Boer Prisoners of War in Bermuda Author: Colin Benbow, M.A. (Oxon.)
The Authoritative and Highly Pioneering Historical Record of the Overlooked Island Camps, Camp Craft, and Postal History of the Great Sound Exiles
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Boer Prisoners of War in Bermuda
- Author: Colin Benbow, M.A. (Oxon.)
- Publisher: The Bermuda Historical Society, Hamilton, Bermuda
- Publication Date: 1962
- ISBN-10: None Issued (Pre-ISBN Era / Dedicated Society Release)
- ISBN-13: None Issued (Pre-ISBN Era / Dedicated Society Release)
- Edition Details: First Edition, First Printing. Published as Bermuda Historical Society Occasional Publications No. 3.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium heavy-gauge illustrated card covers with an uncreased spine (Softcover as issued).
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 124 pages. Extensively enhanced with historical black-and-white archival photographic plates, detailed campsite perimeter diagrams, maps of the Great Sound islands, a dedicated section on camp postal history with postmark facsimiles, and lists of deceased burghers.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Covers: The original thick card covers are flat, structurally sound, and well-preserved. The panels show only light, standard storage-related rubbing and superficial handling wear at the extremities, completely consistent with a well-cared-for volume of this age. The spine remains uncreased and unbroken, ensuring excellent structural binding.
- Interior: The internal text block is clean, solid, and tightly bound. The unpaginated introductory panels, text pages, archival charts, and photographic gloss inserts are crisp, complete, and entirely free of thumb-soiling, deep foxing, text underlining, highlights, or previous owner signatures.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1962 by the Bermuda Historical Society, Colin Benbow’s Boer Prisoners of War in Bermuda stands as the foundational masterwork on one of the most geographically distant chapters of the Anglo-Boer War. Between 1901 and 1902, the British military authorities deported more than 4,600 Boer prisoners of war to the tiny, isolated islands situated in Bermuda's Great Sound—including Darrell's, Burt's, Morgan's, Tucker's, and Hawkins' islands. Benbow, writing from his vantage point as the History Master at Bermuda's Warwick Academy, meticulously reconstructs this intense influx, noting that the arriving prisoners and their imperial guards briefly equaled three-quarters of the colony's entire adult male population.
Published in 1962 by the Bermuda Historical Society, Colin Benbow’s Boer Prisoners of War in Bermuda stands as the foundational masterwork on one of the most geographically distant chapters of the Anglo-Boer War. Between 1901 and 1902, the British military authorities deported more than 4,600 Boer prisoners of war to the tiny, isolated islands situated in Bermuda's Great Sound—including Darrell's, Burt's, Morgan's, Tucker's, and Hawkins' islands. Benbow, writing from his vantage point as the History Master at Bermuda's Warwick Academy, meticulously reconstructs this intense influx, noting that the arriving prisoners and their imperial guards briefly equaled three-quarters of the colony's entire adult male population.
The narrative tracks the everyday realities of life behind the barbed wire, utilizing official despatches, letters home, and contemporary records. Benbow explores the deep ideological rifts that split the camps between the uncompromising "Bittereinders" and the cooperative "Hensoppers," the execution of daring escape attempts into the main shipping channels, and the camp schools established for young captive boys.
A highly prized component of the text focuses on the prisoners' immense creative industry, documenting the intricate cedarwood carvings, curio toys, and models crafted by the burghers, as well as a specialized chapter detailing camp postal censorship and rare overprinted postmarks. Long out of print in its original 1962 format, this rare first printing remains a cornerstone requirement for advanced collectors of global prisoner-of-war history and specialized Anglo-Boer War militaria.
Author Profile: Colin Benbow
Colin H. Benbow, M.A. (Oxon.), was a highly distinguished British-Bermudian historian, academic, and independent researcher. Educated at the University of Oxford, he spent decades serving as the senior History Master at Warwick Academy in Bermuda, while concurrently anchoring research initiatives for the Bermuda Historical Society. Renowned for his meticulous exploration of localized archival caches, Benbow's specialized studies on imperial internment and Atlantic maritime history are highly respected by international military societies for adding rich human clarity and balanced documentation to the overarching global war record.
Colin H. Benbow, M.A. (Oxon.), was a highly distinguished British-Bermudian historian, academic, and independent researcher. Educated at the University of Oxford, he spent decades serving as the senior History Master at Warwick Academy in Bermuda, while concurrently anchoring research initiatives for the Bermuda Historical Society. Renowned for his meticulous exploration of localized archival caches, Benbow's specialized studies on imperial internment and Atlantic maritime history are highly respected by international military societies for adding rich human clarity and balanced documentation to the overarching global war record.
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