Featured battle : Chieveley, The Armoured Train Incident

Part of The 2nd Boer War (or Three Years War)

Date : 15 November 1899

An armoured train was sent to recce North up the rail line from Estcourt to Colenso in Natal, to investigate Boer dispositions in the area. The young Winston Churchill, correspondent for the Morning Post accompanied them. On the return journey the train was fired on, causing it to speed up to out pace some approaching horsemen but in fact driving it at high speed into a prepared ambush. A number of the British were killed and wounded, but most were taken. Churchill was taken to Pretoria but later escaped.

Pepy's Navy. Ships, Men and Warfare 1649-1689

J D Davies
As my Grandfather used to say when finishing a meal 'Well that's filled a gap!' This excellent book will fill a gap on many bookshelves covering, as it does, a fascinating period of naval development. It is well researched, beautifully illustrated and written in an easily read manner. By all means read it from cover to cover as I did but it will be found just as enjoyable if the reader dips in at any section. For anyone following through any themes in the history of the navy there is a bonus in that the author has tried to follow the layout of Brian Lavery's seminal work Nelson's Navy in order to compare and contrast the navy in these two significant periods of its history.
This book is an impressive piece of work and is thoroughly recommended
Seaforth publishing. Pen & Sword Books Ltd., 2008