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Subject: Prince Imperial’s Watch Mon Dec 12, 2011 11:04 pm
I found this article in the New Zealand newspaper “Inangahua Times”, 24 October 1888.
Has anyone heard this story before?
“An interesting relic of the lamentable Zulu war has recently come to light; this is the back of the gold case of a watch, which by the number stamped upon it, as well as the crown and monogram of N., is proved by its makers, Messrs Dent and Co., to have belonged to the Prince Imperial of France, who lost his life in the campaign. It seems that the memento of the unfortunate Prince was purchased about six years ago from a Zulu at Kimberly, Africa.”
Petty Officer Tom
barry
Posts : 935 Join date : 2011-10-21 Location : Algoa Bay
Subject: Prince Imperial's watch Tue Dec 13, 2011 10:23 am
Hi Pot T, See my new essay posted 15mins ago. In this it is reported that the Prince's body was stripped by the Zulus. So a watch back now surfacing could very well have been his.
barry
kwajimu1879
Posts : 420 Join date : 2011-05-14
Subject: Re: Prince Imperial’s Watch Tue Dec 13, 2011 10:57 am
I last handled the Prince Imperial's watch back in 1991, when it was held in storeroom at what was then the Local History Museum in Durban. I just wonder how part of it became detached and ended up on the market? Or maybe I don't!
kwaJimu1879
littlehand
Posts : 7077 Join date : 2009-04-24 Age : 52 Location : Down South.
Subject: Re: Prince Imperial’s Watch Tue Dec 13, 2011 11:26 am
Extract form: Memorandum Regarding the Discovery of the Late Prince Imperial's Uniform and Other Effects.
"And on the 5th of Nov. we pitched our camp near Ft. Evelyn (N. of Habanango) [?] . That evening Clas returned to camp with the revolver case and belt - the pouch with the bullets, the knife - the chain and the small compass. Clas brought back with him a Zulu who had been present when the watch was broken up - he said they thought that it contained snuff and as they could not open it they smashed it up between two big stones. Their story on this point was so succinct that I had with regret to abandon further search for the watch. Tho' I offered a considerable reward, if only any debris of it were brought to me - but I knew it was almost hopeless for Colonel Bengough had bivoacked for two nights with his Kaffir Regt. on the very spot where the watch was broken up. I had not time to visit the spot myself, but sent an officer there who found nothing but the faint remains of old campfires. There remained only to secure the helmet. - Nov. 11th my camp was near Ft. Newdigate [?] and we all visited the spot where the poor Prince fell - On our way back to camp we met a Zulu who had come from some distance and who held a helmet in his hand. He told us how he had taken this helmet as his part of the spoil when the Prince was killed - Capt. Alleyne remembered that the Prince had a blue stopper in the top of his helmet which was peculiar and there was certainly the blue stopper in this helmet. My boundary work being finished and the lost items of the Prince's effects having been found, I left Zululand and entered Natal. I was unwilling to send these valuable relics home by any ordinary means, so some delay occured in their arrival in England, for we had to furnish a map of Zululand and a report of all we had done in that country. The moment that the High Commissioner gave me leave I started for England, and reached London on the 23rd of Jan. 1880. - On the 24th January all the things that I had brought back from Zululand were verified by the late Prince's two valets, who had come up for that purpose from Chislehurst. On Jan. 25th and 26th I had the honour of showing the uniform etc. to Her Majesty, and on the 27th carried out the Queen's final orders, and handed the uniform, revolver, chain etc. over to M. Pietre at Chislehurst."
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