Sons of No Country Podcast

Gary Corken

Historical fiction and factual research about ordinary people caught in the machinery of wars. garycorken.substack.com

  1. Sep 6

    Deadwood Plain

    After surrendering at Paardeberg, General Piet Cronjé and hundreds of other Boer prisoners were transported far beyond South Africa to the remote island of St Helena. On the windswept ground of Deadwood Plain, the prisoners created a community behind barbed wire. They worked, traded, produced newspapers and handicrafts, held religious services and devised extraordinary plans of escape. Political divisions followed them into captivity, particularly when some men became willing to accept British rule while others regarded surrender as betrayal. This episode tells the story of the “Deadwood Boys,” the island transformed by their arrival, and the prisoners who died in exile and remain buried at Knollcombes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit garycorken.substack.com

  2. Aug 31

    The Road to Bloemfontein

    After Piet Cronjé’s surrender at Paardeberg, Lord Roberts turned east towards Bloemfontein, the capital of the Orange Free State. Standing in his way was Christiaan de Wet, struggling to hold together an army whose confidence was rapidly disappearing. The Road to Bloemfontein follows Roberts’s advance through the Boer collapse at Poplar Grove, the determined stand at Driefontein and the occupation of the capital. It is the story of a campaign that appeared to have broken the Free State—until disease halted the British Army and de Wet returned with an entirely different way of fighting. Was Bloemfontein the decisive victory it appeared to be, or the moment Britain’s real difficulties began? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit garycorken.substack.com

    The Road to Bloemfontein

  3. Aug 2

    The Lion of Potchefstroom - Part Two

    The Lion of Potchefstroom n February 1900, Lord Roberts moved around the Boer defences at Magersfontein and forced Piet Cronjé into a desperate retreat. Slowed by wagons and accompanied by civilians, Cronjé halted beside the Modder River at Paardeberg and found himself surrounded by a vastly larger British army. Part Two follows the bombardment of the laager, Danie Theron’s dangerous attempt to arrange a breakout and Cronjé’s controversial decision to remain with the wounded and civilians. His surrender cost the republics more than four thousand experienced burghers and destroyed the reputation of the Lion of Potchefstroom. The story then continues through exile on Saint Helena and the extraordinary Boer War exhibitions in America, where Cronjé repeatedly performed his own defeat before paying crowds. Was he the stubborn general who trapped his army, or a commander who finally chose human life over pride? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit garycorken.substack.com

    The Lion of Potchefstroom - Part Two

  4. Jul 23

    The Lion of Potchefstroom

    Before Paardeberg made him infamous, Piet Cronjé was one of the most respected military figures in the Transvaal. The Lion of Potchefstroom — Part One follows Cronjé from the controversial siege that established his reputation in eighteen eighty-one, through the capture of the Jameson Raiders, to his celebrated victory at Magersfontein. Cronjé had built his career upon patience, fixed defences and an absolute determination to hold his ground. By February, nineteen hundred, those qualities had made him a national hero. They were about to become dangerously ill-suited to a new kind of enemy. This is the story of Piet Cronjé before Paardeberg. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit garycorken.substack.com

    The Lion of Potchefstroom

  5. Jul 20

    The Battle of Spion Kop

    On the night of the twenty third of January, nineteen hundred, British soldiers climbed Spion Kop through darkness and mist. Their surprise attack succeeded, but when daylight came, they discovered that they had entrenched themselves in the wrong place. Boer riflemen crept towards the summit under cover of hidden ground, while artillery on the surrounding heights turned the exposed plateau into a killing ground. As casualties mounted and communication with headquarters broke down, Brigadier General Alexander Thorneycroft faced an impossible decision: remain until help arrived, or save what remained of his command. The Battle of Spion Kop follows the night ascent, Louis Botha’s determined response, the capture of the Twin Peaks and the extraordinary moment when both armies began withdrawing from the same battlefield. It is a story of courage, confused command and a victory that neither side fully understood until morning. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit garycorken.substack.com

    The Battle of Spion Kop

  6. Jul 9

    The Battle of Paardeberg

    The Battle of Paardeberg was not just another clash in the Second Boer War. It was the moment the old Boer way of fighting collided with the full weight of the British Empire. After the disasters of Black Week, Britain sent Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener to South Africa to restore confidence and regain momentum. Their target was General Piet Cronjé, one of the most stubborn and formidable Boer commanders in the field. What followed was a desperate retreat, a costly encirclement, and a brutal fight along the Modder River. At Paardeberg, courage was everywhere — but so were mistakes. Boer families were trapped in the laager. British soldiers were thrown into frontal attacks. Kitchener wanted speed and force. Roberts preferred patience and pressure. Cronjé refused to surrender until the position became impossible. This episode tells the story of a battle that broke the spell of Boer invincibility, restored British confidence, and opened the road to Bloemfontein. It was a victory for Britain, but one paid for in blood, suffering, and stubborn pride. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit garycorken.substack.com

    The Battle of Paardeberg

  7. Jul 8

    The Two Lords

    Following the humiliating British defeats of “Black Week” in December 1899, the fate of the South African campaign fell to two drastically different men: the beloved, tactically brilliant Field Marshal Lord Roberts, and his imposing, logistically driven Chief of Staff, General Lord Kitchener. This episode explores how their contrasting philosophies transformed a failing, rail-bound army into a relentless machine of conquest. From audacious cavalry sweeps and desperate sieges across the scorching African veldt to a brutal, controversial counterinsurgency marked by impenetrable blockhouse grids, scorched-earth sweeps, and civilian concentration camps, this is the gripping story of how two lords dragged the British Empire into the 20th century. Join us as we uncover the tragic “imperial lesson” that forever changed the face of the British Army and the grim realities of modern combat. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit garycorken.substack.com

    The Two Lords

  8. Jul 7

    The Battle of Colenso

    In December eighteen ninety-nine, the British Empire expected another straightforward victory. Instead, on the banks of the Tugela River, it suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in its military history. In this episode, we follow General Sir Redvers Buller as he attempts to force a crossing of the Tugela and relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith. Against him stood Louis Botha and a determined Boer force, expertly concealed behind the riverbanks and armed with modern Mauser rifles and devastating artillery. As confusion spread across the battlefield, brave but costly attempts were made to save the stranded guns, earning some of the first Victoria Crosses of the war. By the end of the day, the British had been driven back with heavy losses, and Colenso became the final disaster of the infamous Black Week. This episode explores the commanders, the tactics, the courage shown on both sides, and the mistakes that turned confidence into catastrophe. It also explains why the defeat at Colenso forced Britain to rethink the entire conduct of the war and paved the way for a new commander, Lord Roberts, to take charge. Join me as we revisit one of the defining battles of the Anglo-Boer War—where courage could not overcome poor planning, and the road to Ladysmith remained firmly closed. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit garycorken.substack.com

    The Battle of Colenso
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Historical fiction and factual research about ordinary people caught in the machinery of wars. garycorken.substack.com

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