Published by the Marden History Group, 89 pages. A4 size spiral bound booklet (N7337)
Most of this book is taken up with the letters themselves (they fill 68 of the 89 pages), but there is also a foreword and postscript by the editors, Mari and Chris Gosling, as well as a short history of the Boer Wars of 1880- 881 and 1899-1902, as well as the Imperial Yeomanry in which Percy Day served (and where he rose to the rank of Sergeant)
The letters offer a fascinating insight into the history and events of the second Boer War from the point of view of sharp-shooting mounted troops and, by reference, of the whole expedition, i.e. in a letter dated 2.06.1901Percy recounts following orders to take all livestock (chickens, ducks and pigs) from a farm, killing and eating them and smashing and burning the farm buildings and contents and taking the women and children to be put into concentration camps. Percy does mention in a letter how very sorry he is for these women and children! In a letter dates 15.07.1901, Percy mentions that the official sentence for sleeping at your post is death and that two of his fellows got 2 years hard labour for this crime! Much of the letters cover the hum drum existence of a serving soldier, but in amongst his letters Percy records fascinating events such as how they captured the Boer commandent Erasmus, and in another he relates to how the Boers used explosive bullets to set fire to the grassland where British troops were lying wounded.
The condition of the booklet is generally very good. The covers are clean and bright, the spiral spine is tight and intact and all pages are clean, intact, unblemished and tightly bound. Has a small price sticker on rear side cover