Zulu. Ammuntion belts

Posts : 1603 Join date : 2009-09-21

Did the British have ammuntion belts ( don't know what there called) the type tha go around the shoulder like a bandana.

Subject: Zulu , Ammunition Belts . Sat Apr 28, 2012 1:14 pm

Hi Dave.
Do you mean Bandoliers ? .
cheers 90th .

Posts : 1603 Join date : 2009-09-21

That's it. Yes. Cheers 90th. Did the British wear them. The reason I ask, in Zulu the film, the Zule with rifles in the hill all seemed to wearing them loaded with ammo. I

Posts : 57 Join date : 2012-04-12

I'm not sure but I believe of all imperial troops only the mounted infantry used these (at least officially).

Picture shows imperial mounted infantry troopers, some originally from the 90th if I recall correctly.
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I've also seen some photographs were NNC NCO's wore bandoliers.

cheers, Salute

Dave

Subject: Zulu , Ammunition Belts . Sat Apr 28, 2012 1:46 pm

Hi thinredlineMOD / Dave.
I think you'll find that Photo you posted is actually part of Wood's personal bodyguard / escort which indeed consisted of men from the 90th Regt in the M.I. As far as I'm aware it was only the M.I who wore Bandoliers in the imperial force. Differant story of course in the Colonial Regt's .
cheers 90th. Salute

Posts : 2008 Join date : 2011-08-01 Age : 27

Hi Dave

The Carbineers, Police and NNH all had ammo Bandoliers

Cheers

Subject: Re: Zulu. Ammuntion belts Sat Apr 28, 2012 2:08 pm

True. But they didn't contain MH rounds.

And the Zulus didn't use MH rifles at RD.

Subject: Re: Zulu. Ammuntion belts Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:12 pm

Yeah that over the shoulder bandolier is something worn by the mounted infantry. these were men picked from several regiments so they can be from a lot of places. there were some present at isandlwanna for sure. i belive they were of the 80th.
they were used in conjuction with the mounted volunteers i think as sort of fast moving infantry.. much like american Cavalry of the same period.
We ditched massed charges with sabers and lances during our experiences in the civil war and tend to see cavalry in this functionality.

would have held rounds not for the martini-henry but the Swinbourne-Henry (i think i spelled that right)

Another interesting item worn by officers is an over the shoulder gun belt/holster as the same brown belt had not been put into service yet(if it had been even created yet)

I have to say that the soldiers look extra dashing and ready for combat with those bandoleers on though dont they?

Posts : 553 Join date : 2009-10-14 Location : Loughborough

MH and Swinburn used the same ammuntion.

Buller complained about the ammunition when kept in the bandolier as it mis-shped the ammunition. Redvers Buller, complained on the11th June 1880, and was particularly scathing of the MkIII cartridge, and its use by the mounted men, reporting that in the Zulu wars, after even a modest shower of rain, the “ammunition in the men’s bandoliers became quite useless, or fell apart”, adding they became “bent in front of the swell”.

The Snider round would fit in the same bandolier, Buller did say he had no issue with these.

Irregulars, in Particular Piet Uys Boers would have the Westley Richards ammo in bandoliers, many of the portraits of the 1881 war show them wearing them.

Anyone coming along to Brecon at the weekend will be able to inspect and "hands on" five variants
The M-H (1873 & 1876 pattern), The Swinburn Henry Carbine (mine is a 1877 Natal Issue! you wont get closer to a AZW veteran) , the Snider MkIII carbine and the WR Monkey tail.

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