Jameson's Raid - The Prelude to the Boer War

Late in 1895, 500 troops led by Dr. Starr Jameson launched an unofficial invasion of Paul Kruger's South African Republic in the Transvaal. Within days, what had started as an ambitious attempt to overthrow the Boer regime in Pretoroa had turned into an abysmal fiasco. The raid led directly to the Boer War of 1899, and the conflict between South Africa's whites has affected the area's history to this day. But just how unofficial was the invasion? Was Joseph Chamberlain, Britain's Colonial Secretary, involved in the plot? At the time, he repudiated the raid, and a Committee of Inquiry (of which he was a member) exonerated him. Recent research suggests that this was a whitewash. This is Longford's brilliant reconstruction of an episode which left a smear on Britain's name. It is a highly-acclaimed combination of history and detective story...