Zulu War ancestors: finding the true facts

Until a few days ago I had always believed that the VC won by Pte David Bell of the 24th in the Little Andaman Islands was due to the fact he saved a number of men from drowning; this was back in 1867 some 12 years before Isandlwana. Imagine my shock and surprise when I discovered in fact that no less than five VCs were won that day saving men from a colony of cannibals. One of the party of 5, a Pte GRIFFITH of the 24th, is well-documented as having been killed on 22 January 1879, a date known I think by everyone in this field.

What is not known are the names and more detail of the men concerned in this circumstance: with your indulgence I put that right with a piece on each man concerned. The VCs were won on the 7 May 1867 in the Little Andaman Islands. In no particular order, they were these:

Pte David Bell

1. Pte (later Sgt) David Bell 24th Foot, born in Northern Island, David died on 7 March 1920 in his home in Gillingham, Kent, and is buried in Gillingham Cemetery. The grave is well marked.
2. Pte Cooper 24th Foot born in 1840 (Birmingham), he died on 9 August 1889 and is buried in Hockley Cemetery Birmingham in an unmarked grave.
3. Pte William Griffiths 24th Foot born 1841 in Eire; Pte Griffiths was later killed at Isandlwana, of course, on 22 January 1879. Exact location unknown.
4. Pte Thomas Murphy 24th Foot born in Dublin circa 1839. Thomas died on 23 March 1899 in Philadelphia USA. It is understood his body was used for medical research and hence his burial on 28 December 1902 in Laurel Hill Cemetery Philadelphia. Although buried in a family plot his name does not appear on the stone at his burial site.
5. Surgeon (Lt Col) Campbell Mellis Douglas 24th Foot; born 5th August 1840 in Quebec, died 31 December 1909 in Somerset, buried 4 Jan 1910 at Wells cemetery Western Super Mare Somerset. Grave well marked.

Upon his discharge from the Army, Gunner Cantwell worked at the Gunpowder factory in Waltham Abbey in Essex, Cantwell suffered with impaired vision, hardly a condition suitable in a munitions factory, I would've thought. Cantwell later emigrated to South Africa on 5 November in the year of his departure. George William Mabin (note correct spelling of his surname) was actually a Colour Sgt at the Battle of Rorke's Drift and was the Senior NCO at this engagement. Frank Bourne was promoted to this rank in 1878 some 3 years after Mabin.

Cpl Allan (not ALLEN) was 10 years older than Frank Bourne at 33 on Jan 22 1879. Sgt Windridge who was known to have a fondness for the amber liquid was in fact married three times and his last wife had by the time of the 1901 census divorced him but later re-married a man called Jones whose father was William Jones! Windridge himself died in 1902 aged 60 at the home of his sister, his wife and remaining children having moved to a different address in Birmingham.

B Company at Rorke's Drift

QM Bloomfield of the 24th served with that regiment for 20 years from 1859 till his death on 22 January 1879 at Isandlwana; he, along with his father who was Drum Major in the Scots Fusiliers Guards, joined that regiment before he was 13 years of age. Both were called Edward and the son was born in 1835 in Marylebone in London and was not of Scots origin. Edward in fact married twice, the second time in 1873 and had in total three children, one with his first wife, Ellen, who was born in Mauritius in 1862, and two with his second wife. Sadly she and her youngest both died in 1892 and are buried in the now disused Lorne cemetery Brentwood in Essex. Pte William Neville, another Rorke's Drift defender, had a sister who had three children out of wedlock, but he himself married and had three children. Census returns show his wife became blind at some point.

It goes to show I think that many interesting details are still to be looked into and reported, many facts are still written incorrectly and you can never close the file on any individual, well-known or not. 



Graham Mason
Anglo-Zulu War Researcher

Lesser Lights of the Zulu War 1879: Luddington and Attwood

The "lesser lights" I refer to are two men who were amongst the small garrison of RORKES DRIFT. They are THOMAS LEVI LUDDINGTON Army Hospital Corps and FRANCIS ATTWOOD Army Service Corps. Francis won a DCM at Rorkes Drift, one of 5 won that day. Thomas was a Private while Francis was a Cpl, later Sgt. They both ended their days in Plymouth although not from there. Thomas was from Lavendon in Buckinghamshire while Francis was from London it is believed. It would be nice to think they were buried in the same cemetery but this is not the case.

Both men were subject to rededication of their final resting place and this was down to one person in particular, Cpl Tim Needham of the Royal Marines who organised memorials for both these men in Plymouth.

The cemetery a man is buried in is often forgotten and the history of the cemeteries concerned is fascinating. I was fortunate to be shown the cemeteries in Plymouth by the great grand-daughter of JESSE SLEEP later HARPER, later LUDDINGTON. Jesse had married Sgt Arthur Harper who I believe was a member of the Army Hospital Corps who died in 1883. Jesse a young widow was left with a stark choice and as so often happened in Victorian times re-married quickly after the death of her first husband. The second marriage was to THOMAS LEVI LUDDINGTON, a Private in the Army Hospital Corps. Jesse had a son (THOMAS ARTHUR LUDDINGTON) who was quite clearly named after the two husbands of Jesse. Less is known about FRANCIS ATTWOOD however. He died suddenly aged only 38.

Thomas Levi Luddington died on the 23rd March 1934 and Francis Attwood died on the 20th Feb 1884.

