Otto Witt's Daughter. Rorkes Drift

Posts : 1095 Join date : 2009-01-14 Location : East London

“Surgeon Reynolds, Otto Witt and the Reverend George Smith, a local Anglican missionary and Chaplain of the Weenen Yeomanry, a local volunteer unit, who was serving as a volunteer Chaplain to Number Three Column, climbed to the top of the Oskarberg and peered through a telescope towards Isandlwana. They could see through the heat haze what was obviously a battle taking place.
On the Natal side of the Buffalo, the three observed four horsemen riding at the gallop towards the mission-station, fearing that the riders might require medical assistance Reynolds made his way down to the post, leaving Witt and Smith on the hill top.
The Reverends Witt and Smith had now come down from their vantage point on top of the Oskarberg. They had distressing news; the Zulus were crossing upriver in force. Witt fearful of his wife's safety at nearby Msinga, decamped taking with him a wounded N.N.C. officer from the hospital.”

I'm aware Otto Witt, was at Rorkes Drift. But in reality was his daughter there. I always presumed she was. As in the film Zulu. But in the text above its appears she wasn’t

Guest

Hi OH 2,

As I always understood the situation, Witt's daughter was not present at the time in fact she was only about 7 years old according to what I have read. She was apparently staying at a farmstead a few miles distant with her mother.

Cheers
Bookworm

Subject: Re: Otto Witt's Daughter. Rorkes Drift Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:23 am

Mrs Witt and the couple's three small children were at Msinga (between present day Pomeroy and Tugela Ferry) on the 22nd January 1879. By the time that Rev Witt reached Msinga, they had left for Pietermaritzburg where they met up with one another a few days later.
Msinga is about 50 km from Rorke's Drift. The road to the summit of Msinga Top has now been tarred and well worth the detour if one travels between Dundee and Greytown via Helpmekaar.
Regards, Ken

Posts : 1604 Join date : 2009-09-21

Thanks Ken. Is it true Witt claimed that he was at Isandlwana and Rorkes Drift and survived both. And tour the country giving talks on how he survived.

Subject: Re: Otto Witt's Daughter. Rorkes Drift Sat Nov 07, 2009 5:13 pm

I understand that Witt left SA shortly afterwards and gave talks in Britain, indicating that he had been present at both sites.

» 'Witts' Kraal
» Rorkes Drift by those who were there.
» Rorke's Drift Survivors-Can anyone identify any more?
» Rorke's Drift VC's
» Rorke's Drift: The Immortal Anglo-Zulu War