The British and Zulu methods of dealing with cowards.

Within the Zulu regime weakness and cowardice were not tolerated under any circumstances; the result being torture and death. Apart from impalement, the just reward for a coward, the king might personally carry out a trial by ordeal. He would order the accused to raise his left arm and would prod his side with an assegai. Every time the victim flinched or cried out in pain the king would exclaim 'He is indeed a coward, as he cannot stand pain', and would eventually drive the assegai home. The corpse was then fed to the vultures.

Within the British regime what could a solider expect if he was accused of cowardice? are there any wriiten accounts of soldiers being punished for cowardice.

Extract from: MELTON PRIOR CAMPAIGNS OF A WAR CORRESPONDENT

The strictest discipline was enforced throughout the army, cowardice on all occasions being punished by death.

Death was not always the case in:

1879: Zulu forces surprised a wagon train escorted by men of the 80th Regiment at the Ntombe River. The commanding officer, Captain Moriarty, was killed in the first rush, and the other officer, Lieutenant Hayward, abandoned his men and fled. The situation was only saved by Sergeant Booth, who rallied a few men and covered the retreat of the main party for more than three miles before the Zulus broke off their pursuit.
His action having saved at least fifty lives, Booth was awarded the Victoria Cross & later achieved the rank of colour-sergeant.

The London Gazette has him as a Colour Sergeant, but on the day of the Battle of Ntombe, he was actually a Sergeant, his promotion came the following day to replace a Colour Sergeant killed in the action. The gazetting of his VC was delayed due to the fact the surviving officer from the action Lt. Henry Hollingworth Harward was court-martialled for cowardice, the trial commenced on 20 February 1880 and concluded on 27 February 1880, during the course of the trial Booth's award appeared in the London Gazette on 24 February 1880.

The most famous court-marshal was that of Captain Carey

During the Zulu War of 1879, Captain Carey was given leave to accompany a reconnoitring party under the command of the Prince Imperial of France, Louis Napoleon in order to verify a survey made previously. This party was ambushed by Zulus and the Prince Imperial was killed.

Captain Carey was requested to attend a Court of Enquiry. As a result, it was recommended he be tried by Court-Martial for 'Misbehaviour before the Enemy'. The Court-Martial concluded he was guilty and that he should be cashiered from the British Army. However, there was a flaw, the members of the Court-Martial were not sworn in, and when the matter was sent to be ratified in London, this point was raised. The Assistant Judge Advocate General O'Dowd overturned the findings of the Court and Captain Carey was allowed to go free.
He died at the age of 36, believed from peritonitis, in Karachi, India.


S.D

Article from the Battle of Hlobane

“Some of the British units had fared better than others. Colonel Russell, whom Wood had expected to provide Buller with some support, had misconstrued a dispatch from his commander and evacuated his position, descending from the lower plateau at the western end of Hlobane onto the plain, and then proceeding in a northwesterly direction to Khambula. Some of the survivors of the Hlobane debacle later regarded Russell’s actions as bordering on cowardice. Russell’s friendship with the Prince of Wales, however, averted any possibility of a court-martial.”

Saul David 1879 wrote:

The most famous court-marshal was that of Captain Carey

During the Zulu War of 1879, Captain Carey was given leave to accompany a reconnoitring party under the command of the Prince Imperial of France, Louis Napoleon in order to verify a survey made previously. This party was ambushed by Zulus and the Prince Imperial was killed.

Captain Carey was requested to attend a Court of Enquiry. As a result, it was recommended he be tried by Court-Martial for 'Misbehaviour before the Enemy'. The Court-Martial concluded he was guilty and that he should be cashiered from the British Army. However, there was a flaw, the members of the Court-Martial were not sworn in, and when the matter was sent to be ratified in London, this point was raised. The Assistant Judge Advocate General O'Dowd overturned the findings of the Court and Captain Carey was allowed to go free.
He died at the age of 36, believed from peritonitis, in Karachi, India.


S.D

Wouldn't Saul David certainly know how to spell court martial properly????

Quote :

Wouldn't Saul David certainly know how to spell court martial properly????

That's a joke coming from you!!! Pot Black comes to mind

Try going over some of you friend Julian's posts. Plenty there...

Sorry CTSG,