The Boer Concentration Camps of Bermuda

John A. Hassell's impassioned account exposes the Boer prisoner camps in Bermuda as a system of neglect, humiliation, and collective punishment. Arriving first as a witness determined to test the rosy claims of the British press, he finds an island paradise turned into a fortified prison zone, where coral channels, whitewashed homes, and tropical beauty conceal martial law, rifle-guarded shorelines, and barbed-wire enclosures. What begins as travel writing soon becomes a fierce indictment of colonial authority, as Hassell is denied official access, warned away by armed sentries, and forced to gather evidence by stealth. Inside the camps, he records overcrowding, poor food, scant clothing, primitive sanitation, censored reading matter, and exploitative canteen practices. He also notes the prisoners' resilience: their faith, homesickness, refusal to surrender their dignity, and devotion to the Boer cause. Some Bermudians and a few British officers show private sympathy, but relief is obstructed and the men remain isolated, including elderly prisoners, children, and others held for ancestry, family ties, or alleged disloyalty. The result is a searing wartime protest against the treatment of prisoners of war. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.