EATING BANANAS IN DURBAN: the Boer invasion of Natal, 1899-1900

702pp., illus., maps, paperback, 30 Degrees South Publishers, Pinetown, 2025

ISBN: 9781928359968

Foreword by Major-General P.F. Holloway SOE.

In his new book Chris Ash argues that President Paul Kruger invaded Natal on 11th October 1899 with the aim of annexing the British colony and its sea port -  that the invasion was never 'defensive'.

"I have led battlefield tours in Natal for over 30 years. This outstanding book is the most comprehensive  account of the Boer invasion I have read. I have no doubt it will come to be regarded as the definitive history of the campaign." Major Paul Naish

"In this exhaustively referenced book, Ash cuts through the tired old myths with a soldier's eye, and a ready wit. You'll never look at the Boer invasion of Natal in the same way again." Tony Scott, Accredited Guide, International Guild of Battlefield Guides

Chris Ash is the author of Kruger’s War and The Boer War Atlas. He grew up in the Shetland Isles, studied at Aberdeen University, and served briefly in the British Army before relocating to South Africa. He has worked in oil and mineral exploration in Africa and the Middle East, and currently works between Johannesburg and Iraq. He is a Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Historical Society.