Description
For two decades before a railway system linked southern Africas principal cities in the mid-1890s, the worlds richest supplies of diamonds and gold were transported by coach and horses to distant ports for export. For Irish soldiers based at Fort Napier, Pietermaritzburg, the temptation of this fabulous wealth proved irresistible: they deserted by the score and, as members of the criminal Irish Brigade, embarked on a spree of bank, safe and highway robberies. Masked Raiders follows the wild exploits of legendary brigands like the McKeone brothers and One-Armed Jack McLaughlin, who ravaged the subcontinent, from the mining towns of Barberton, Kimberley and Johannesburg to the borders of Basotholand, Bechuanaland, Mozambique and Rhodesia. With tales of heists, safe-cracking, illegal gold dealings, prison breaks and hidden roadside treasure, the book reveals the potency of the highvelds criminal heroes, a force until now largely hidden from history. Startling new insights reveal how the hidden grammar of brigandage informed political actions of the day, such as the Jameson Raid, and how the movement of bandits across the interior helped shape the borders of what was to become modern South Africa. With inimitable storytelling flair, Charles van Onselen illuminates the intrigue and influence of a secretive, oath-bound brotherhood.
Eric Hobsbawm, distinguished British Marxist historian and author, recommends Masked Raiders as one of his best books for the 2010 author Book of the Year recommendations on Guardian.co.uk.
Author: Charles van Onselen
Title: Masked Raiders
ISBN: 9781770220805
Format: Softcover
Release Date: May 2010
Pages: 312
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