The Boer War (1999)

Explore the war that changed the British Army forever. Take a trip back in time to the turn of the 20th century, to the last years of Queen Victoria s reign when the sun never set on the British Empire. Rebellion and war had occupied the British military for decades, flaring up in colonies from Canada to Burma, yet the British Army had always emerged victorious. Now, in the sun-bleached landscape of South Africa, Britain found itself in conflict with a formidable and determined enemy. It would prove to be a war that would demand new strategies and tactics from the British, as the rulebook was torn up in the face of a new kind of guerilla warfare. This feature-length documentary uses rare archive footage, photographs and illustrations to bring to life the last large-scale British military operation before WWI. Examining both sides of the conflict, the programme places the three-year campaign in its historical context, providing a shocking and revealing insight into a war that claimed tens of thousands of lives.