Lt. Thompson, Natal Native Contingent

Posts : 270 Join date : 2017-07-21 Location : San Diego, CA

In Lieut. Hartford's 'The Zulu War Journal' he mentions a 'Lieut. Thompson' who managed to find a substitute so as to match out with Dartnell's reconnaissance on the 21st rather than remain with the four NNC Companies left behind at Isandlwana camp.

I'm not seeing any reference to a Thompson on the NNC Officer rolls. I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas?

Subject: Re: Lt. Thompson, Natal Native Contingent Mon Feb 21, 2022 8:16 pm

Hi WW
I’ve got a spreadsheet of all those in the NNC I could find in various sources and I’ve got the following Thompson’s:

Lt W Thompson - Sole lists him as 2/2nd NNC and Dutton lists as 5th Bn NNC which are of course the same unit. I have a note that his horse was wounded at Gingindlovu but can’t find where I found that now.

Cpl Rupert Thompson - Sole lists him as 2/3rd NNC & KIA at Isandlwana, although I don’t think he is on the casualty lists? I couldn’t find him in Englands Sons for example so he’s a bit iffy.

Cpl JH Thompson - Sole and Dutton both list him as unknown Battalion of NNC.

Sgt W Tomason - Sole & Englands Sons both list him as 1/1st NNC KIA at Isandlwana.

I could find any other variants such as Tompson or Thomson.

Hope this helps.

Regards. Phil.

Posts : 270 Join date : 2017-07-21 Location : San Diego, CA

It certainly does. I had thought maybe one of the Contingent NCOs later received a commission but Harford is quite clear that it was Officers who were peeved at being forced to remain in camp.

He had to be assigned to one of the four NNC Companies remaining behind in camp. That precludes Sergt. Thompson, although the other two Thompsons just could possibly be candidates.

My best guess is Harford used the name Thompson as an alias, as he did see fit to make a rather cheeky remark on the man's wife!

Posts : 270 Join date : 2017-07-21 Location : San Diego, CA

We do see Thompson again in Hartford's journal, he was apparently acting as commander for one of the NNC Coys on outpost duty around Dartnell's bivouac. See p. 48.

Subject: Re: Lt. Thompson, Natal Native Contingent Wed Feb 23, 2022 4:14 pm

Mike
I'd always assumed that this was simply an error that Harford made when he transcribed from his diary to his notebook all those years later OR that he was referring to a sergt. and gave him the wrong rank.

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