Model 1896 Mauser 7 mm bolt action rifle used by the Boers (c)

In South Africa the British Army were for the first time in opposition to combatants armed with modern European weapons. Mauser rifles were very accurate and sophisticated weapons and British losses were often heavy in set-piece actions against the Boers.

One characteristic of the Boer soldiers, sometimes copied by the English, was their habit of carving names and actions on the woodwork of their weapons. After the war such carved items became much sought after as tourist souvenirs. This weapon has an inscription on the butt to L J Denijssen and is dated 1900.