Read it, you will find it very interesting. Britain does not come out of the history with much credit. The book was written in the late 60s early 70s; long enough for the official documents to have become available under the 50year secrecy rule, but whilst civilians and combatants on both sides were still alive to give their personal accounts. It was the last of the great colonial wars, fought and precipitated by the Commonwealth office and Governor General of the Cape Colony who wanted to establish a Southern African Crown colony out of their existing colonies (Cape, Natal, both Rhodesias) and the two Boer republics. They envisaged a short war and the surrender of the republics to incorporate them into the grand plan. It did not work out that way and after much jingoism early in the war, the reality of Kitchener's scorched earth policy led to national embarrassment in Britain which ultimately settled on a peace treaty which sold out the future black and coloured South Africans, contrary to their stated war aims.