Francis Attwood

Their final resting places are the subject of this article. Before the Burial Acts of 1852 (London) and 1853 (Provinces) the majority of people were buried in church graveyards. The Act of 1853 gave local authorities the power to run their own cemeteries. The final resting place of Francis Attwood is Efford Cemetery in Plymouth but prior to this he was interned in Milehouse Cemetery in Plymouth. This was opened in 1871 and consecrated in 1876. During World War II the cemetery at Milehouse was hit by German bombers most likely their target was the bus depot nearby but I was told a story that the cemetery was lit up to draw away the bombers from parts of Plymouth, this story has not been confirmed. On the 29th April 1941 the Northern end of the cemetery was hit and the headstone of Francis Attwood badly damaged.

After the war was over it was decided not to use the cemetery again and it was left to fall into disrepair. By 1967 the bus depot was in need of expansion as did an electrical sub station close by. The Cemetery was sold and the remains of the people buried there were interned at Efford Cemetery on the Northern outskirts of Plymouth, a number of headstones were erected but not the one for Francis Attwood but a photo was taken of the damaged headstone. The location of these reburials is at the top of Efford Cemetery in a tranquil spot. The remains of Francis Attwood were largely forgotten until 2009 when Tim Needham organised two dedications and a blue circular marker set in the rocks of the quarry area of the cemetery now indicate at long last the final resting place of Francis Attwood DCM of Rorkes Drift who died aged only 38.

Thomas Levi Luddington is buried in Weston Mills Cemetery. This was not hit by bombers fortunately. The land required for the cemetery was purchased in 1899 from a Mr Edward St Aubyn for the sum of £25000, a very large sum for that time.The foundation stone was laid on June 6th 1903. The cemetery opened on the 10th Nov 1904.The first burial took place on the 26th and by the end of the year 25 burials had taken place. The night of April 22nd/23rd was the worst time of the bombing, some 72 people were killed in the Portland area of Plymouth. The obvious target for the bombers was the docks and it could be argued that had FRANCIS ATTWOOD who had seen off the Zulu army at Rorkes Drift been buried in Weston Mills Cemetery as was Thomas Levi Luddington his headstone may well have been in a good state of repair to this day. Was the cemetery at MILEHOUSE lit up in 1941 to lure away the bombers from the obvious target, the docks? we can only speculate. 

Thanks to a Cpl in the Royal Marines both men were honoured in 2008 in two different cemeteries in PLYMOUTH.

Aftwood memorial

Graham Mason

AZW Researcher

The Driver at the Drift: Zulu War 1879

If you recall the film "Zulu" (who can forget it!) cast your mind back to the scene where Stanley Baker as Chard is in his shirtsleeves in the water. After a hunting trip Michael Caine (Bromhead) converses with Baker and offers him the use of his batman to clean his kit; Baxter declines. This was another piece of poetic licence, of which there are a number in the film. It was Chard who had a batman while Bromhead did not. There was a small number of Royal Engineers at the drift to repair and maintain the ponts used to ferry supplies across the Buffalo River, not a bridge-building team.

At that time of Victorian soldiers there was a distinction between a SAPPER RE and a DRIVER RE: the driver was not versed in fieldcrafts and got a little more pay than a Sapper. Including Chard there were 6 Royal Engineers at the Mission station, there was a Cpl Gamble with three Sappers, Chard and the subject of this piece, his batman, Driver Charles Robson, too often called SAPPER ROBSON in various accounts.

An order from the Column at Isandlwana was issued on the 21st Jan 1879 for all the Sappers to return to Isandlwana. Cpl Gamble and his three Sappers (Cuthbert, McClaren and Wheatley) packed their gear and went the few miles up the road and to eventual doom. Robson was with Chard and so missed the order to return to his mates up the road. It is not recorded if Robson was an excitable man or otherwise. When the little garrison constructed its defence Robson was close by the RE wagon "to keep an eye on things".

Charles Robson was born on the 7th Jan 1855 at No 7 Ebury Mews, Chester Sq near Victoria coach station. (Interestingly, Ebury Mews is very close to Cumberland St where Pte Alfred HOOK VC lived in London at about the time he gained a job as a duster in the British Museum.) To give him his full name CHARLES JOHN ROBSON was the son of George Robson and Ann Draper. Charles had two known sisters but no brothers. On the 30th April 1873 Charles enlisted into the Army at Bow St Magistrates Court.

Many men enlisted into the army via a Magistrates Court into the army; some authors imply that the reason for this was that the person involved had committed some crime and were 'offered' escape from prosecution if they joined the army. For example, it has been suggested that Fred HITCH VC had committed an offence and was persuaded to join the army to avoid prosecution; I have no evidence to support this line of thought.

Prior to joining the army Charles had been a groom to his father who was at that time a Coachman. Charles declared his attestation on the 1st May 1873. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall with brown hair and grey eyes. Charles was sent to Aldershot in Hampshire. On the 18th of April 1878 he was appointed as batman to Chard.

On the 2nd December 1878 Robson found himself on the SS Walmer Castle leaving Gravesend for Durban, arriving on the 4th January 1879. Chard and his men arrived at their final destination on the 19th January 1879 and set to repairing the ponts which were needed to ferry the supplies back and forth. Cpl GAMBLE and his three Sappers received orders on Jan 21st to return to Isandlwana as soon as possible; CHARD had received his own orders earlier and was on his way back to Rorkes Drift and so missed the soon-to-be massacre at Isandlwana later on that day . It has been a point of debate as to which set of orders Chard and, of course, Robson were to follow.

