Experiences of a Siege A Diary of the Siege of Kimberley

Experiences of a Siege
A Diary of the Siege of Kimberley
21 September 1899 to 16 February 1900
FirstEdition
Limited Edition of 500

Vida Allen and Fèbe van Niekerk- Editors

Published: Historical Society of Kimberley and Northern Cape, Kimberley, 2000

Edition: Limited edition

The Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two Boer republics in October 1899. The town was ill-prepared, but the defenders organised an energetic and effective improvised defense that was able to prevent it from being taken. This account is that of an adventurous Scottish lady recently arrived from the Klondike rush in America. She kept a diary which eventually came into the collection of Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf of Massachusetts, USA. They in turn have generously made the diary available to Kimberley and it seemed appropriate to publish this lady's experience of the war as part of celebration of the centenary of the Anglo-Boer war. The book is about a lady's day to day life and the hardships of Kimberley under siege 100 years ago...illustrated with photographs