[George Gregory was born in 1888; he wrote his memoir from the mid-1970s]

I now want to recall some of my experience that arose from the nation’s preoccupation with war for I realise on reflection that one has followed another the whole of my life  […] 

I was influenced more by the Boer War, for it was the time when the living picture was first shown on the screen. We were not left as boys to make our own mental picture, but saw troops in action […] We thought the Boers were funny men, and actually laughed to see them killed; and ours was part of a general reaction to news that was available, which made Boers our enemies, and caused us to join in the singing of patriotic songs as were popular among the people […] And so the people sang ‘We’re the soldiers of the Queen my lads’. ‘We’ll make them remember Majuba Hill and the sixty-six they slew’, ‘Goodbye Dolly I must leave you’. ‘Sweet Rosie O’Grady my beautiful Rose’. ‘Rule Brittania’ [sic].  The British lion was roused to action, and our Generals would defeat the enemy in battle.