Henry William Longcast, Interpreter.

I had an interesting discussion over the weekend with the Great-Granddaughter of Henry William Longcast regarding his campaign medal.

Longcast would serve as an interpreter to both Lord Chelmsford & King Cetshwayo. However he was removed from his duties at Cape Castle, as he appeared to be too biased to the Zulu cause for authorities in the Cape. After which he settled in Zululand and married a Zulu. He retained his links to the Zulu Royal House.

During the 1906 Rebellion he thought it was prudent to place his medal, together with testimonials from Lord Chelmsford, Sir Evelyn Wood, Sir Garnet Wolseley, Captain Joseph Ruscombe Poole & the Reverend Hahn from Nkandla, in the safe keeping of the Resident Magistrate at Nkandla.

Following his death in 1909, his friends and family went to report the death to the Resident Magistrate. They asked about the medal and the testimonies only to discover they were not there. The present family have their suspicions as to who removed the items, but it is not for me to repeat their allegations.

All the family would like to know that if anyone on the forum knows the whereabouts of Longcast’s Medal is that it is cared for. Should you know please drop me a pm in confidence so I can update the family.

JY

Hi JY
Not sure John but I seem to remember the Longcast medal was possibly Auctioned at DNW in the last couple of years ? , I may be wrong , I seem to remember I bid on it , unsuccessfully ! .
90th

John are you talking to Ingrid Filand?

Gary,

Did a search on their website - no trace.

Frank,

Yes indeed. Something I should know?

JY

Then you probably know that Ingrid knows more about Henry than anyone. I believe she still lives in Eschowe.

Frank,

She certainly does, we have been corresponding over the last four years.

Yes, she is still in Eshowe where she is an elected member of the local council.

JY

Hello JY

I'm the grandson of Rose Elizabeth Longcast. Unfortunately I never got a chance to meet her as she passed on before I was born. I've been trying to contact Ingrid for sometime of which I was unsuccessful. May you please assist me with her contacts. According to my mother and aunt, my grandmother was from Natal and somewhere around Glencoe.

Regards
Kagiso Modisane

Kagiso
Last I heard of Ingrid she was working at the Sunnydale library in Eshowe. Try 035 4742 279

Frank

Thank you Frank
The Library seems to be closed at this time, I will keep trying. Thank you so much.

Kagiso,

I have sent Ingrid a WhatsApp message, awaiting her reply.

JY

Kagiso,

Please personal message me with your details, in order for me to pass them on to Ingrid.

JY

Kagiso
Please contact me on WhatsApp 083 259 1644
Have an Elizabeth Longcast 1884 - 1929 who married Walter Henry Tifflin
I also have Mary Elizabeth Longcast nee Dufton - she was the wife of William Longcast and mother of the Henry William Longcast
But sadly nothing on Rose Elizabeth Longcast - unfortunately the Longcast youth who moved away from Kwamagwaza and Etalaneni missed out being Baptized, Married etc by the Rev Robert Robertson, the first Anglican Missionary to Zululand and the adoptive Parent of Henry William Longcast and his sister Matilda Ann Longcast
So I'm very interested in including your branch of the family in the family tree
Hoping we make contact
Take care and stay safe
Trevor Rubelli