The Petticoat Commando: Boer Women in Secret Service

The narrative is a diary-based first-person account by Boer women who supported their fighters during the South African war, describing life under martial law and the practical and moral challenges of clandestine work. It recounts methods of Secret Service organization—passes and permits, coded communications, smuggling, and improvised courier systems—alongside episodes of raids, betrayals, and the creation of scout and secret committees. Interwoven are intimate domestic moments, encounters with occupying forces, and observations on the suffering of civilians in camps, producing a portrait of loyalty, resourcefulness, and the ambiguities of resistance experienced by civilians drawn into covert operations.