The Brunt of the War and Where it Fell – Hobhouse, Emily

Green cloth binding with wear to the head and foot of the spine and corners, lightly bumped. Some splitting to the gutters but binding tight. Small previous ownership stamp to the pastedown. Some light foxing, mainly to the prelims. Complete with folding map and nine photographic illustrations. One of the books that brought the plight of the Boer women and children during the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), to light. Hobhouse was a pacifist and critic of British foreign policy in South Africa at the time. She was appointed secretary of the South African Conciliation Committee and visited South Africa in 1900 with the intention of distributing supplies to the needy. She was appalled by the conditions in the concentration camps set up for mostly Boer women and children around South Africa, and spent several months trying to improve their living conditions. She returned to England to raise awareness on this issue, leading Lord Kitchener to refer to her as “that bloody woman”. Through her campaigning back in England, the British government eventually agreed to set up the Fawcett Commission to investigate her claims about the dire conditions in the camps. Hobhouse returned to Cape Town in October of 1901 but was not permitted to land and was deported five days later with no reason being given. She felt that justice had not been served and that her work was unfinished. The following year she went to Lake Annecy in the French Alps and wrote The Brunt of the War… She was allowed to return to South Africa after the war in 1908 where she continued her work for women’s rights. She returned to England in 1913 due to ill health.

Publisher: Methuen & Co.
Date Published: 1902
Publication Place: London
First Edition: Yes

Condition: Good
Binding: Hardcover