"Now We Are Good Friends" - William Mcdonald - Bog

An earlier book, "The Lost Victory", tells the story of the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899 and the initial moves centred on the battle for Spion Kop on the road to Ladysmith. "Now we are Good Friends" continues the narrative through the guerrilla phase of the conflict to the peace negotiations. It is an historical novel which relates true events told through the experiences of real generals and politicians, and fictitious combatants on both sides. British imperial ambition in South Africa demands a federation comprising the colonies of the Cape and Natal, and the two troublesome Boer Republics: the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. The farmers determine upon a pre-emptive strike to seize the British colonies before their enemy can reinforce. Their initial successes stun the world and embarrass and shame Britain. However, their Commander-in-Chief, Louis Botha, realises that a small agrarian society cannot sustain a conventional war, and so turns to guerrilla tactics. He will wear down his enemy until the latter sues for peace on Boer terms. The British Commander-in-Chief, Lord Kitchener, is resolved to defeat the guerrillas by a cocktail of ruthless tactics which include scorching the earth and interning the civilian population in concentration camps. The Van den Bergs are a typical Boer family sucked into the turmoil. Varying family convictions and attitudes towards the war, threaten to tear apart their unity. When the men answer the call to fight, it exposes the women and children to the spectre of "concentration". Lieutenant Rodger Borthwick meets the Van den Bergs in unpredictable circumstances. He is smitten by their daughter Ruth, and his inability to protect her from the tragedies of the conflict haunt him throughout his luckless war.