On 15 November 1899, near the start of the Anglo-Boer War, an armoured train manned by British soldiers and containing a young British journalist named Winston Churchill ground its way towards Chieveley in the misty hinterland of Natal, South Africa. The Boers, those fearsome, brave Afrikaner farmers known for their horsemanship and marksmanship, had proved to be a fearsome and formidable force. So as the train steamed along the track, the soldiers were well aware that the oftenelusive enemy could strike at any time.