Whilst involved in historical newspaper archival research of the late 19th century, it soon became obvious to us  that there was a wealth of information reported in the Manning River Times and the Wingham Chronicle newspapers, relating to the Boer War of 1899 - 1902.

With this book it is our intention to honour these long dead Australian soldiers. Their letters reflect the thoughts and feelings of ordinary men who served in a conflict far from both home and loved ones and give a different insight to the cold facts and statistics of the war's official documentation.

Existing records of Australian involvement in the Boer War are incomplete and Veteran's names on Boer War honour rolls in the Manning Valley were meagre indeed. The honour roll at Wingham Town Hall recorded only nine names, whilst the one in Fotheringham Park, Taree, had no Manning Valley Boer War soldiers listed. Our research has brought to light a total of 107 names, 73 from the Manning Valley and an additional 34 from other areas.

Our soldiers wrote accounts to family back home, evoking powerful emotions, of the trials and tribulatuons they encountered in the South African war. Families shared these letters with the wider community and many were published in Manning River newspapers of the time.

Following our research, the many dozens of omissions from some honour rolls were rectified and it is with great pride that we may claim a part in helping present and future generations to remember those who served and those who gave their lives -  for this country.

Extract ...

The  following  letter  has  been  received  by  Mr  T.  Jones,  of  Marlee,  from  his  nephew,  Trooper  W.  Doak,  who  is  at  present  on  active  service  in  South  Africa.

Jim was in a fight one day, when two of our N.S.W. fellows were shot. They were the only two whom we have had shot dead so far. The Boers were in ambush, when a troop of our fellows rode within fifty yards of them before they opened fire. One of our men dropped dead, the other severely wounded. A sergeant picked him up to carry him out of fire. As he was cantering to cover with the dying man, he was shot through the back, thumb, and groin, and the dying man dropped off dead.

 One day five of us were going up to a house when the Boers opened fire on us, and shot one poor fellows eye out. It looked awful, the eye was torn right out.

 On another occasion my mate and myself were going up to a house and when within eighty yards we were fired upon by four Boers who were concealed in it. We had been posted on the left flank of the scouts. I was on a Boer pony, and when I tried to race for cover he would not go, but tried to get up to the house. I felt scared then, and dropped off the pony, and got under cover with my mate behind a stone wall, where we were safe.

 The rest of our troops came to our assistance, and we captured three and shot one, who, when he saw help coming, made a bolt. My mate brought him down with a shot at 200 yards. The Boers are bad shots. Two of them fired from a kneeling position at me at 180 yards, as I was riding up to a house. One bullet struck a stone wall six feet to my left, the other tore up the ground under my horse. One day four of them fired at two of my troop at 100 yards, from behind a rock, and only shot one horse, so you see there are some bad shots among them.

 So far, I have only felt real scared once, and that was one night three of us were after wood, about three miles from camp. We were cut off by 60 Boers. We raced for a house. It was empty, as we knew, we had been to it a little while before. We led our horses into a room, and prepared for a fight. Fortunately the Boers were not game to attack the place. They came up within 200 yards and got behind a stone fence, and kept firing at the house all night, but we were perfectly safe. They cleared out in the morning, when the column started over our way.

 They must have thought there were a lot of us in the house. I did not feel scared after I saw that they would not rush the place. Inside, we each had taken an oath not to be taken alive by the Boers.

The following is the  INDEX  from the book  "Boer War - Mafeking to the Manning - Letters from the Front"........
 
