Colin Walker is a retired Headteacher and a life-long Scout. A one-time Chairman of Central Yorkshire Scout Council, he now writes extensively on Scout History and The Siege of Mafeking.

On his retirement Colin began to research Scout History resulting in the well-known Scouting Milestones Scout History Web Pages. His early researches into the Mafeking Cadets led to the compilation of the Mafeking Siege Register, a unique database recording the activities of the besieged. Primary resources, such as the published and most of the unpublished Siege Diaries, Baden-Powell’s Staff Diary, the complete run of Mafeking Mail Siege Slips, the medal rolls and medal auction catalogues and evidence seen at first hand in the world’s leading collections of Mafeking Postal History, have all be included.

A visit to Mafeking to collate information in the town’s Museum resulted in further data and names being added to the register which now contains the Mafeking history of over 1800 people. From this knowledge base, pages have been added to the website and magazine articles written, resulting in email contact with families who had a relative amongst the besieged. Amazingly, 106 years after the event, two contacts were from individuals whose fathers had fought in Mafeking.

This quite astounding research has allowed the author to provide factual details of the weapons used in the Siege, including the famous Boer Long Tom. There are many illustrations including photographs taken during the siege and of the weapons today, taken by the author in their various locations, across the world. It is however the personal stories of the men that bring this unique work to life.

The garrison, in one of the most remote locations in the British Empire, was outnumbered and outgunned. This publication ably demonstrates just why it was that Baden-Powell was able to lead ‘Gallant Little Mafeking’ successfully through the longest Siege of the Boer War.

Other books by Colin Walker

For further details please contact Colin Walker.

For further reading
Scouting Milestones, Scout History Website
An award winning encyclopeadic site dealing with the many facets of Scout history
cross-referenced to a Baden-Powell bibliography and timeline.

The Siege of Mafeking
A site dedicated to the Siege of Mafeking, containing all known resources including those written by the Colin Walker.