I recently read Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard which I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. The book takes a look at a young twenty five year old Winston Churchill during the Second Boer War between the British Empire and the Republic of Transvaal at the turn of the 20th century. I learned a tremendous amount about the conflict in South Africa and saw a profile of Winston Churchill that isn’t typically portrayed. I have always admired the idea of Winston Churchill and the way he is painted in history but this was my first reading a book about him. After fighting for the British Empire in Egypt and India, Winston Churchill entered the Second Boer War as a correspondent for the Morning Post while Rudyard Kipling would be covering it for the South African newspaper the Friend. The Boers surprised the British under the leadership of the thirty-seven year old Louis Botha and the unconventional standing army of Burghers. Blending in with the environment, the Burghers were deadly accurate with their Mausers and smokeless gunpowder, they had no shame in guerilla warfare unlike the traditional British. Several Boer victories later Churchill was accompanying British forces on an armored train that would prove to be a blunder. During the fierce but one sided battle, Churchill heroically took charge of the situation and tried to save the train engine with a handful of men but the Boers had wisely strategized to prevent many from escaping. Winston Churchill was taken prisoner and the British embarrassed again by Louis Botha. During his imprisonment, he had amenities typically uncommon to most prisoners like access to reading materials and a barber. Although he wrote, “You are in the power of your enemy. You owe your life to his humanity, and your daily bread to his compassion. You must obey his orders, go where he tells you, stay where you are bid, await his pleasure, possess your soul in patience.” If you even have a basic knowledge of Churchill you know this type of life drove him mad. He made himself a part of an escape plan hatched by two fellow prisoners Haldane and Brockie. Churchill desired immensely to be back in battle for the opportunity for glory, recognition and advancement, that nothing would stand in his way. Churchill’s impatience after a couple of days of foiled attempts for the plan to unfold, rashly went on alone while leaving behind his co-conspirators. After his escape, the Boers found a letter under his pillow addressed to Louis de Souza, the secretary of state of war, essentially stating he was should not have been held captive since he was a press correspondent but a humorously smug “pour prendre congé” French for “to take my leave” was added to the postscript of the letter in true Churchill fashion. Churchill’s aristocratic background (being the son of Lord Randolph Churchill) only enraged the Boers even more after his escape and intensified the hunt for him. It was said that the state came to a standstill. Churchill had to navigate the Transvaal with his intuition and wit. Using the railways for a time to get closer to Portuguese East Africa, more specifically the port city of Lourenço Marques to get away from the Boers. Another true Churchill reaction was when he found out the Boers were offering $25.00 for his reward dead or alive and wrote to the poster’s author, “I think you might have gone as high as $50.00 without an overestimate of the prize.” While he underwent many close calls of being recaptured, he finally made a massive gamble by going up to a small house in the country and he luckily found John Howard, one of the few Englishmen left in the country who would aid Churchill to safety. After being recognized as a war hero, Churchill returned to the war in the South African Light Horse unit and took part in many important battles and ended up returning to free his fellow prisoners. He won nationwide recognition and won a seat in Parliament not long after. This book is a great investment of your time because you see the iron willed, foolish and daring Winston Churchill in a pivotal time in his life. This book shows the value in action, risk and never giving up on a challenge. Faults and all, Winston Churchill is a titan of history that inspires young men like myself today to attempt great things. May we all have Winston Churchill’s unrelenting spirit in all our endeavours.
Written by Michael McPhail
Brains and Brawn 