Funeral and burial service at iSandlwana iron cross on battlefield

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Natal Witness 2.12.1879

Posts : 3458 Join date : 2021-01-04

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Natal Witness 16th December 1879

See: Isandlwana, Solving the Enigma for further information on the Iron Cross and its re siting around the battlefield.

Posts : 3458 Join date : 2021-01-04

Morning Frank
I've re-read your chapter in StE alongside the report above and was wondering.
The metal cross on page 96 certainly looks like the sort used in a religeous service and looks the same as the one on page 97 in JY's photo.
The wood alter eventually rotted, the cross fell off and was then placed next to another cairn.

This photo of the cross in the Colonial cemetery (taken by me in 2020) compared to the B/W photos in StE ceratinly places the cairn further away from the foot of mountain than JY's period photo
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(Kate B. Collection)

I know in your book you suggested where the service took place could be the location of Durnford's burial but the article above does not make any mention of this so could it suggest that one of the cairns on the battlefield higher up towards the nek (the leftmost cairn in my photo above) does not have remains underneath it but is merely the site of the church burial service?
The burial service cairn has then subsequently been white washed in the belief it is a burial mound.
What do you think?
Perhaps we can have abother look when I come over in a couple of weeks.
Kate

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