Early in 1929, two reporters from The Natal Mercury interviewed a number of Zulu survivors of the battle of Isandlwana. One of them was Kumbeka Gwabe of the uMcijo ibutho, who had been born beyond Nongoma in northern Zululand, and…
Lieutenant John Chard, commander of the garrison at the epic defence of Rorkes drift, was taken seriously ill with fever immediately after the battle. He was rescued by a Ladysmith doctor, Dr. George Hyde (of the famous Clarendon family), and…
He was the last man to survive the battle of Rorkes Drift. He died at the age of 90 on 9 May 1945. For his bravery at Rorkes Drift he received the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for “outstanding coolness and courage” with…
By Pat Rundgren The generic name for a Zulu shield is iHawu. If you ask a Zulu for anything other than that, you’ll probably draw a blank. However, Europeans tend to try and complicate the issue and categorise shields into…
Unfortunately, Zulu history started when some European got around to writing about it, so their weaponry’s development is lost in the dim distant past. Legend has it that Shaka developed the broad bladed stabbing spear, or iklwa (derived from the…
By Pat Rundgren. The Crimean War had been a particularly bloody one. More importantly, it had been well covered by war correspondents and photographers such as Roger Fenton. Pictures showing the full horrors of having your face blown off had…
Born in Dalkey, County Dublin on 3 November 1833. The youngest son of a Episcopalian rector, he graduated from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and became an ensign in the 13th Prince Albert’s Light Infantry in July 1855. In 1858…
Accompanied by an escort of Natal Carbineers, the body of Louis Napoleon, travelled via Koppie Alleen, Landman’s Drift and Dundee to Pietermaritzburg and then Durban. He was buried in Chislehurst, England, where a large crowd, including Queen Victoria, paid their…
By Pat Rundgren A casualty rate of 10% of forces engaged in battle is today considered as catastrophic. British casualties at Isandlwana number some 70%, which constitutes annihilation. Zulu numbers have always been exaggerated, but current thinking is approximately 3000…
In May 1880 Empress Eugenie made a pilgrimage to the remote spot in Zululand where her son, the Prince Imperial, had been killed during the Anglo-Zulu War the year before. Living in exile in England in the aftermath of the…
By Pat Rundgren. It’s often a small, simple enquiry that sets off a train of thought that ends up as major research into a hitherto unexplored aspect of the battle of Rorke’s Drifta and the village of Helpmekaar. On Friday…
Born on 26 April 1840 in Inveraray, Argyllshire, Scotland, Dugald MacPhail arrived in Natal in 1864. He lived the life of an adventurous bachelor in Pietermaritzburg, Newcastle, the Orange Free State and on the Kimberley diamond diggings. In 1870 he…
Queen Victoria wanted a special award to be created for the distinguished service by female nursing sisters in South Africa. The Royal Red Cross was introduced to Military Nursing by Queen Victoria on 27 April 1883. It is awarded to…
