THROUGH SHOT AND FLAME, THE ADVENTURES AND EXPERIENCES OF J.D. KESTELL, CHAPLAIN TO PRESIDENT STEYN AND GENERAL CHRISTIAN DE WET

Published by Africana Book Society, 1976, Africana Reprint Library, volume eight, hardcover, facsimile reprint of the 1903 edition, illustrated, index, 356 pages, condition: as new.

I initially read this book some years ago in Afrikaans but it's also a wonderful book in English. It was written by Father Kestell, who was a padre (and unofficial medic) alongside the Afrikaner men fighting the British during the Second Boer War. I'm not going to pretend that Kestell's account is entirely unbiased but it does show perfectly the thoughts and beliefs of the Afrikaner nation and why they were prepared to do what they did; with the religious viewpoint very clearly put across. The author gives a full account, like a diary, of his experiences from the day the war broke out until the very bitter end and he was there (on the front line) for many of the turning points. He was also present at the discussions for peace and the signing of the peace treaty.

It's written with honesty and he gives credit where credit is due, so it's not entirely biased, but it appears to have been written in part so that the injustices of the war particularly against the Afrikaner women and children will never be forgotten. The war itself was the first of its kind for Britain.

It isn't heavy going. It's faced paced and written in a style that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. A page turner despite the fact that I already knew the outcome and had even read the book before. The author only writes about events that he personally witnessed and for me this was fascinating because he was in and around my patch almost entirely: The Eastern Free State.
The only downside is that he talks of things like Blockhouses etc without explaining what these things are, so this wouldn't be such a great book for someone who has absolutely no idea about the war. However, if someone has some knowledge already about the military tactics during that time or is prepared to google a couple of terms then I can thoroughly recommend this book as a highly personal account of day to day experiences, often desperate, during a war lasting over two years. As a piece of history its culturally extremely significant and an absolute gem of a time capsule.