Military Times - Zulu issue

Hi,

The latest issue of Military Times has major feature on Isandlwana and the Zulu War.

Declaration of interest: I work at Military Times, and would be be glad to get your feedback!


Some articles on the website include:

What was Anthony Durnford’s real role in the Zulu Wars?
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Why was Zulu voted the British Army’s favourite war film of all time?
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We're also going to be at the opening of the Zulu Film Museum in Cardiff later this month. Is anyone else planning to be there?

Thanks,

Luke

Extract from "What was Anthony Durnford’s real role in the Zulu Wars.

Quote :

Durnford’s Volunteers retreat in disarray, with three dead and the commander himself wounded.

So Isandlwana was the first time. His Retreat caused the firing line to become over extended. He should have remained an out-cast.

Hi Downliners .
Thanks for the link , much appreciated .
cheers 90th.

What was Anthony Durnfords real role???????? Simple........Scapegoat for the ruling class and old boy network protecting the Red Baron.

Downliners
Small crit on your article, When Chard got back to the camp the building of the walls and fortification was allready underway. Credit for that was given by Chard to Dalton Bromhead and Russell. Some historians give the credit to Dalton alone.

Regards

In the ‘blame game’ which followed the Zulu battle of Isandlwana, Anthony Durnford quickly emerged as the principal scapegoat.


A complex figure who arrived on the battlefield trailing a good deal of emotional baggage, Durnford had been born in Ireland in 1830 to a distinguished military family. He was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1848 and his career showed early promise, but bouts of ill-health and bad luck kept him from active service in the Crimea or with fellow Engineer Charles Gordon in China.

Instead, Durnford spent more than 20 years in routine peace-time postings. In 1854, he had married, but the relationship had crumpled under the impact of the deaths of two children in infancy. Only with a posting to the Cape garrison at the beginning of 1872 did his prospects improve. Durnford enjoyed both the country and the diverse societies he encountered there, developing a sympathy for African peoples rare among British officials at the time. In 1873, he was finally given a command under active service – but the affair had turned out disastrously.

One of Natal’s African groups, the amaHlubi, had tried to cross out of the colony over the uKhahlamba (Drakensberg) mountains, in order to escape a dispute with the authorities. Durnford was given command of a small detachment of Volunteer troops and ordered, quite literally, to cut them off at the pass. Everything went wrong: the maps were inadequate, movements could not be coordinated, and Durnford’s party got lost on the mountain slopes overnight. A skirmish with the amaHlubi rear-guard at dawn saw Durnford’s Volunteers retreat in disarray, with three dead and the commander himself wounded. News of the debacle caused a furore in settler society.

Although Durnford was cleared of professional misconduct, he remained a social outcast in Natal – and he never regained the use of his arm. The outbreak of the Zulu campaign offered him a chance to address old hurts, and Chelmsford placed considerable confidence in him (Big Mistake), commissioning Durnford to raise the Natal Native Contingent, then giving him command of one of the defensive columns on the Zulu border.

When the invasion began Chelmsford ordered Durnford first to Rorke’s Drift, later to Isandlwana, but without, in either case, telling him what he was supposed to do. This allowed Durnford to seize the initiative when confronted with reports of mysterious Zulu movements close to the camp. His detractors argued that, by leaving the camp, he both provoked the Zulu attack and fatally weakened the garrison. More than 130 years after his death, historians are still divided on the question of whether Anthony Durnford was the dashing hero of the hour, or the impetuous villain.

Not a good combination of ingredients. recipe for disaster. !!!!!!! I See they failed to mention his drinking and gambling.

More banal quotes that dont/wont/cant look at the bigger picture. proves my point the blame game carries on.

Springbok. Not wishing to continue down this road.

Quote :

( More banal quotes that dont/wont/cant look at the bigger picture)

Maybe Durnford should have done just that before riding off from Isandlwana. Its not rocket science. Reports of large formations of Zulu’s (Stay and fortify, setup ammon stations, draw it the firing lines ect. (Not ride off weakening the camp)

Hindsite is an exact science.