First to Serve and Sacrifice

"Suddenly, the Boers opened fire on us from two hills on the left of the road, and we knew we had ridden into a trap. We quickly dismounted, but were lying out in the open. I was on my back when a bullet hit the ground at the back of my head and threw dirt over my face. That was the closest shave I had."

The wily Boers were 'crack shots', and being attacked by accurate enemy rifle fire was a common experience for young men who served the Empire during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. Fighting as mounted infantry, they often patrolled on horseback for weeks at a time in hot, dry conditions. Long days of boredom and daily routine would be punctuated by unexpected and terrifying encounters with the elusive Boer irregular soldiers.

How was it that Australians were involved in this war on the other side of the world? What motivated these young men to sail over oceans and choose to fight an enemy of which they knew little? How did their communities recognise their service and sacrifice?

First to Serve and Sacrifice tells the story of why young Australians were willing to go to war for 'God, Queen, and Country'. It shares the stories of twenty-eight young men, told in their own words. As graduates from Caulfield and Malvern Grammar Schools, their stories also provide an insight into the culture of Australian society at that time.

Seven of these young men died in the war, and several others received serious, life-changing wounds. Their story deserves to be read by a contemporary audience.