Chard had little time to digest his dinner prepared by Robson: the battle of Rorke's Drift was at hand. To keep an eye on the RE wagon which was part of the defences, Robson found himself in front of the storehouse near the well-built cattle kraal which gave him a good view of his precious wagon and its contents. After the battle of the 22nd Robson stayed with Chard at Rorke's Drift when the position was made more secure and was later with Chard at Ulundi.

Upon their return to England Chard and Robson went to Scotland where on 10th October 1879 they were introduced to Queen Victoria at Balmoral. It was Chard that the Queen really wanted to see - I believe Robson was along for the ride, so to speak. Chard and Robson parted company in November 1879 when Chard went to Somerset , Chard gave Robson a brief testimonial written on 17th November 1879. By 20th June 1881, Robson had left the army having served 8 years and 47 days, leaving with a deferred pay of Ł15 7 6d. Robson got a job as groom and servant to Capt C H Gordon RE. Having completed his reserve service Robson was recalled to the Colours on the 2nd August 1882 having served a further 1 year and 42 days in the reserve and became yet again a batman, this time to Lt FN Maude RE. Robson, and served with Maude until November 1884.

Robson although never promoted was well looked upon by those he served, a reason perhaps for not promoting him during his service. He had but two minor blemishes on his record having 4 days imprisonment for an minor offence and not seeking permission when on the 13th May 1883 he was married to Jane Elizabeth Farrand. Normally a punishment would have been handed out but he received none. In 1891 his only child Annie Lillian Robson was born and she later married and had a son. Robson was at the marriage of Chard's sister as seen in one of the few pictures taken of him.

On the 30th April 1894 the army career of Robson came to an end. He left with four good conduct stripes and would have received the Long Service Good Conduct Medal had he not spent time in the reserve and 4 days in prison. He received a princely pension of 13d per day. Charles was employed as a groom to a local doctor in Dorking, living at that time with his sister Laura. Charles and his little family moved shortly afterwards to Plumstead (Swingate Lane). During World War I Charles and his wife worked in nearby Woolwich Arsenal. Charles eventually retired in 1919.  

Charles John Robson, Driver RE, defender of Rorke's Drift, left this world on the 19th July 1933 having died due to a cerebral embolism. He was buried in Old Woolwich Cemetery in an unmarked grave: I am glad to say there is now a stone at his grave, a fitting tribute to my fellow Royal Engineer who, alongside Lt Chard RE, won the day on 22nd January 1879 at Rorke's Drift.

Graham Mason
AZW Researcher


www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=37023100

The Mounted Infantryman: Anglo-Zulu War 1879

Even after many decades the Anglo Zulu War still throws up many unanswered questions. The subject of this article is one such item. 

Among the four known versions of the roll calls at Rorke's Drift is a reference to a Pte Frederick EVANS of "H" Coy 2 /24th, a mounted infantryman listed as amongst the defenders on Jan 22nd 1879. In my studies I have the number of men at the mission station as 152: this figure is my own interpretation of who was there. It still baffles me why Lt CHARD RE VC did not call upon C/Sgt G W MABIN at the end of the battle to get a complete and accurate return of the men at the station. Mabin's job as a Chief Clerk would have been to compile a list for future reference but this did not happen. I still do not know if the original CO, Major SPALDING had a list of the men at the station prior to riding off to look for help.

Read the version of events as described by C/ Sgt Mabin:
"It was about 3:20pm when I saw a horseman spurring furiously towards the camp. Drawing rein at the tent he demanded to see the Commanding officer. The senior is absent, he has gone to Helpmekaar, what's up? I said. Good God man! the men in camp at ISANDLWANA have all been killed by the Zulus who are coming on here." 

If this account is true then Mabin was the first to learn of the impending onslaught. I thought to myself, all I have to do is next time I am at the now renamed National Archives at Kew, is to seek out the papers of this Frederick EVANS whose regimental number was 953. I searched for his papers and none were found, however I did come across a set of papers for 954 Pte Thomas EVANS of the 2/24th. Details show he was involved in the Zulu War of 1879 and gained the South Africa campaign medal with clasps for 1877,78,79, indicating he engaged against the Zulus.

I then checked the medal roll and both are shown in the 2/24th with Frederick EVANS shown as a mounted infantryman in "H" Coy. Lt Chard RE also recounts horsemen coming into the camp, one being Lt ADENDORFF. No mention is made or refuted about C/ Sgt Mabin's claim to having spoken to a horseman; Mabin recounts that it was 3:20 pm when he saw the rider and Chard recalls it being 3:20pm. Remember Chard was not the officer in charge of the men until Maj Spalding left and the next in command, Lt BROMHEAD was not asked to produce a roll call. The actions attributed to Adendorff are according to the book by Dr Adrian Greaves down to Cpl Attwood, a case of mistaken identity I feel.

