Guide to Sieges of South Africa, by Nicki von der Heyde

Guide to Sieges of South Africa, by Nicki von der Heyde. Penguin Random House South Africa, Travel and Heritage. Cape Town, South Africa 2017. ISBN 9781775842019 / ISBN 978-1-77-584201-9

Guide to Sieges of South Africa, by Nicki von der Heyde. She reads History at the University of Cape Town. Based in KwaZulu-Natal, she is a specialist battlefields tour operator, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an honorary life member of the Anglo-Zulu War Historical Society.

Nicki von der Heyde  

Preface

Guide to Sieges of South Africa follows on naturally from my earlier Field Guide to the Battlefields of South Africa, because so many of the battles described there were closely connected with sieges, the protagonists were often either on their way to relieve a siege, or battling to escape one. Describing the sieges or even explaining who was besieged, and why, fell beyond the scope of that book, but this volume fills that gap by describing the reasons for the various South African sieges, the conditions prevailing within the besieged towns and camps, the actions that took place during each siege, and the outcomes. As a woman in the male-dominated battlefield-guiding fraternity, I am viewed as something of an oddity. I was once told by an ex-army officer that no-one could possibly be a good battlefield guide if they had not been under fire. Be that as it may, it is not only my male clients who enjoy my tours but also their wives, and I believe this is partly because I share the personal stories of heroism and heartbreak that are part and parcel of every battle and siege. Extreme conditions distil character as nothing else does, revealing strengths (and weaknesses) that normally remain hidden. In the case of sieges, there is an even greater wealth of human-interest tales. This is because civilians were frequently involved - and they had the time to keep diaries and write letters. These accounts of how people trapped in a siege overcame their many hardships, and the guts and determination required to survive such confinement, can make for inspiring reading. But, because human-interest anecdotes can interrupt the logical, sequential account of a siege, they have been presented as separate 'siege stories' in this book, leaving the main accounts clear and uncluttered. These stories offer a glimpse into personal experiences - tragic and humorous - gleaned from letters, diaries and eyewitness accounts. There may well be readers who have letters or diaries written by late relatives who were caught up in a siege. I would be most interested in such accounts, and those who are willing to share them can contact me through my website (www.campaigntrails.co.za). I hope this book will encourage readers to visit what remains of the siege sites and that it will make it easier to envisage what occurred there. This can be difficult in places where there has been urban development, but with the help of the detailed directions in the book, combined with an appreciation of events that occurred during the siege, it can be a very rewarding exercise. [...]

This is an excerpt from Guide to Sieges of South Africa, by Nicki von der Heyde.

Title: Guide to Sieges of South Africa
Author: Nicki von der Heyde
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Imprint: Travel and Heritage
Cape Town, South Africa 2017
ISBN 9781775842019 / ISBN 978-1-77-584201-9
Softcover, 15 x 21 cm, 216 pages, throughout photos, illustrations and maps