 He began to take a wider interest in defence issues , writing extensively on the subject , such as The Conditions and Requirements of the Volunteer Force ( 1886 ) . In July 1899 , as the Second Boer War loomed , Balfour offered to raise a thousand men to go and fight , but it was considered too early to begin that effort . His offer to the minister George Wyndham was ignored by the War Office , and Balfour reacted angrily , complaining that volunteers were " expected to be fit for service while we are vigorously debarred from seeing any " . 
