Capt Duncombe NNC

Subject: Capt Duncombe NNC Sun Feb 27, 2011 4:54 pm

Ymod posted a name Capt Duncombe, is there any information on him. Been looking but struggling

Posts : 3379 Join date : 2009-03-03 Location : Devon

Hi Littlehand

George Hamilton-Browne's entry. He claims that when British soldiers first crossed into Zululand on the 11th of January, 1879, a Zulu warrior called out something like 'Why do you come to the land of the Zulu?', Hamilton-Browne claims that his interpreter, one Captain R Duncombe shouted back: 'By the orders of the Great White Queen!'.

Subject: Capt Duncombe NNC Sun Feb 27, 2011 10:09 pm

Hi all .
There is a LT .R . Dunscombe KIA Hlobane it may be the same person ? . Pressed for time at the moment .
cheers 90th.

Subject: Capt Duncombe NNC Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:12 pm

Hi all.
On further investigation looking through ' For God , Queen and Colony ' by Terry Sole . Lt. R. Duncombe , Formerly West Yorkshire
Militia . Killed at Devil's Pass . The Following appeared in the press . ' Duncombe . Our volunteers who were cut off at Zlobane fought
desperately with their savage foes before submitting to their fate , poor Duncombe was heard to say '' I see the impossibility to escape , but will make the zulu's pay as dearly as I can for my life '' and was soon to shoot before he fell under the assegai's .
Duncombe's Name does not appear on the Medal Roll .

Looking through ' Blood On The Painted Mountain ' by Ron Lock , Lt . R . Duncombe is referred to as Dunscombe !!!.
So as I'm pressed for time I'm confused !!!!!. Also quoted as Dunscombe in ' They Fell Like Stones ' by John Young .
cheers 90th. Idea

Posts : 1862 Join date : 2009-03-25

Any reason why he is not on the medal roll.

Posts : 1093 Join date : 2009-01-14 Location : East London

Littlehand. There's some information on his part in the Zulu War Pages 38,39,40,41,& 42

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=dZlIFcnAMTEC&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=LT++Dunscombe++Zulu+War&source=bl&ots=JonPvsO-yP&sig=2vNrIQCKUDtBMs2s7RtfMQBxa_c&hl=en&ei=R6hrTYCAG4OahQf_pZGiDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Duncombe%20&f=false

Posts : 90 Join date : 2014-10-10

There were two Duncombe's, Captain Robert Duncombe of the NNC who died in Queenstown in 1898. He was the chap that gave the response 'By order of the Great White Queen' and later served as a Captain with Lonsdale's Horse.

The other chap was 'James Bemister Duncombe' of Woods Irregulars who is often referred to as 'R. Duncombe' or as 'Ronald Duncombe' and was killed at Hlobane. There's much confusion over these men due to the newspapers getting them mixed up. James was a former Kimberley Hotel Manager and was working on the Lydenburg Gold Fields when the war broke out after loosing his business on the Diamond Fields. He also spent some time in Durban as he owned a small yacht there as well. A correspondent wrote in 'The Diamond News' that J. Duncombe formerly of Kimberley was with him at Hlobane and further recorded that Duncombe was completely excausted and stated 'I can go no farther. I will fight as long as I can and sell my life dearly'. These guy's I believe are brothers as Robert's mother was Charlotte Bemister Duncombe.

Cam.

Posts : 3379 Join date : 2009-03-03 Location : Devon

Hi Cam

Many thanks for the info, that all makes sense.

Salute

Posts : 90 Join date : 2014-10-10

What I can't confirm is that J.B.Duncombe was supposedly an ex West York Militiaman. I cannot locate him the London Gazzette, so if true was probably serving in the ranks.

Posts : 2268 Join date : 2010-10-22 Location : France

Well done cam Simpson i thought that thé 2 duncombe were thé same man

Posts : 3460 Join date : 2021-01-04

Natal Witness 26th April 1879
"Our volunteers who were cut off at Hlobane fought desperately with their savage foes before submitting to their fate.Poor Duncome was heard to say "I see the impossibility of escape but will make the Zulus pay as dearly as I can for my life" and was seen to shoot three before he fell under the assegais"

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