Meurig
I Google'd "John P. Wisser" and it seems he wrote several books on assorted military matters. Not sure which one the SRT pics came from, however. The SRT was apparently first employed by Buller to move supplies on the Tugela front (they were termed "steam sappers" - the exact reference escapes me just now) and the army must have run short of chaps to run them because civilians were enlisted. I really don't think many people realise how advanced the military thinking was at that time; a wireless unit (Marconi) was seriously tried and would have helped eliminate pesky guerilla bands had the state-of-the-art been better developed. The SRT would have been able to apply much greater traction than a span of draught animals; the only problems would have been water supply and decent firewood. When I get the chance, I will do a pic of my SRT QSA and supply details of it's recipient.
Regards
IL.
