The British have been forced to quickly revise their tactics.

They concentrate on restricting the freedom of movement of the Boer commandos and depriving them of local support.

The railway lines had provided vital lines of communication and supply, and as the British had advanced across South Africa, they had used armoured trains and had established fortified blockhouses at key points.

They now build additional blockhouses (each housing sic to eight soldiers) and fortify these to protect supply routes against Boer raiders.

Eventually some eight thousand such blockhouses will be built across the two South African republics, radiating from the larger towns along principal routes.

Each blockhouse costs between £800 to £1,000 and takes about three months to build.

They prove very effective; not one bridge at which a blockhouse is sited and manned is blown.