 

1st Commonwealth Contingent
3rd NSW Imperial Bushmen
4th New Zealanders
Abrahams William John Private
Absent Minded Beggar
Addison Robert
Airey Colonel
Airey Sergeant
Aldershot
Allen Lieut
Alley Reginald R
Amsterdam Island
Ardglen
Armbruster Otto Robert
Armbruster Phyllis (Lismore)
Army Medical Corp
Australian Blight
Australian Brigade
Australian Medical Corp
Australian Scouts
Australian Troops
B S A Police
Baden Powell General
Baden Powell's Police
Baker Norman
Barberton
Barlow Bros
Barry Trooper
Basche Carl Oswald
Belle Vue Park
Belmont
Bender W
Bennett Captain
Benson Colonel
Beira
Bird J Private
Bird John
Black Watch
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein Field Hospital
Bluebank
Boardman John Rev
Bongolo Scrub
Booth Edward
Booth Leo
Bosanquet Lancelot G V
Botha
Botha Louis
Botha's Pass
Bow Hill
Brandfort
Brims John (Jack)
Brims Mr (Khatumbuhl)
British Bechuanaland
Britt Daphne (Lismore)
Buckley Martin
Buffs
Bulawayo
Buller General
Burmese Infantry
Bushmen's Contingent
Bushveldt Carbineers
Bushy Kop
Buttsworth Charles Manning
Cadden R H
Campbell
Campbell A
Campbell Dalgetty G
Campling Albert Edward
Canadians
Cape Argus newspaper
Cape Colony
Cape Town
Cape Town
Carter J (Taree)
Cator Commandant
Chapman Alfred Ernest
Charlestown
Christie James William
City Imperial Volunteers
Coldstreams
Colenso
Colesberg
Commissie Drift
Conroy James M
Convery Owen
Cook C H
Cook C H Mrs (Failford)
Cootamundra Liberal newspaper
Cosgrove Arthur Raymond
Cosgrove Lieut
Cox Colonel
Crimean War
Crittenden Edward
Cronje
Cronje General
Damant Major
Daniel's Krail
Dawson's Kop
De Aar Hospital
De La Ray
De Lisle Colonel
De Lore Robert
De Prinsloo Commandant
De Wet
Delagoa
Dimond T (Wingham)
Doak William
Dog "Bushie"
Doidge Mr
Donaldson Archibald Henry
Donkin John Edward
Donkin Mrs (Wingham)
Donkin Thomas
Doudney
Drakensberg Mountains
Driefontein
Drum Private
Duff James Daniel
Durban
Edwards 'Hawkeye'
Edwards Alfred
Edwards Amy
Edwards H (Cundletown)
Edwards Mrs
Ekpoort
Elands River
Elandsfontein
Elephant Nek
Ellis George Arthur
Enteric fever
Fetting Gus
Fever
Ford J Milverton
Frankfort
French General
Galston Trooper
Gardner Charles
Gardner J (Harrington)
Gaul J M
Gell Lieut
Gippslanders
Glen The
Gordon Charles Thomas
Gordon J
Gormley J A Dr
Gormley J W Dr
Governor Jimmy
Grahamstown
Green
Grenadiers
Grey Colonel
Grey Trooper
Grobler Hans
Grobler Joe
Hamer Arnold
Hamilton Ian General
Hampson Wright
Handcock Lieut
Heidelberg
Heilbron
Heilbron Hospital
Herkes Fan
Herkes Robert
Heruld Lord General
Hinton Jack
Hitchens Ernest
Hodenbeck Kopje
Holmes Trooper
Honeynest Kloof
Howse Neville Reginald Major VC
Hurty Trooper
Imperial Bushmen
Imperial Bushmen's Contingent
Imperial Light Horse
Imperial Yeomanry
Inniskilling Dragoons
Jagersfontein
Jardine William Englis
Johannesburg
Jones A R
Jones Alfred
Jones Arthur
Jones C (Marlee)
Jones T (Marlee)
Joubert
Karee
Karee Siding
Kelly C B
Kennedy Donald
Kimberley
Kimberley Light Horse
King's Own Yorkshire Light Horse
Kipling Rudyard
Kitchener General
Kitchener Lord
Kitchener's Horse
Klerksdorp
Knight Colonel
Kroonstad
Kruger
Kruger Pete farm
