During the Boer War, a young British officer constantly wrote home for remittances. "Dear Father," he wrote on one occasion, "kindly send me fifty pounds at once; lost one leg in a stiff engagement and am in hospital without means." The answer from his father was as follows: "My dear son, as this is the fourth leg you have lost, according to your letters, you ought to be accustomed to it by this time. Try to hobble along with any others you may have left."
Another story of the war concerns an Irish officer who, struck on the head by a rifle ball, was pronounced by the surgeons to be in a dangerous condition, as they could see his brains."Faith, then," said the officer coolly,"you'll oblige me by sending a small parcel of it to my father, for he never would believe I had a morsel!"
波爾戰爭期間，英國一年輕軍官經常寫信，要求家人寄錢。有一次，他寫道：「父親大人：請速寄下五十英鎊。男激戰之中，失去一腿，今在醫院，一文不名。」他父親回信說：「吾兒：據往日來信，爾至今共失去四條腿，對此應已習慣。倘尚有腿未失，當仍可跛行，勉之勉之。」
另一個波爾戰爭故事的主角，是個愛爾蘭軍官。他頭顱遭來福槍彈打中，醫生說傷勢十分危險，連腦髓都可以見到。那軍官卻很冷靜，說道：「那麼，懇請各位代我把一小部分腦髓寄給家父。他從來不相信我有一丁點這樣的東西。」