Filson Young

The Relief of Mafeking: the Boer War as Seen by a Special Correspondent Filson Young

The Boer War from an able writers pen

Although the title of this book reflects some of its subject matter, in fact, the relief of Mafeking is the objective-the concluding triumph-towards which many of the events recorded within its pages are concerned and directed. More correctly it is a newspaperman's view from that golden age of journalism when the special correspondent travelled to any number of far flung battlegrounds in the company of British troops to observe, chronicle and send home the news to the British Empire's public. Filson Young was the consummate media man whose career would make a fascinating book in its own right. At the time of the Boer War he was a young journalist working for the Manchester Guardian and his writing ably represents that's newspapers reputation for fine writing. This is an excellent book in every way. Young intimately introduces us to 'Tommy Atkins' and with him and them he describes the war on the veldt-full of anecdote, expert description and incident-up to and beyond the relief of Mafeking itself. Recommended.