Ladysmith
Laing's Nek
Lassetter Colonel
Latimore David
Leatherday James
Lee Bob
Leefontein
Leewnkop
Leutenburg
Lion's Head
Logan Jack
Lower Trooper
Macdonald W W
MacDougall John
Maclean A
Madagascar
Maddelena Louis Napoleon
Mafeking
Magata Pass
Magersfontein
Majuba Hill
Malagersburg Mountains
Malaria
Marendellas
Marshal James
Marshall J G Lance Corporal
Marshall J G Trooper
Marshall James
Marshall James G
Martin S
McCormick John
McDonald Trooper
McKay Kenneth
McKinnon G R
McKinnon G Wm Mrs (Forster)
McKinnon J
McKinnon M Mrs
McKinnon R
McLennan T
McPhee
Melbourne Cup
Methuen Lord
Miggins James Valentine
Military Hospital
Mitchell Charles Henry
Mitchell Douglas George Featherstone
Mitchell James
Mitchell Ken (Taree)
Modder River
Moore F
Morant Lieut
Mounted Brigade Hospital
Moustache
Naauwpoort
Natal
Natal border
Naunpoort
Newby T
Newcastle
Newcastle General Hospital
Newland Willie
Nicholson
Nicholson Charles
Nicholson Thomas
Nix Thomas
Nixon H P C
Noakes
Noakes J P
Noakes Robert
Noakes William
North Coast Steam Navigation Co
NSW Bushmen
NSW Contingent
NSW Lancers
NSW Mounted Infantry
NSW Mounted Rifles
Ogden Herbert
Oom Paul
Opthalmia
Orange Free State
v v
Orange Free State Publishing Co
Orange River
Orange River Colony
Osfontein
Ottos Hoop
Oxfords
Paardeberg
Paardeberg Drift
Paget's Horse
Palmer
Parvin George Douglas
Paterson Alex Raff
Peek
Penfold Daniel
Perrin Benjamin George
Pery E A H D V
Phillips B
Pioneer Gardener The
Platrand
Plumer Colonel
Polson Alfred Private
Ponje
Port Alfred
Port Elizabeth
Potchefstroom
Pretoria
Queensland troops
Rawlinson
Remmington Colonel
Rhodesia
Rhodesian Territory
Ritchie J B
Roberts Lord
Roberts Lord son
Rookwood
Rustenburg
Ruthven J L
Rye E J Trooper
Rye Edward
Rye F (Wingham)
Rye F Mrs (Wingham)
Salisbury
Sandspruit
Sandstum S A
Saul Martin
Saxby George (Taree)
Saxby Percival
Ship - "Burrawong"
Ship - "Doris"
Ship - "Manchester Merchant"
Ship - "Manhattan"
Ship - "Maplemore"
Ship - "Moravian"
Ship - "Southern Cross"
Small Mrs Snr
Small Robert Private
Smith J
Smith Sergt Major
Smith W G E Mrs (Cundletown)
Soudan
Soudan Contingent
Spion Kop
Springfontein
Springfontein Hospital
Spytfontein
St James Church Sydney
Standerton
Standerton Hospital
Stein
Stewart Graeme
Stitt George
Street C J
Struck Trooper
Summerville Arthur
Swaziland
Sword and Lance
Table Bay
Table Mountain
Taffil Kop
Taplin R Captain
The Friend newspaper
Thiele J
Thomas Evan
Thomas James Captain
Tilney Leslie
Tooze
Transvaal
Tucker Lieut-General
Typhoid
Umtali
Ussher Leo
Ussher N J
Vaal
Vaal River
Ventersdorp
Victoria Cross
Victorian Mounted Rifles
Volkestrom
Volksrust
Vryburg
Waddell Trooper
Wallace P J C
Walsh C Corporal
Walsh J Corporal
Walsh John
Walsh Miss (Wauchope)
Watson Charles William
Weber Vincent (Tinonee)
West Australian Contingent
West Surry's (Queens)
Westwood (Upper Manning River)
White Charles
White Miss (Marlee)
White Mr
Whittington George Robert
Wilge River
Wilks
Williams P
Wilson Henry
Wilson Robert
Wise Trooper
Witwatersrand gold fields
Wooster E
Worthing Walter
Yarrington A A
Yarrington S D
Zeerust
Ziegenbien F J B
Zouch Lieut
Zulu border