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Posts : 2268 Join date : 2010-10-22 Location : France
Subject: trooper CLARKE N.M.P - trooper PARSONS/ 21/01/1879 Sun Jan 08, 2012 4:21 pm
hi all,
In Donald MORRIS "The washing of the spears" you can read : " ... and a trooper in the NMP named PARSONS accidentally fired his revolver and was thrown when his horse shied. Young John CLARKE had just reached the camp (i.e Isandlwana) from a night vedette, but he was ordered to replace PARSONS, because his horse was so fresh".
This story is it true? (CLARKE initially wasn't with DARTNELL in the Mangeni area ?)
Thanks for help.
Regards
YMOB
Drummer Boy 14
Posts : 2008 Join date : 2011-08-01 Age : 25
Subject: Re: trooper CLARKE N.M.P - trooper PARSONS/ 21/01/1879 Sun Jan 08, 2012 4:47 pm
Posts : 947 Join date : 2011-10-21 Location : Algoa Bay
Subject: Troopers Clark/e Sun Jan 08, 2012 5:05 pm
Hi ymob,
In answer to your question. There were two troopers in the NMP at Isandlwana with the name Clark/e. The one who was sent back to the camp was Tpr John Clark, he died in the battle. The other was Tpr William Clarke who was in the Mangeni area with Dartnell and Chelmsford but spent the night in the wrecked camp after the battle. He was the NP/NMP historian and after finishing his career there joined a British military unit and saw further service in Russia in1918. He finally retired in 1919.
regards
barry
Last edited by barry on Sun Jan 08, 2012 7:17 pm; edited 1 time in total
Chelmsfordthescapegoat
Posts : 2594 Join date : 2009-04-24
Subject: Re: trooper CLARKE N.M.P - trooper PARSONS/ 21/01/1879 Sun Jan 08, 2012 6:09 pm
Were they related.
ymob
Posts : 2268 Join date : 2010-10-22 Location : France
Subject: Re: trooper CLARKE N.M.P - trooper PARSONS/ 21/01/1879 Sun Jan 08, 2012 6:46 pm
barry wrote:
Hi ymob,
In answer to your question. There were two troopers in the NMP at Isandlwana with the name Clark/e. The one who was sent back to the camp was Tpr John Clark, he died in the battle. The other was Tpr William Clarke who was in the Mangeni area with Dartnell and Chelmsford but spent the night in the wrecked camp after the battle. He was the NP/NMP historian and after finishing his career there joined a British military unit and saw further service in Russia. He finall retired in 1919.
regards
barry
[quote]
Hello Barry,
Thank you for your answer.
The man who was sent back to the camp after the incident with DARTNELL wasn't trooper PARSONS, indeed?
Tomorrow, I shall reaserch in my books who is the CLARK(e) (William ?) who had forgotten his spurs at Isandlwana (before the battle) and had spent the night in the wrecked camp after the battle (incident with MANSEL "robbing the dead" about trooper STIMSON).
Regards YMOB
barry
Posts : 947 Join date : 2011-10-21 Location : Algoa Bay
Subject: Tprs Clark/e Sun Jan 08, 2012 6:54 pm
Hi YMOB and CTSG,
No, there was no family relationship.
Correct , it was Tpr Will Clarke who was spurless and he tried to get a pair from Tpr Stimson NMP. Mansel reprimanded him for trying to doing this. It was also Mansel who refused to allow the NMP Troopers to free a bellowing ox which had survived the battle but was still tethered to a wagon wheel . It eventually died in its tether.
barry
John
Posts : 2558 Join date : 2009-04-06 Age : 59 Location : UK
Subject: Re: trooper CLARKE N.M.P - trooper PARSONS/ 21/01/1879 Sun Jan 08, 2012 7:50 pm
Quote :
It was also Mansel who refused to allow the NMP Troopers to free a bellowing ox which had survived the battle but was still tethered to a wagon wheel . It eventually died in its tether.
Still trying to get me head around why Mansel done this. Any Ideas
barry
Posts : 947 Join date : 2011-10-21 Location : Algoa Bay
Subject: Insp Mansel Mon Jan 09, 2012 4:28 am
Hi John,
No, I do not know what motivated Mansel to dissallow the freeing of a stresssing animal. What I do know however is that Mansel continued to give problems in his service with the NMP/NP and was later "urged" by the PM of Natal to "move on". He did take over the commissionership from Col Dartnell of the force for a short while before his sudden demise. There was some suggestions that there were not enough sandwiches for the picnic. The ertswhile Tpr William Clarke, then major, took over from him to become CC NP. Of course the incident of the missing spurrs begs the next question. Would the same rules have applied if Tpr William Clarke had lost his carbine and ammunition and needed Tpr Stimsons ? Perhaps Tasker could give us a view of a current parrallel situation in the British Army.
regards
barry
Last edited by barry on Mon Jan 09, 2012 12:26 pm; edited 1 time in total
ymob
Posts : 2268 Join date : 2010-10-22 Location : France
Subject: Re: trooper CLARKE N.M.P - trooper PARSONS/ 21/01/1879 Mon Jan 09, 2012 9:45 am
barry wrote:
Hi YMOB and CTSG,
No, there was no family relationship.
Correct , it was Tpr Will Clarke who was spurless and he tried to get a pair from Tpr Stimson NMP. Mansel reprimanded him for trying to doing this. It was also Mansel who refused to allow the NMP Troopers to free a bellowing ox which had survived the battle but was still tethered to a wagon wheel . It eventually died in its tether.
barry
[quote]
Hi Barry and DB 14
Thanks for all. (DB: very interesting photographs, indeed!).
YMOB
90th
Posts : 10483 Join date : 2009-04-07 Age : 66 Location : Melbourne, Australia
Subject: Colonial Regt's in the zulu war Mon Jan 09, 2012 11:48 am
Hi Barry. I hadnt heard of the Mansel incident with the ox till I read the post . Does seem strange that he wouldnt free it. The only thing I can think of , he may have been worried it would have taken off and caused injuries to those unlucky enough to have been in it's way !!. . cheers 90th.
barry
Posts : 947 Join date : 2011-10-21 Location : Algoa Bay
Subject: The bellowing ox Mon Jan 09, 2012 12:22 pm
Hi 90th,
Good to hear from you. I havn't managed to work that one out either. But judging from later writings of Sub Insp Clarke , Mansel was making "funny" decisions, inluding a very bad one where civilians were killed in the '06 rebellion. Following that, his tenure was a matter of weeks.