John Jr., late 19th century

Dear diary,

This may be the worst day of my life. I just got the news that both of my sons died in the battle between the Boers and the British. I knew it was no good idea to let them go to South Africa, but they wouldn’t listen. What’s even more terrible is that they fought against each other! My elder one fought with the Boers, he wrote me a letter in which he explained he can’t forget his Irish roots and how me and his mother had to flee from the famine because the British wouldn’t help us. If he had no chance in fighting them in Ireland he would use the chance he has to fight them in South Africa. My younger boy wrote a letter the same time where he explained he had to fight with the British, he knows our roots are Irish and Ireland is part of the Union. I’m simply desperate…. I hope this Union stops encouraging innocent young people to fight against each other…