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 Posted by JohnFearn » 09 Apr 2009, 02:03
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.png) Staff Sergeant Registered user Posts: 129 |
| Arthur Conan Doyle's book The Great Boer War, published in 1902, contains several references to the 1st Battalion, The Border Regiment.
The book is available online at http://www.scribd.com/doc/894555/The-Great-Boer-War-by-Arthur-Conan-Doyle#key16614gcunz2e36dmc5ou.[Link dead] Quoting from the eBook editor's note: It may come as a surprise that the creator of Sherlock Holmes wrote a history of the Boer War. The then 40-year-old novelist wanted to see the war first hand as a soldier, but the Victorian army balked at having popular author wielding a pen in its ranks. The army did accept him as a doctor and Doyle was knighted in 1902 for his work with a field hospital in Bloemfontein. Doyle's vivid description of the battles are probably thanks to the eye-witness accounts he got from his patients. This, the best book on the Boer War I've encountered, is a long out of print lost classic that I stumbled across in a Cape Town second-hand bookstore. |
| Posted by kerchi » 09 Apr 2009, 20:17
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 Field-Marshal Administrator Posts: 2160 In memory of John Bardgett (15309 L/Cpl.) 11th Border Regiment Who died 1st July 1916. |
| Nice one John, where do you keep finding these gems? I am a fan of Conan Doyle, having read most his Sherlock Holmes stories in a beautifully made book of his entire collection, this seems like it could be a heavy going book though; how have you find it?
Chris |
| Posted by CockneyTone » 09 Apr 2009, 20:32
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Lieutenant-Colonel Registered user Posts: 441 |
| John,
thanks for the heads up on this, being lazy do you by any chance know what pages the !st Batn are mentioned on please? Regards, |
| Posted by JohnFearn » 09 Apr 2009, 21:33
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Staff Sergeant Registered user Posts: 129 |
| Scotie,
Looks like I managed to post an embedded page from the www.scribd.com website - I thought I was posting a normal link! I've impressed myself there! Use the Search box on the Sribd page to find all the references to the Regiment.John ChrisWhere do I keep finding these gems? I think the clue may well be in the timestamp for the original posting! Seriously though, a lot of it is down to luck and persistence - and a love of serendipity. Don't just use "Border Regiment" or "Lonsdale Battalion" as search terms - use all the variants you can think of. Reg. Regt. Battn. Bn. Bat. etc etc. The serendipity kicks in with finding sites like www.scribd.com - a Google search on (I think) "Border Regt." took me to a particular document on that site (which wasn't particularly interesting), then having "found" Scribd (which I'd never heard of before) I then used the site's own search facility to come up with about 30 or so references to "Border Regiment". Some of the links are of no interest (eg "toward the French border. regiment, after having"), some have only passing mentions, others are well worth following up. When time permits I'll also apply my own tip and use other search terms.The real problem for me is trying to stay focused, and not shoot off on too many tangents (no matter how tempting). Another problem is time management - look at the gap between my two postings in the early hours of today. That time was spent working through things I'd found on Scribd.I know that you and I both share a love of research, and take great pleasure in uncovering information that should be more readily available. This Forum and your excellent Wiki site gives us (and many others) the chance to share the fruits of our research, and in so doing to respect and acknowledge our ancestors and our heritage. I've said it before (and doubtless I'll say it again) - for me, the sentiments expressed in Spike's signature epitomise what this Forum is all about. Regards as ever, |
| Posted by kerchi » 09 Apr 2009, 23:11
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Field-Marshal Administrator Posts: 2160 In memory of John Bardgett (15309 L/Cpl.) 11th Border Regiment Who died 1st July 1916. |
| John,
You seem to have had more luck than me in finding useful and informative Border Regiment 'stuff'; I usually get distracted after the 6th, 7th or 8th google search page. My persistence doesn't drive me as far as yours and for all I know that 'gem' was probably on the next page I couldn't be bothered to look at. I had a look at Scribd and it is a pretty awesome site, not so much for Border Regiment documents but there is a wide range of other texts, I'm quite impressed and glad you have found and shared it (the above ebook and site) with us; I might have to check it out for other interests. I see how you can get distracted though and the one thing I have always found difficult with my research is time management....I'm just terrible at it. I totally agree with Spike's signature and think the wording is perfect.....wish I said it myself but sadly I didn't. But back to the Conan Doyle book, should be an interesting read and something that Scottie might like as his interests are the Border Regiment in the Boer War. It does seem a strange turn of writing though from Holmes to the realities of the war. Shows what an excellent writer he really was! Chris |
| Posted by CockneyTone » 09 Apr 2009, 23:46
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Lieutenant-Colonel Registered user Posts: 441 |
| John,
Thanks for the tip! (Should have really spotted the search facility myself!) So far I have found 7 references to the Border Regiment, I will have to get reading. Cheers, |
| Posted by VinceD » 04 Nov 2009, 20:08
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Private Registered user Posts: 1 |
| Just joined the Forum today and noticed this posting. I picked up a copy of this small book at an antique store in Houston, Texas and would read it on my then frequent business trips. A bit worse for wear, as I dropped it in the bathtub in Singapore, but its still in my library. My first reading pre-dated my interest in the Border Regiment, so I will re-read it now. |
| Posted by CockneyTone » 04 Nov 2009, 23:42
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Lieutenant-Colonel Registered user Posts: 441 |
| Vince,a very marm welcome to the Forum, I would love to get my hands on a copy, preferably a dry copy though! I look forward to you posts and contributions to the Forum.
Regards and best wishes, |
| Posted by kerchi » 06 Nov 2009, 10:21
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Field-Marshal Administrator Posts: 2160 In memory of John Bardgett (15309 L/Cpl.) 11th Border Regiment Who died 1st July 1916. |
| Welcome to the forum Vince, How did you find it the first time round? The style of writing very much depends on if I will finish a book (anyone having read Tolkien's work such as The Silmarillion will know what I mean) and I am only familiar with Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, which I like but have to be in the mood for it. I'd be interested to hear any of your views regarding the book as I have never read it myself.
Chris |
| Posted by CockneyTone » 03 May 2010, 22:53
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Lieutenant-Colonel Registered user Posts: 441 |
| Borderites!
just in case anybody is interested in obtaining a copy its being printed again, I have obtained a copy via Cambridge Scholars Publishing. (www.c-s-p.org) Regards, |