Lt. Gonville Bromhead RD Account!!!

Posts : 1604 Join date : 2009-09-21

Did Lt. Gonville Bromhead (B Co. 24th. Regiment). write an account of the defence of RD. Question

Subject: Lt.Gonville Bromhead RD Account Wed May 01, 2013 2:53 am

Dave I have the the book ' Rorke's Drift by Those Who Were There by Alan Baynham Jones & Lee Stevenson .
Page 50 , Is a transcript of his Official Letter of Recommendation for the award of the VC to members of the 2 / 24th
WO 32 / 7390 The Natioanl Archives ( P.R.O.) London.
Page 51 , A private Letter to the Surviving Lt Godwin - Austen , appears courtesy of the SWB Museum , Brecon .
Page 52 , An extract from a private letter to his Sister .
Hopefully someone has the book and can scan the letters and post them as I have no idea !
Cheers 90th. :p;:

Subject: Re: Lt. Gonville Bromhead RD Account!!! Wed May 01, 2013 7:42 pm

Dave
There is a reference to Bromhead being observed writing a report but its never come to light.
Cheers

Subject: Lt Gonville Bromhead RD Account Wed May 01, 2013 8:16 pm

Hi Springbok
In my earlier post I tell you where you can find what Bromhead has written about his account at RD. Salute

It isnt in as much detail as
Chard's etc etc . Reading his report , which is intertwined with his recommendations for whom he thinks , and why certain people should be awarded the VC.
Cheers 90th Very Happy

Posts : 558 Join date : 2012-05-05

You would have thought, being second in commard, he would have been required to have written his account, the same a Chard?

Subject: Lt Gonville Bromhead RD Account Thu May 02, 2013 5:54 am

Hi Ulundi .
Agreed , I find it a little disappointing that he didnt leave a detailed account . Suspect

Cheers 90th.

Subject: Re: Lt. Gonville Bromhead RD Account!!! Thu May 02, 2013 9:05 am

90th
Not dissapointing down right strange. As senior regimental officer present he was obligated to submit a report to his commanding officer. There is a passing comment that Bromhead was seen working on his report, but since then nothing. His is the one break in the chain. Nice big fat juicy bone for the conspiracy theorists to chew on.

Cheers Mate

Subject: Re: Lt. Gonville Bromhead RD Account!!! Thu May 02, 2013 10:37 pm

Major Francis Clery, who was garrisoned at Rorke's Drift with Bromhead after the battle wrote,

"The height of Bromhead's enjoyment seemed to be to sit all day on a stone on the ground smoking a most uninviting looking pipe.
The only thing that seemed equal to moving him in any way was an allusion to the defence of Rorke's Drift. This used to have a sort of electrical effect upon him, for he would jump up and off he would go, not a word could be got out of him. When I told him he should send me an official report on the affair it seemed to have a most distressing effect on him"

Posts : 2308 Join date : 2010-07-02 Age : 42

Didn't Curling suffer from PTSD, perhaps Bromhead was going down the same route. What happened to Bromhead after RD. Chard ended up at Ulundi.

Guest

Hi All

This is the commandant in chief who makes a report, not his subordinates Very Happy

But later, he could write something, perhaps, he did not appreciate the battle of RD

Cheers

Pascal

Posts : 30 Join date : 2010-01-14

"The men at Rorke's Drift behaved splendidly," Col. Bourne said. He described Lieuts Chard and Bromhead as two single minded, good hearted soldiers, and he related that, on the day succeeding the fight, Bromhead wrote a despatch which he, (Col. Bourne), had to copy. Not a man's name was mentioned in that despatch. Later however, it was discovered that Chard was senior, and another despatch was written in which the names were mentioned. Those two officers were so free from selfishness that they did not trouble to discover who of the two was senior..."
Frank Bourne interviewed for the Epsom District Times 29/7/1932

Guest

Yes they did not need to discover who was the best and the oldest, because the best was Mr Dalton...

Without Mr Dalton , not combat at RD, but a carnage between RD and Helpmekaar ... And the more aged, it was also Mr Dalton ... Very Happy

And I think ,this is his deafness, which made Bromhead as it was...

Cheers

Pascal

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