TOMMY CORNSTALK

Pages 264. Plus 40 pages of catalogue. Two bookplates on front end papers.

An account of life at the front and in hospital, by an Australian trooper. Mention is made of the enormous weight of the equipment of the mounted men of the army in comparison with that carried by the Boers, and the opinion is expressed that though most of the things were absolutely necessary, pack horses should have been used to accompany the troops. It is  stated that the Canadians were masters in the art of " looting," and that in skillful military "verneuking " they almost excelled the Boers; the palm for skill in the field, however, is given to the New Zealanders, who are highly commended.

There is a very comprehensive description of life in the hospitals, the red tape prevailing in Pretoria being humorously commented on, as well as the discomforts experienced by patients in that town. "The Boer," it is remarked, "is not such a bad fellow after all, but not a whit better than he should have been." The author maintains that the obvious lesson that Australians should learn from the war is that they should provide themselves with arms and ammunition, making the latter themselves, in case the "great war" should ever come to their own country.  (Mendelssohn. Volume 1 Pages 1-2)