 xiv
Battles of the Natal Theater xv
Battles of the Western Theater xvi
Battles of the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium
and France xvii
FIGURES
All figures are from H. W. Wilson, With the Flag to Pretoria: A History of
the Boer War of 1899–1900 (London: Harmsworth Brothers Limited, 1900).
For certain illustrations Wilson provided a specific credit, which has been
included in the caption.
Group of Boers with Mauser rifles 159
Boers with heavy artillery 159
Mounted Boers on the march 160
Boers in a defensive position 161
British troops fighting for control of a kopje 161
Dramatic representation of the Battle of Stormberg 162
ix