Ancestor a survivor of Isandlwana..just found out

Posts : 38 Join date : 2010-02-20

Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum, but not new to Zulus/Isandlwana, etc. My father is an avid military history buff, and wargamer. We currently have my Dad's cousin (a Kincade) visiting us from Wisconsin (we are in New Orleans, LA), and in the course of conversations was told that an ancestor of ours survived the Battle of Isandlwana. To say we were stunned is an understatement. Our ancestor's name was Trooper Robert J. Kincade, he was with the Natal Mounted Police. We are currently trying to track down further information/possible photograph to learn more about Trooper Kincade. Zulu is one of my father's favorite films, he can practically quote it, same for Zulu Dawn as well.

I'm glad I found this forum, has alot of fascinating reading.

Subject: ancestor survivor of isandlwana. Sat Feb 20, 2010 6:05 am

hi Ladycat .
Welcome aboard , good to see you are into it staight away :) . If you go to the link on the forum
" The ones the history books forgot " , you will see some posts on Kincade.
cheers 90th.

Posts : 38 Join date : 2010-02-20

we're going to be investigating this for awhile. If we could find a photo of Trooper Kincade, that would be something! Isandlwana has always fascinated my father, NOW we know why. I've seen the original Zulu so many times, I can quote the dispatch that late actor Richard Burton speaks about at the beginning (...."the Secretary State for War has today received the following dispatch from Lord Chelmsford......") (smile). It's a fantastic film to say the least......and now, on my father's side of the family, we had an ancestor survive the worst military disaster in British history....whew!!!

Thank you again!

Posts : 748 Join date : 2009-10-18

http://1879zuluwar.forumotion.com/the-ones-history-books-forgot-about-f16/trooper-robert-j-kincade-t1409.htm

Click on link above to see Kincades Campaign Medal

Ladycat. Welcome to the forum. We are so glad you have received this exciting news, and believe me its just as exciting for us. I'm sure many of the members will be searching for as much information on Kincade to help you discover interesting facts about you long lost ancestor. I sure a photo of him will be found.

Posts : 600 Join date : 2010-01-07 Location : UK

Hi
While trying to find a full list of the survivors at isandlwana, i stumbled across this
Trooper Kincade, who was clearly a versatile soldier, managed to beat all the odds on a rough landscape and then a raging river to escape certain death. Kincade, of the Natal Mounted Police, was able to escape the horror of Isandlwana by riding over deeply dissected, boulder strewn, bush clad terrain to the Buffalo River five miles away. In the swirling river, which was in full spate, he lost his horse as Zulus and British troops fought deadly hand-to-hand battles. However, once Kincade had reached the opposite bank he managed to find a riderless horse and galloped to safety despite being in a state of exhaustion. At that point, after seeing the full horror of the battle and fighting for his life in the river, witnesses say Kincade was dazed
Trooper Kincade was able to flee the bloodbath across the Buffalo River. Though it is not known exactly where he crossed the river historians say that all the survivors, with very few exceptions, made their escape at a spot which has become known as Fugitives Drift
All this was from

Hendriks Hall Of Honours

http://hendrik.atspace.com/hall/Hal-Kincade.html

Thanks Joe

Posts : 1605 Join date : 2009-09-21

Hi Joe.

http://1879zuluwar.forumotion.com/the-ones-history-books-forgot-about-f16/trooper-robert-j-kincade-t1409.htm?highlight=kincade

See Link.