When Britain went to war with the Boers in October 1899, everyone was confident that it would be an easy victory and over by Christmas. The war, however, was neither glorious nor swift, It not only irreparably damaged the British Empire but led to the establishment of apartheid in South Africa.;This is a portrait of the war through the eyes of ordinary soliders and civilians. It includes letters and diaries written by British, Canadian and Australian soldiers, along with accounts by black South Africans of their experiences during the war.