Four horsemen were known to have ridden to Rorke's Drift, these being Lt VANE, Lt ADENDORFF (Natal Native Horse), Pte Frederick EVANS attached to the Mounted Infantry and one other and it is he I believe was the EVANS we are looking for, more about him later. As stated, Frederick EVANS was in "H" Coy 2 /24th. Before I reveal the identity of the fourth horseman, a little background on the Mounted Infantry. Due to a shortage of cavalry, mounted infantry were recruited on loan from regular battalions. The 24th were the first such unit raised alongside with elements from the 88th. It was the 1st/24th that supplied nearly 100% of the men from the 24th; both regiments served in the 9th Frontier War. In 1878 1st and 2nd Squadrons were formed with 150 men in each divided into two troops and drawn from the 2/3rd, 1/24th, 1/13th and 80th regiments. 20 Mounted Infantry were in action at Isandlwana with a loss of 13 of their number. As Frederick EVANS 953 is shown on the Chard roll (no number mentioned) and the Bourne roll (amended) and the Maj Dunbar roll, it is quite clear that this man must be severely in doubt as to his participation in the defence on Jan 22nd 1879.

The vast majority of 1/24th men as Mounted Infantry are listed in No 1 Squadron and Frederick EVANS was in the 2/24th. Very few were listed in the 2nd Squadron if at all. In his book "Rorke's Drift", Dr Adrian Greaves on page 106 states: "the dreadful news from Isandlwana had been re-confirmed by three more breathless horsemen, all survivors from the battle including Pte Frederick EVANS 2/24TH on loan to the Mounted Infantry (he may have been in the 2nd Squadron). Having made their report they then rode off to Helpmekaar". Now if Frederick EVANS rode off as stated he could not have been at the defence as seems to be the case due to the confused recording of the facts. Remember Chard did not know any of these men except the sappers under his command and of these four had been killed at Isandlwana early on the 22nd Jan, Bourne included EVANS on his amended roll and Maj Dunbar who compiled the fourth known list was not even at the battle!

A letter in Welsh was allegedly written by Frederick/Thomas EVANS to his wife:
"Dear wife, I send you these few lines to inform you I was not amongst the unfortunate men belonging to our regiment who were killed on Jan 22nd of this month, the camp was left in charge of some 850 privates and officers, and when they were out they were attacked and all killed, excepting 20 (note: the actual number of known survivors was in fact 55). The Zulus crossed into Natal, and attacked another station with such fire against them that they failed to force an entrance, and when they saw what number of men amongst them was being killed they set fire to the hospital and then retreated. I was in the midst of this fight, and about 100 of us killed about 600 of the enemy with only a loss of 15 men among ourselves (2 more died later on making 17 in all). On the following morning, what remained of our regiment came to us, and we are now waiting for the others to come and take our place, because we have neither clothes nor anything else. I do not suppose we shall go to battle again because our companies are so cut up that it will be hardly possible to form us into a regiment. I shall write again when that is possible, and will give particulars.
Your affectionate husband Thomas Evans."

The plot thickens! Listed as a survivor of Isandlwana was a man called Edgar EVANS of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Buffs, also a Mounted Infantryman! Could it be that he was the rider that C/Sgt MABIN saw and spoke to while Chard saw Lt Vane and Lt Adendorff alongside Pte Frederick Evans 2/24th "H" Coy 2/24th and as stated 4 men on horseback rode into camp (Rorke's Drift) and then according to Dr Greaves rode off to Helpmekaar? Did Chard vaguely remember an EVANS and remember on his roll EVANS was shown as having no number. Did Bourne in his amended roll recall an EVANS and was he told it was Frederick EVANS? Or was it the fact that 954 Pte Thomas Evans was the man already at the drift and with the regimental numbers being so close and both called EVANS did Bourne recall the wrong man? Did Mabin speak to EVANS of the Buffs whilst Chard spoke to 953 Pte Frederick EVANS and is it possible that 954 Pte Thomas Evans was in fact the man at the drift and that no Mounted Infantrymen were in fact amongst the defenders on that fateful day? 

I aim to locate a copy of this letter written by EVANS and also see if the service papers still exist for 726 Cpl Edgar EVANS 2/3rd a Mounted Infantryman who survived Isandlwana and is most likely one of two people named EVANS who were Mounted Infantry who both survived the trauma of Isandlwana, rode into Rorke's Drift, made their report to two different men (Chard and Mabin) and then rode off to Helpmekaar.

The papers of Pte Frederick EVANS and Cpl Edgar EVANS may have furnished clues. On my next trip to Kew it is my intention to seek out (if they are there) the papers of Cpl Evans to see if they can assist. I believe that Bourne and Chard (who did not know these men) remembered the wrong man and although Bourne has an EVANS it is on his amended roll and could well have been 954 Pte Thomas EVANS who in fact should be remembered as the man at Rorke's Drift and not 953 Pte Frederick EVANS.

In closing, can anyone tell me what became of Lt VANE and, more importantly, Lt ADENDORFF, whose roll in both battles is still hotly disputed?





Graham Mason
Anglo-Zulu War Researcher.

Souvenir Saturday: Anglo-Zulu War group photo includes Chard of Rorke's Drift

Lt John Rouse Merriott Chard, VC, one of the heroes of Rorke's Drift,
with other officers of the Royal Engineers. Chard is wearing his decoration.

Read The Anglo-Zulu War in Soldiers' Letters by Frank Emery at

http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol055fe.html

Chard Medal Group

Anglo-Zulu War: Pitfalls in Researching an Ancestor

Even after all the passage of time from that fateful day of 22 January 1879 till the present there are many issues cloaked in mystery and ignorance. 

Life in 'civvy street' in Victorian London or any other major city of the time was grim to say the least; infant mortality was extremely high, mothers had, in many cases, ten or more children, and if four or five survived beyond 12 years of age they were doing pretty well in some of the really slum areas, especially in London.

