Book Review
By Stephen Hermanson
Adrift on the Open Veld – Deneys Reitz – Stormberg 1999
ISBN 978-0-6202-4380-3
12 June 2026
I find it curious that throughout my primary and secondary schooling in South Africa (culminating in 1993) I can’t recall ever encountering this high-profile figure in the syllabus or in general conversation; and I suspect the authorities at the time felt the Reitz narrative painted a rather uncomfortable portrait of South African political history.
Therefore, it was fascinating to find this author (recommended by an ex-Royal Navy colleague I’ve discovered has a knack for uncovering some gems – thank you Richard G). I decided to tackle all three volumes – Commando, Trekking On and No Outspan. Fortuitously it also coincided with a rare visit to South Africa to see my elderly mother. So, the scene was set for a sentimental journey.
At the outset, it’s worth mentioning that many of the names and places that would feel very familiar to someone born and growing up in South Africa, would likely feel a bit obscure to others. This doesn’t detract from the story, and when we hear about the author’s role on the Western Front during the First World War, readers that are familiar with towns and villages in Belgium and north-west France will find themselves on familiar territory. Apart from the desire to reach for a map to help with orientation from time to time, the stories about geography and places don’t require intimate knowledge of the environment.
This review will not re-tell or summarise the story, which accomplished reviews have done far better than I could attempt. The curious amongst you can easily obtain a synopsis from other sources, and possibly a favourite AI model could do quite a good job too. My reflections focus on what stood out to me on the question of geopolitics, over 100 years after the author’s accounts.
Despite the passage of time, the backdrop was very familiar to anyone surrounded by the history of empire, commonwealth and the world wars. Also, the story of my parents and grandparents is a story of migration across the British Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries until the end of the Second World War. That’s a complicated story of British, German and Swedish heritage that requires an entirely separate analysis, which I’m sure you’ll thank me for sparing you.
Allow me to share some observations and thoughts that characterise my conclusions following the read. I’m keeping this compact as this review (and apologies for not using the classic book review formula) is not pretending to be an exhaustive analysis which I’ll leave to academics. In summary, I noticed some things that might leave you wondering whether you’re reading the latest morning papers over eggs and bacon.
- A global tussle between super-powers (The British Empire and Germany in this context) playing out in far off lands through proxies and expeditionary forces.
- Strategic and systemic advantage in technology (such as horses to mechanisation) and scale (early globalisation) that ultimately renders all short-medium term tactical gains largely academic (in reference to the Boer cause in this context but, also feels close to home when considering the prospects of some current campaigns to arrest or marshal emerging technology).
- The ceaseless march of technology and national/tribal identities as disruptive forces, often working in tandem to amplify effects (in this context the great tapestry of indigenous peoples in South Africa and interaction with equally diverse European cultures). Different groups rubbed along well enough and co-existed quite comfortably albeit with inevitable skirmishes from time to time. Despite conflict – and sometimes significant conflict – repair and restoration seem to prevail.
- Access to resources such as land (for livestock and agriculture in this context), critical minerals (gold and diamonds in this context) and energy (coal and oil in this context). In some respects, the books make the world seem like a smaller place but already, the race for resources was responding to growing populations and middle classes that increasingly enjoyed the benefits of innovation and the natural resources needed to sustain them.
- How swiftly alliances can shift and the pragmatism of realpolitik revealing how erstwhile opponents can find common cause (having fought for the Boers, the author explains in a fascinating account how he came to command a British battalion during the First World War). The books include a vivid account of post-war politics and how the deprivations of war, the challenge of government (as opposed to opposition), and shifting global orders strengthen and fracture alliances.
- The manner in which people moved around the world (mostly by sea at that stage) and settled temporarily (and sometimes permanently) in countries that simply absorbed them (perhaps this was the privilege of a certain set with the right connections, backgrounds and funding). Nonetheless, the books give a strong sense of a world before passports, visas, and border controls as we know them. People travelled back and forth between Africa, Europe and North America in ways that would seem impossible now.
Any of this sound familiar?
Even the passage of 100 years or more doesn’t rule out clear parallels to the current geopolitical manoeuvring which we see playing out around us today. It would be nice to look at how previous generations navigated similar challenges and to understand where mistakes were made to avoid them in future. I’m sure scholars are doing this already and there’s no shortage of advice for international relations practitioners.
The only certainty it seems is that the balance of power is shifting constantly, that in the moment it’s difficult to discern how the balance will play out, and the long game is very important. This is where institutions as opposed to personalities count. Where trusted institutions come under threat, or become jaded and inefficient, it’s incumbent on the prevailing generation of public-private partnerships to renew and revitalise their purpose and scope.
Effective and robust institutions are born of political will and good policy choices informed by Public Policy tradecraft and International Relations. It seems to me the latter is having a rather rough patch at the moment (and more reason for organisations to build a meaningful response to prepare for the world that is emerging –
“That gap is the problem. Different teams follow different sources. Few organisations have anyone responsible for geopolitics, let alone accountable for it. Boards are often briefed only once an issue has become urgent or a risk has become material. The result is fragmented understanding: leadership teams working off different assumptions, risks recognised too late, second- and third-order effects missed entirely, and major commercial decisions made without a common picture of what is actually happening.”
Bruckard D. 2026
The former will need to accept that despite the very polished and proficient policy analysis produced by the latest AI models (useful as that is), it’s the relationships and access that count –
“AI is not simply changing public affairs. It is making clearer what has always mattered most – influence. When content is easy to produce, decision-makers have to rely more heavily on their sense of which voices are credible. A well-drafted document can be produced quickly. A trusted relationship based on mutual understanding cannot.”
Cook G. 2026
Relationships and access are as essential now as they were for Deneys Reitz.
References
Reitz D. 1929 and 1943. Adrift on the Open Veld – Deneys Reitz – Stormberg 1999. ISBN 978-0-6202-4380-3
Bruckard D. 2026. Are you the “geopolitics person” at work? A simple way to help your organisation stay on top of geopolitics. https://www.geopoliticaldispatch.com/p/are-you-the-geopolitics-person-at
Cook G. 2026. What AI Reveals About The Real Value Of Public Affairs. https://garystephencook.substack.com/p/what-ai-reveals-about-the-real-value
Geopolitics and Critical National Infrastructure 
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