An Uneasy Anger - Michael Brien

An Uneasy Anger - De la Rey and the Foster Gang is the story of the life and times of the great Boer general and statesman, Koos De la Rey. The book traces events from the arrival in the Cape of Huguenot refugee Pierre de la Reij to the rise of his grandson, Koos, both militarily and politically. It follows the De la Rey story through the two Boer Wars, and the rebellion of 1914 which arose from the invasion of South West Africa by Prime Minister Louis Botha.

De la Reys political moderation against the desire of most other Boer leaders to go to war against the overwhelming resources of an imperial power shows his far sighted wisdom and prescience. He survived the political and military turbulence of those very difficult times, to die suddenly and unexpectedly at a roadblock set up to stop the notorious Foster gang. The story also traces the rise and fall of the gangster William Foster, whose life ended in a cave in Johannesburg.

It is the tale of how the fate of Foster, a thief, cheat and murderer, became inextricably entwined with the fate of a great Boer general and statesman. The events leading to the deaths of General De la Rey and the members of the Foster gang are a fascinating detail against the greater story of the remarkable success of the Boer struggle against the might of the British Empire.