To escape the grinding poverty and rampant illiteracy many a young man turned to the forces to escape this thankless life. Once again to quote my favourite example, Fred Hitch later to win a VC at Rorke's Drift was at the time of his enlistment a farm labourer and illiterate. I often wonder which was worse: to be the wife of a private soldier or suffer the harsh regime of a private soldier in a foot regiment (Infantry). There were no allowances made to wives and children of private soldiers, unlike today, and married quarters were still to come. A man could be sent to India and not see England for 18 years or more. Quite often the only concession to a married man was a blanket drawn across a bed-space at the end of a barrack room. No time for niceties in those days!

In 1879 a man had the choice of enlisting into one of the following: Infantry, General Service, Artillery or finally the Cavalry. Unlike today a man was usually accepted with little or no vetting into the Infantry: life was cheap and no questions asked. You could in certain regiments enlist as a boy and gradually work your way until you reached the age of 18 when you were considered a man - odd when you think that you were considered a youth till the age of 21 and could not get married below this age without consent of pare

nts, a soldier had to ask permission from his commanding officer to get married back in Victorian times.

In one famous case, a certain man got married without his commanding officer's permission but escaped punishment: this was Driver (Royal Engineers) Charles Robson, batman to a certain Lt Chard RE. A driver RE received a little extra pay as opposed to a Sapper. After much research I realised that the crafty recruiting Sgts played a 'fast one'. The optimum age to enlist was, as stated, 18, and this was true for all four elements at the time. However, to enlist in either the Artillery or Cavalry you had to serve a minimum of 12 years. In the Infantry or in the General Service it was 10 years if aged 18 or over at the time. If you were 17, you had to serve the extra year plus the minimum requirement of 10 years if joining the infantry.

Very soon it was realised that if details on the enlistment sheet were 'lost' there was no way of checking if a man was signing up for 10 or 12 years. In many cases an alias was used and a wrong age indicated. In some cases the enlistment sheet survived and this is when this anomaly presented itself to me. As there were different enlisting forms a person could sign up on a Cavalry form for 12 years when in fact it should have been 10 (Infantry). This meant in many cases a man serving 2 extra years plus any shortfall years below the age of 18.

A lot of enlistment sheets are missing but by the same token a lot survived. I even have papers where you can see the 10 years crossed out and 12 inserted and also the reverse! Where papers do survive it is the attestation sheet that survives. You had to enlist first, then usually within 3 days attest (make a definite commitment to service). Men signed for 6 years in the regulars and 6 years in the Reserves in which time, if not already dead in battle or of fever, were liable to be recalled to do further service both in the UK and abroad.

There was no choice at first as to what regiment you served in, which is why men from Eire, London and Bristol served together. If a regiment was under strength the next batch of 40 to 60 men were sent to a particular 'holding brigade' before being allocated to a particular regiment. In the case of the 24th Regt of Foot it was 25 Brigade. Look at the casualty lists for Isandlwana with regard to the 1/24th. Many men have, as an example, 25 B/1234 Pte John Anybody. This meant that an individual was still held in a holding unit but served with the 24th, attached but not actually part of the regiment as yet. So we have the situation where Pte J Anybody enlisted under a false name, lied about his age, was recruited falsely, and it was often found that he changed units. When a man was granted a change of regiment he was given another number, his old number being allocated to another man. We find Pte Anybody wants to return to his old unit, does so and gets yet another different number! Very confusing when it comes to obtaining service records or pension details.

At the termination of this article there will be a list of books to refer to with regard to the casualty lists of the battle at Isandlwana (in the main). It was not until the Cardwell reforms of 1881 that the rules were changed and a man kept his number from enlistment till discharge, and regiments of Foot were given titles, such as the Essex regiment, Lancashire regiment etc. The 24th became, of course, the South Welsh Borderers. Many an author still refers to these men at Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift as being in the South Welsh Borderers but this change of title only occurred after the reforms. A man often took to the army life and re-enlisted after 12 years or even beyond 21 years in many cases.

Frank Bourne of Rorke's Drift found himself a Colour Sgt in the 24th at the tender age of 23. For every two years good conduct a man got an extra one penny a day pay and a good conduct stripe to indicate this. A maximum of six could have been awarded during a man's service. These could be traded in for rank so a Cpl with three Good Conduct stripes could 'cash in' two and go to C/Sgt (Colour Sergeant). In the case of Sgt Windridge of Rorke's Drift he went from Private to Quarter Master, back to Private and finally to Sgt. A fondness for the black bottle was his undoing.

To make my life as a researcher more difficult the service papers of a man killed in action were destroyed: the 1/24th took their service papers into battle and these were all lost after the action was finally over that January day. 

To make matters worse a large number of service papers were destroyed in the Second World War due to the action of the Luftwaffe. Despite all these obstacles we have barely touched the surface on research matters and I hope new facts will still emerge.

For the casualty returns mentioned, I advise you to look in the following books in particular.

