The Inniskilling Diaries 1899-1903

Author - Martin Cassidy

Publisher - Leo Cooper; 2001, First edition

A very good hardcover book in a very good dustjacket.

Dustjacket now in a loose protective plastic overwrap.

252 pages, including index and with sixteen pages of monochrome photographs.

Over a hundred years ago The Royal Inniskiling Fusiliers, along with many other British regiments were fighting a desperate campaign many thousands of miles away from their native land. The Second Boer War tested the resolve and resources of what was then the mightiest Empire in the world. A succession of reverses raised the real spectre of defeat at the hands of the Boers; an unthinkable humiliation. The depth of public interest felt at the time reflected in continual fascination in this conflict. Thus Martin Cassidy's careful editing of the graphic diaries of three members of the Regiment's 1st Battalion (two officers and one private soldier) is to be greatly welcomed. Through differing angles of these fine accounts we witness not just the drama of battle but the harsh conditions that the British troops had to endure. To read first hand records of the extraordinary deeds such as those performed at Inniskilling Hill and the Relief of Ladysmith is a privilege that will mean so much to those closely associated with the Regiment and to all with an interest in military history. Rather than a celebration of war this book is a fitting tribute to the valour and sacrifice of so many brave Irishmen in the face of appalling adversity and uncertainty.