Martin Foley

Hi all.

Dave. said

Quote :

"And of course Chelmsford was very cleaver, by making Lieutenant-Colonel Harness, Royal Artillery a member of the Court of Enquiry panel."

Could someone enlighten me as to what is meant "Chelmsford was very cleaver" Was it not because of Harness's rank he was selected. (Lieutenant-Colonel)

Hi Joe. thanks for your reply.

Quote :

smoke obscuring their view???

Good point.

But i was just wondering why none of the others mentioned it. After all it seems a bit odd that a cease-fire should be heard twice during the action.

Littlehand,
Yes it is strange that it was sounded twice, however this might be the wind changing direction-just an idea

thanks joe

Its strange. That Curling adds this right at the end of his statement. You would have thought it would have been mention sooner. After all questions would have been asked as to the reason why. Maybe Curling got his bugle calls mixed, up they all sound the same to me. . And it was in-fact the retreat he heard sounding twice.

Makes sence. I have just read his statement. And your right. Its the last thing he mentions.

hi all.
In reply to my earlier post about S-Dorrien not being awarded a VC , Found this in Washing of the spears by D. Morris .
' Horace Lockwoood Smith- Dorrien was only 20 yrs old but already ADJ of the 95th Regt , Chelmsford's old command
in India . The General had asked for him by name , and when his commanding officer refused to release him , S- Dorrien
Wired the Commander in Chief stating his willingness to go , He recieved Telegraphic orders the same afternoon . He spoke
no zulu and C'ford put him in the transport service and set him to working stores up from Greytown through H ' mkaar to R. Drift '
This to me is why S - Dorrien didnt get his VC , as his previous CO didnt lodge the application , Pay back for going over his head
to make the trip to Sth.Africa .

This also from The Washing Of The Spears in regard to the ' Court Of Inquiry '
' Before C'ford left H'makaar he convened a court of inquiry regarding the loss of the camp. Col . Hassard RE , Lt. Col Law R.A.
Neither had been attached to the Centre Column ( No 3 ) and Harness . The choice of Harness was unfortunate , when the story
of his abortive dash to return to camp came out it appeared to many that he had been made a member to prevent his testifying as
a witness . The court heard Glyn , Clery , Gardner , Essex , Cochrane , Curling , Smith Dorrien and Nourse 1st / 1st NNC
( Rocket Battery I think ? My addition ) . Evidence at best fragmentary , none of the survivors could report more than the swirl of
immaterial detail. A number of witnesses no further away than R.Drift were not called , notably H-Browne who had witnessed more
of the fight than anyone else in Glyn's force and Raw , who was apparantly the only commissioned survivor of the fighting on the
Nqutu plateau and the retreat down the spur . The court simply recorded the accounts and rendered no opinion " As instructions
on this point were not given it '. Chelmsford was somewhat vexed that more witnesses were not heard , approved the absence of
an opinion , added none of his own and forwarded the report to London.
cheers 90th.