1. Casualty Roll for the Zulu and Basuto wars, South Africa 1877-79 IT Tavender (JB Hayward & Son ISBN 0-903754 24X)

2. They Fell Like Stones: John Young (Greenhill Books ISBN 1- 85367-096-0)3. The Roll Call for Isandhlwana and Rorke's Drift, 1879: Julian Whybra (Roberts Medals Publications ISBN 1-873058-0-1)4. The Silver Wreath, 24th Regt at Isandhlwana and Rorke's Drift, 1879: Norman Holme (ISBN 0-906304-02-4)

Graham Mason, AZW Researcher

Tracing a Military Man 4

The 1881 Census for  Stevenston reveals that Finley Gibson’s brother, William, also took up residence in their widowed sister’s household in Schoolwell Street. Both men are listed as army pensioners. According to William’s service pension documents, he had taken his discharge from the army on 7 September 1880 at which date he was aged 38.

Though these pension papers give his number as 1245, this is an error: William was, in fact, Pte 1265 of the 2/4^th, the King’s Own Royal Regiment of Foot. Like Finley, his birthplace was St George’s District, East London, and his civilian occupation was labourer. His intended place of residence after discharge is given as 57 Newcommon (Newcomen) Street, Borough, London. Whether this address had been that of the Gibson family home is uncertain, but William apparently chose to go to Ayrshire instead, perhaps having heard that Finley was living there.

William was in the 2^nd Battalion of the 4^th Foot (King’s Own Royal Regiment)  [WO12/2271]. He had enlisted on 21 June 1859 at Newington. His description: height 5’4 and a half, chest 30”, hair dark, build slender.

The first thing William did on enlistment was go AWOL until 17 July 1859. He rejoined his Regiment on 18 July 1859 and was ordered to be inducted into his Corps as a pardoned deserter. Not a good beginning to William’s military career and giving a fair indication of both his attitude and of what was to come.

The Defaulters Book entries for William show his conduct to have been ‘Fair’ and that he acquired only one Good Conduct badge during the entire course of his service. He appeared on Regimental defaulters a total of 35 times including 4 Courts Martial. This must constitute another sort of record.

Nevertheless, he was locked into the army for a considerable time. At date of discharge he had completed 19 years, 251 days’ service – eight and a half years of which were served abroad. Stations included Corfu, Malta, Halifax Nova Scotia and, unexpectedly for me, Natal - for a year and five months. This must have been around the time of the Anglo-Zulu War, I thought, and so it proved: William Gibson had actually visited South Africa with his regiment. Could he have been at Isandlwana? Or at Rorke’s Drift?

To be continued

Anglo-Zulu War: Records and Frustrations

24th Officer

It was quite common for regiments to take their 'paperwork' into battle with them when on active service, as in the case of the 24th - both elements (1/24th & 2/24th). The 1/24th took well over 1000 sets of papers (enlistment & attestation) into the cauldron that was to become Isandlwana on 22nd January 1879.

When a soldier died in battle, or of disease as so often was the case in Victorian times, service papers were destroyed and vital information about a man was lost forever. The casualties incurred at Isandlwana are a case in point. We know who fell and their names and ranks as listed in regimental returns, effects are returned to next-of-kin, often the effects say 'Claimed by next-of-kin, father' etc, but we do not know the names of these people and tracing their families and history becomes very difficult indeed.

My own research has shown that in those papers held at Kew the ones most researched are held in WO 97 which are service records. Obtaining background information on a person the correct designation of a known man enables you to look into the correct set of papers (assuming of course they survive and are held at Kew). Again research has thrown up an interesting element. The majority of enlistment sheets are missing in sets of papers: there's a good reason for this. To accompany this article I have included below an enlistment sheet that has survived. It belongs to Sgt George SMITH of the 24th who was a defender at Rorke's Drift.

In those days a man joined the army and was then sent to a holding brigade and then to a regiment: in the case of the 24th it was 25 Brigade. Oddly, a man was considered an adult at the age of 18 but in civilian life it was, of course, 21. You could join the army as young as 12 or 13, though, as a boy. However, the crafty recruiting Sergeants had a trick up their sleeves. They knew full well that if you joined the infantry or general service you had to serve a minimum of 10 years if aged 18 or above, 12 years if it was the Artillery or Cavalry. If under 18 you served the shortfall up to 18 then the designated amount of time.

For example, if aged 16, you served 10 years plus the extra 2 for the shortfall to 18. By 'losing' the enlistment sheet a large proportion of men served an extra 2 years by signing up for 12 which was only, as stated before, applicable to the Artillery and Cavalry. Often original papers were lost and replacements made up; men who did not like a particular regiment often enlisted in another without legally leaving a current regiment first; very frustrating when trying to trace a man and his family.

The 24th had a reputation for bad paper work and this caused immense problems even to this day. As is so often the case, officers' records are quite easy to trace but the common soldier is another story. 

At Isandhlwana one Pte James CAMP of the 1/24th was killed; at Rorke's Drift one of the little garrison was Pte William Henry CAMP of the 2 /24th. Were they related? William indeed did have a brother but was it Pte James Camp? Research has thrown up many relatives of Pte William Henry Camp but not his final resting place: he died in 1900 but his grave is not known.

When papers survive, to the trained eye the clues are immense when trying to trace a man and his family. Having established the place of birth and local district, the task of looking for his family begins and in the first instance the census returns from 1841 to 1901 are a great start.

Take the case of Fred HITCH VC for instance. For many years it was believed he had only six children: investigations have shown that in fact he had 11 children of which 8 survived, and so on. Contact with families often results when research is undertaken but you can imagine how frustrating it must be when researchers such as myself are faced with well over 1000 sets of papers taken into battle by the 1/24th on Jan 22nd 1879 - and by 4 o'clock in the afternoon lost forever. Papers are a treasure-trove of information - only if they survive and are accessible to the researcher.

