DCF Moodie interviews.

Interview with a suvivor ( un named )

Q. You say you were engaged from 11am to 4 pm. During this time was any General or particular order conveyed to you, or your company, so far as you are aware, with reference to your plan of operations?
A. None to myself. I am not aware of any having issued to my company. I saw no staff officer, nor did I see any commander.
Q. When the general stamped took place, at about 4pm, about what number of men were still alive and engaged?
A.But few were then killed. Up to this time I never saw a dead white man or a dead Contingent.

There are some really interesting issues with the rest of this interview. But the key points made in these two questions is the time he refers to.

As this is an interview conducted at the time, and both participants were still alive at the time of publication it has to be regarded as prime source material !

All the other suvivors have left the field by 1/1.30

Does this support Mike Snooks theory of the battle being more protracted and only finishing at 5pm? Or is the suvivor so far out with his timing?

Regards

PS Anyone guess who is being interviewed.

Further confirmation on the time.

Q. When you saw George Shepstone return to the camp do you know what he came for?
A. I do not know; but I heard him rallying the people, and saying they were wanted at the front. There were the soldiers and others left in charge of the baggage.
"the only time I saw George Shepstone was when I went the second time to the wagons to get a gun, the one I had having got out of order in the breech. He was saying this- 'Why are you men not at the front? Do you not know that every man is wanted there. Captain Barton was also there trying to get ammunition, which however he did not get, the man refusing saying that all the ammunition there was for the military and noy for the Contingent.
Immediatly after this the Zulus rushed into the camp and Captain Shepstone must have been killed then (about 4)

Regards

Springbok

Were did the interview come from ?



Cheers

Hi DB14
In his book.

regards

springbok9 wrote:

Hi DB14
In his book.

regards

[quote]
Hi Springbok,

The man is Lt "Wally " Erksine.
See for example "zulu rising" (Ian Knight) p. 453
Regard

Ymob

springbok9 wrote:

Interview with a suvivor ( un named )



PS Anyone guess who is being interviewed.

[quote]

the survivor unamed is wally erksine.
account in "times of natal", 26 february 1879 (source ian knight zulu rising)

Regard

YMOB