Durban Mounted Volunteers, Zulu War 1879

Durban Mounted Volunteers under Capt W Shepstone

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

Joseph Lumley, Natal Carbineer, d Isandlwana 1879 Zulu War

Joseph LUMLEY was born in Yorkshire at Normanby on the 8th December 1857 and arrived in South Africa in September 1862. He died on the battlefield of Isandlwana on the 22.01.1879. His is one of the few names to be recorded on the site where his body was found together with fellow Carbineers who fought their last stand supporting Colonel Durnford, who was also killed. The first picture shows a close-up of Joseph Lumley's name and some others splattered with whitewash, the second picture shows the memorial in relation to the Isandlwana mountain. It is on the side of a stony ridge that overlooks the battlefield and across the ridge is the route to Fugitives Drift.

Durnford his men and a small number of the Carbineers had engaged and held the left horn in a Donga (known as Durnford's Donga) in the middle of the depression in front (SW) of Isandlwana Mountain The foot soldiers who were deployed to back them up got caught in hollow ground approaching the Donga where they were overwhelmed and all killed. Durnford and his mounted men had by this time started a retreat up the slope towards the saddle ridge below Isandlwana Mountain. This saddle contained the road back to Rorke's Drift, they did not know that the right horn of the attacking Zulu Impi had travelled behind the mountain and blocked the retreat and anyway they never quite got to the saddle before they were finally surrounded on the rocky knoll next to the saddle, there they were killed and disembowelled. Their monument stands on this spot today.*

*This monument bears the name of J Lumley (Joseph Peter Lumley), the eldest son of the Great Grandparents of Trevor Lumley and Gillian Richmond and for the rest of us our Great Great Grandparents John and Margaret Lumley.

David Moon

Lumley descendant

NATAL CARBINEERS The History Of The Regiment From Its Foundation, 15th January 1855, to 30th June, 1911

Author:	Rev. John Stalker
ISBN:	9781781519615

The Senior Sergeant at the Drift: Windridge, 1879 Zulu War

The actor Joe Powell played Sgt Windridge of the 24th, in the film Zulu. I actually met Joe in Woolwich at the Royal Artillery museum when they hold their Firepower exhibition. Along with Joe was James Booth who of course played Pte HOOK VC in Zulu, however this piece is not about HOOK but WINDRIDGE.

Yet again the record books even today have the place of birth of Joseph Lenford Windridge incorrectly. Windridge was not born in Birmingham but in Southwark, Surrey, at No 10 Keppel St on 14th May 1842. Joseph`s parents were Daniel Windridge and Martha Clark. The Windridge family did have a connection with Birmingham but Joseph himself was not born there. At the end of January 1859 Joseph decided that the army was the life for him and so it turned out to be but with mixed fortunes, especially later on.

At first the career of Joseph Windridge took off like a rocket: by December 1863 he had risen to the rank of Quarter Master Sgt, not bad for someone aged 21; there was no evidence at this time that the demon drink grabbed hold of him as it did later. I believe that once the 24th went to India in 1865 Windridge began to indulge in drink which was the ruination for him both in his army and private life. 

735 Sgt Windridge had been promoted to Sgt in 1862, a rank he was to hold and lose many times before he eventually left the army. By the time of Rorke's Drift he was a Sgt, having been reduced and promoted from Pte to Quarter Master Sgt quite a few times. No less than eight admissions to hospital were as a result of 'intemperance', as it was called in those days. What drove Windridge to drink? Whatever it was it cost him a great deal.

Although it has been the subject of debate many times it is 100% certain that Sgt Windridge was the Senior Sgt at Rorke's Drift in January 1879, having attained this rank as far back as 1862 initially. When you realise Frank Bourne at the age of 23 was a Colour/Sgt having been promoted to this rank in 1875 some 13 Years after Windridge was promoted to Sgt, it makes it all the more sad that the demon drink gripped him so hard. Was it this that made Windridge order Sgt Frederick Augustus Millne of the Buffs to take charge of the rum cask at the mission station? The chance of being drunk on active service would have brought Windridge severe punishments, no doubt. Shortly after Rorke's Drift Joseph was in trouble once more and reduced to the ranks, not for the last time. Joseph started the climb through the ranks again. It was always believed he married only once but careful research has proven he in fact married three times; the first marriage is believed to have taken place in either India or Burma.

We don't know the name of his first wife but by 1874 he had married again and his second marriage record shows he married one Annie Sullivan aged 24; Joseph was then 32. However by 1877 he is shown as a widower and married for the third time in Dover to Helena Rawlinson who had been born in Berkshire in 1859. Helena was only 19 when she married Joseph but bore him no less than 13 children!

Fate conspired to the tragic loss suffered by this family of no less than six of their children within a month. Rumours abounded that the children were poisoned, a common fate at times in the darker days of Victoria's reign. The cause of death was in fact discovered to be a nasty form of tuberculosis. Fate had not finished with Sgt Windridge, however, as will be seen. According to the papers I hold, Windridge was a widower twice; subsequent research must now question this. Despite many a search I cannot at this time ascertain if indeed Windridge was a widower or not, and not once but twice. I am coming round to the belief he may have divorced his second wife, as he was to be divorced later on from Helena.

The army career of Joseph Lenford Windridge came to an end in 1883 after 24 years and 189 days. Having family members in Birmingham it made sense to try life in that city where he gained employment as timekeeper and clerk. It would appear that the problem he suffered with drink carried on in civilian life as we roll the clock forward to 1901. The census for 1901 shows Joseph at the home of his nephew; what of Helena and the remainder of the children? Going forward a little to his death at age 60 in 1902 we see that he died at the home of his married sister Clarissa Dyer. At first I could not find Helena and her remaining children but a stroke of good luck located her. When I searched for her as Windridge no luck, for whatever reason I put in her maiden name and she turned up with four of her children. Helena had divorced Joseph and moved away from the family home. Then to my surprise I realised she had given her maiden name to her four children, two sons and two daughters. Was it drink problems again that caused this marriage- breakdown? The couple seemed to have got through the deaths of six children. Helena was to marry again in 1903, no doubt in part due to financial reasons. 

You will recall that Sgt Windridge himself died in 1902 aged 60 and is buried in an unmarked grave in Witton Cemetery in Birmingham. One task that Sgt Windridge passed on at Rorke's Drift was to order Sgt Millne to mount a guard over the rum cask held within the confines of that little garrison. Sgt Millne's own story is just as fascinating..

B' Company Survivors of Rorke's Drift who had not been repatriated through injury or illness. Probably taken at Pinetown, September 1879.

Graham Mason
AZW Researcher

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.