'STAND TO! HERE THEY COME AGAIN!'

by Graham Mason AZW Researcher

Post Anglo-Zulu War: heroes who returned to South Africa

This is a story of a Scotsman, an Irishman and an Englishman - no, not one of those stories, but of three men from different backgrounds who found themselves together on a very hot day in South Africa at the end of the first month of 1879, far from home. The men in question were George William MABIN from Bristol, Charles DUNBAR from Scotland and John CANTWELL from Ireland. Fate conspired that they were comrades on 22 Jan 1879 at Kwajimu, and these three had something else in common as well.

When the hostilities had ended they all came back to live out their lives in South Africa. One could be called the "Indiana Jones" of his time: this was Pte James DUNBAR No 1421 of B Coy 2/24th. In the various reports of the time regarding the engagement at Rorke's Drift, Dunbar was attributed as felling 9 Zulus with 9 shots, quite a remarkable act when considering the heat and conditions at the time - one Zulu was a Chief on horseback.

As far as is known he was born James Dunbar in Scotland around 1857 or 1858. His service papers are missing from the National Archives at Kew so making life very difficult for anyone researching him. To make matters worse it was known that he used variants of his Christian names throughout his life. He attested into the army on 20 June 1877 at Newport in Wales and by 15 March 1878 he was promoted to Corporal but come 22 July 1878 he was demoted to Private and given 28 days hard labour for a crime I have yet to ascertain. James Dunbar certainly got about. In Chiswick on the 1908-1909 electoral rolls it indicates a James Dunbar as living at 58 Duke Road Chiswick, at this time the person living at No 56 Duke Road was FRED HITCH VC! - was this Dunbar the man at Rorke's Drift I wonder? Dunbar gave his intended place of residence as Newport in WALES but when he left the army in 1883 I believe he came back to South Africa and lived the life of a miner, did prospecting and eventually became an overseer there.

The most we know about him was at the end of his life: in 1938 the Natal Mercury interviewed him at his last address, the Centenary Home for aged men in Durban; he was known then as Charles Dunbar. He had run away from home aged 13; it is not known if he ever returned to Scotland. Ex Private Dunbar died at Hillcrest Pinetown in Durban on 29 Jan 1940 aged 82 one of the last survivors of Rorke's Drift. He is buried in Stellawood Cemetery in Durban and his grave has been used again; he has no marker and, but for a few enthusiasts, totally forgotten - which is probably how he would have wanted it.

The next man I refer to is an Irishman who went by the name of John CANTWELL. John was born in Dublin about May 1845; his father we believe was called John as well, and he had a sister, Mary, who emigrated to Australia (Melbourne). He joined the Norfolk Regt on 6 Nov 1868 but transferred to the Royal Artillery on 1 April 1872. He was married in St Helena on 6 August 1876. By 21 Jan 1879 the rank of Gunner having reverted from Bombardier, he was the artillery storeman at Rorke's Drift. After the battle he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Cantwell's army career ended on 19 July 1887 and he gave as his intended address No 2 Phillipa St., Woolwich. Cantwell had defective eyesight but he managed to secure a job at the Gunpowder factory at Waltham Abbey in Essex. He somehow survived but on 5 November 1897 he went to South Africa as a Prison Guard; he lived at No 8 Loop St, Pietermaritzburg. He was stationed at Durban prison, where on 8 August 1898 he was seriously assaulted by a life prisoner called DUBOIS and suffered a ruptured spleen. He soon left this job on medical grounds and despite many letters which upset his employers he got a job as a toilet cleaner - he gave that up quite quickly. By 14 August 1900 he had died in Addington Hospital in Durban and as a Catholic is buried in a Catholic cemetery in Durban but to this day his grave has not been located or verified. A sad end to a brave man.

My last name is George William MABIN, born in Bristol If anyone could be called a perfect soldier it was this man. In 30 years of service he was never on defaulters parade and finished his career as a Sgt Major. Mabin first saw light on 5 October 1848. He joined the army on 29 May 1868 into the Rifle Brigade. He transferred to the General staff of the army as a Clerk on 19 May 1872. Rapid promotion followed and by June 1880 he was promoted to the rank of Sgt Major. At the time of Rorke's Drift he was the senior NCO having been promoted to C/Sgt in 1875 - some three years earlier than C/Sgt Bourne. Mabin was married on 3 Jan 1872 to Mary Elizabeth Ranger; they had 11 children, a number of them being born in South Africa. What Mabin was doing at Rorke's Drift in 1879 we do not know as he was not a hospital patient and his duties have never been stated. As a clerk he should have been called upon to produce a roll call but was not. He came back to South Africa in 1900 and lived there till his death in 1938. Mabin briefly went to live in Bristol in 1898 but came back two years later to live in William Street Woodstock Cape Town. George William Mabin who died in 1838 is buried in Maitland Cemetery Cape Town and only C/Sgt BOURNE outlived him and he died in 1945 on VE Day.

 I had intended to add to this list the name of James Langley DALTON, who also came back to live in South Africa. This man was the architect of the defence of Rorke's Drift and merits his own story.

by Graham Mason AZW Researcher

Anglo-Zulu War Medal

Survivors of Rorke's Drift

What happened after?

As the Autumn mists swirl round the coast of Anglesey, I often think of what it must have been like months and years after the battles of the Zulu war were over. What pressures were felt by the surviving participants as they tried to pick up lives torn apart from the rigours of campaign. What long-term effects did those 9 months have on the men who came back home? Upon further research I have found out, especially in the case of the men who fought at Kwajimu in that intense 12 or 13 hours back in January 1879, that a great deal did happen to those soldiers when they arrived back in the UK .

The British army does not like two disasters in one day and hence the, some would say, unwarranted attention covering the action at Rorke's Drift. As in any battle there are casualties not seen or felt until well after the engagement was over. With the advances in medical practices, I feel the mental strain on the men under CHARD and BROMHEAD would have had the term syndrome (post traumatic stress?) applied to the undoubted after-effects of keeping a determined foe at bay for so many hours. Even today after 125 years many graves of the men who fought at Rorke's Drift are still to be discovered and a public grave with no marker is often the case .

There are groups and organisations who amongst their activities search out these final resting places and hopefully leave a marker behind. In Ruddington in Nottinghamshire TWO headstones were laid in one cemetery as both men came from Ruddington and were mates, these being Pte Caleb WOOD and Pte Robert TONGUE both of B Coy 2 / 24th Foot. The final resting place of one Pte John SMITH is proving a tad difficult to locate, but I try! I do have his birth details, however, and am in the process of obtaining his birth certificate (he was born in Wigan). The other fact which has come to light is that many soldiers who were not in any of the prominent engagements suddenly stated they were at Rorke's Drift on that fateful day when in fact, after careful checking, it was found they were not. One example being Pte COMBERTON 1/24th whose glowing account of his actions on Jan 22/23 is to be found in a publication printed in 1966 and which has been found to be false from the outset. Had he done any of the things mentioned he would have been awarded 2 VCs at the very least! Pte Comberton, by the way, did not arrive in South Africa till April 1879.

Another example was a certain 'Sgt JONES VC' who was at the training camp in Pochefstroom and in contemporary papers of the time is shown quite clearly as being at Rorke's Drift and winning a VC there. Careful research revealed this was not the case. I have avoided mentioning one Lt ADENDORF because that is a whole different set of circumstances to go into. I am intrigued, however, that after his arrest for assault and desertion he vanished and to this day we do not know the full story. Apologies to any of his descendants, but that is one mystery I would love to resolve. Back to the main theme.

Research has proven that nearly all who took part in the campaign on Jan 22/23 1879 were affected in a mental capacity. To a man, any mention of those terrible 12 hours brings out anger or denial if mentioned in later years. 

Pte William COOPER who was over eighty gassed himself in the 1940's because, coupled with his physical condition and memories, his mind could take no more. Pte William JONES VC was seen towards the end of his life wandering the streets of Manchester with his granddaughter in his arms to protect her from the Zulu, quite obviously suffering from the pangs of that terrible day. Another VC winner (Pte Robert JONES VC) allegedly shot himself with a shotgun while the balance of his mind was disturbed. Quite how he managed to shoot himself twice is a fact I find difficult to accept. What is true is that the gun he was carrying was known to have a hair trigger, that the area where the accident took place was uneven and that Robert was not concentrating on his business at the time as it was proven that he was disturbed about events back in 1879 and this fatal combination resulted in him losing his life. To add insult to injury his coffin was taken over the cemetery wall and when buried the headstone faced the other way round! I feel a campaign is in order to investigate the true causes of his death and to reverse the suicide verdict raised against him. 

Fred HITCH VC on the other hand was known to have been quiet and unobtrusive when he lived the remainder of his life out in Chiswick, London and never once boasted that he won this highest honour. There is even a case where a defender was assaulted by fellow soldiers for just being part of that little garrison that day, jealousy I believe was the cause that resulted in that particular assault. One figure I recall sticks out in particular: this was the sad story of Sgt Joseph Lenford WINDRIDGE. First promoted to Sgt in 1862 he suffered various demotions and promotions during his career but at the time of Rorke's Drift was the senior Sgt. Incidentally, the majority of the men promoted shortly after the battle lost that rank for all sorts of reasons and Windrige even went down to a Pte at some stage. Recent research has proved that he married twice and his first marriage ended as he lost his wife, with his second he had no less than 13 children, 6 died within three weeks of each other. It was thought at one time that his wife poisoned them but it was proved not the case. Can you imagine what must have been going through his mind at this stage? Windridge eventually died in 1902 in Birmingham and is buried in this city under an unmarked grave. One day it is hoped that he too will get a marker to show he was at Kwajimu on that day so long ago. 

It was said that Pte DUNBAR dispatched 8 Zulus with 8 shots, quite a remarkable feat considering the pressure and heat on that day. He saw his last days out in South Africa, as did C/ Sgt George William MABIN the Fighting Clerk as he became known, the sad case of Gunner CANTWELL DCM, buried somewhere in Durban, who after winning the Silver Medal, as it was known, became a Prison guard in Durban goal, was assaulted by a lifer (DUBOIS) and eventually left the service, became a toilet cleaner and eventually died in Addington Hospital in August 1900, an oft-forgotten hero of that fateful day on the Buffalo River. Maybe one day his grave location will be found and a marker placed at the site, 'Here lies John Cantwell DCM , hero of Rorke's Drift.'

by Graham Mason, AZW researcher

Anglo-Zulu War Memorial,
 Pietermaritzburg