Relic Finds Reveal Zulu War Cover-Up

Posts : 558 Join date : 2012-05-05

"Paleontologists searching for fossils in a remote area of South Africa were astonished to find spent bullets and cartridge case remnants in an area not previously known as a battle site. A chemical analysis of the cases and traces of propellant identified the items as being from the time of Britain's wars with the Zulus and the Boers. Investigators seeking further information about the previously unrecorded presence of British soldiers in the area have found papers in British Government archives which show that a third battle was fought after Isandlwana and
Rorke's Drift.

In what is now being called the Balloe Massacre, a small force of about 30 Zulus massacred a larger force of about 900 British soldiers. There was only one - un-named survivor. His report was marked 'confidential' and has lain undiscovered in the British Parliament's archives ever since.

Researchers note that this massacre occurred during the year in which the British newspapers and illustrated magazines were focused on stories about the gallant defenders of Rorke's Drift, the ending of the Zulu War and the tragic collapse of the Tay Bridge. Perhaps it was a good time to bury bad news.

The location

About 79 miles upstream of the junction of the White Umfolozi River and the Black Umfolozi River, just off the river's flood plain stands a strange rock formation known as Gingan in the local dialect. The name GinGan translates roughly as 'stone bones'.

The shape has been described as resembling a fossilised human leg, bent at the knee. At the top of the hill is a rock formation which - at a stretch, because it is only slightly convex - may be described as resembling a patella. Viewed from the plain at a specific angle, fissures in the flanks create a semblance of, on the one flank: a tibia and fibula; on the other flank: a femur.

The massacre

It appears from the - admittedly slender - documentary evidence that a force of about 900 soldiers under the command of Sir Ephraim Balloe, on hearing news of the massacre at Isandlwana, retreated to the top of Gingan where it was supposed that the defenders might take advantage of high ground and make use of the many natural fissures for defensive purposes. Loose rock was gathered and parapet walls made on the sides of the many fissures facing the path up which the Zulus were expected to attack.

Gingan had obviously not been properly explored beforehand. A sketch map which accompanied the confidential report shows a side elevation and a plan of the 'knee'. The name Gingan has been struck out and the name 'Balloe' inserted. Perhaps Sir Ephraim - a member of the Royal Geographical Society - had hoped to make a name for himself as the 'discoverer' of the strange rock formation. The path running up the 'femur' is clearly marked in the sketch. Modern maps show that there is an eroded channel running down the other flank between the 'tibia' and the 'fibula'. In South African English such a channel, ditch or gully is known as a donga.

It is apparent that the Zulus made use of the donga as a defile to approach the British unseen. Without need to debouch, the Zulus were able to fire at the rear of the soldiers who had made themselves ready to repel attack exclusively from the opposite direction.

With the advantage of hindsight we can see that a few soldiers properly placed in the defile could have prevented the Zulu attack from the rear. The massacre was preventable.

From the original report:
Suddenly the noise of firing became much more intense, but with the smack of the bullets striking the earth all round quite close it was not easy to tell from which direction this fresh firing came. At the same time the men seemed to be dropping much oftener, and I was impressing them with the necessity of keeping up a brisker fire to the front, when I noticed a bullet hit our side of the parapet.

It then became clear, the enemy must evidently have got into the donga behind us (to which I paid no attention, as it was to the rear), and were shooting us in the back as we stood up to our parapet.
From the official Parliamentary records:
SIR EDWARD WATKIN
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies ... whether such Report was not printed, with maps attached, last autumn; and, if so, why the Report and maps were excluded from recent Papers, and, in fact, suppressed, until a Question was asked in the House; and, whether he can give a date before which the Report and maps will be issued to Members, in pursuance of the promise of the Secretary of State for War?

SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH
[the report] being very voluminous, it was printed at the time for the use of the War Office, and, being so printed, was marked "Confidential." I had arranged last spring ... that if among the Papers forwarded ... there were any which, in his opinion, should not be published, they should be marked "Confidential; because, being the channel through which despatches to the War Office were presented to Parliament, I had often felt a difficulty in deciding whether Papers of a professional or technical character were fit for publication or not. Therefore, as this Report was so marked, of course I did not publish it. I trust the hon. Member will feel, after this explanation, that his use of the word "suppression" has not been justified.

Gingan as a lesson in military tactics

The_Defence_of_Duffer's_Drift, a short book written in 1904 by Major General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton, became a classic text on military tactics. Although written in the style of a parody, it is intended to teach serious lessons about tactics and defences, and has indeed been used for such purposes. Long thought to be based on the defence of Rorke's Drift, it appears now that elements of the terrain around Gingan are described. Is it possible that Major General Swinton could have seen the report on the Gingan massacre? There is a clue. In a pencilled marginal note to a first edition of 'Duffer's Drift', adjacent to a description of terrain which might well be Gingan, some owner or historical researcher has written, no doubt as a tribute to Sir Ephraim Balloe: Gingan = Balloe Knee."

Subject: Re: Relic Finds Reveal Zulu War Cover-Up Mon Apr 07, 2014 6:54 am

http://www.science20.com/chatter_box/relic_finds_reveal_zulu_war_coverup-77713

Ulundi
Look very carefully at the Date of the posting, possibly this could give you a clue as to its veracity. Note as well its posted under the humour section

Cheers

Posts : 1862 Join date : 2009-03-25

Sound like a lot of "BALLOEY" to me. Joker

Guest

A full Battalion! i wander who they were?.

Subject: Re: Relic Finds Reveal Zulu War Cover-Up Mon Apr 07, 2014 3:24 pm

Les are you being gullible again?

Very Happy

Posts : 1261 Join date : 2010-04-12

springbok9 wrote:: Les are you being gullible again:D

This should have been posted 1st of April!

Subject: Re: Relic Finds Reveal Zulu War Cover-Up Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:51 pm

Chard
It was an original April Fools Joke.

Cheers

Guest

Hiya Frank Very Happy

its a mystery to me
how a full Battalion could disappear
like that, i can well recall that
illustrious regiment the good old 24th
Foot and Mouth.

Subject: Re: Relic Finds Reveal Zulu War Cover-Up Fri Apr 11, 2014 12:12 am

Les mate.

Carry on up the Khyber was the 3rd Foot and Mouth.

A funny line in that film was when part of the plaster ceiling came crashing down and Joan Sims (Lady Joan Ruff-Diamond), said "I seem to have got a little plastered".

The 'Carry ons' where hilarious, what a team, I always watch them when they are on the telly, who can forget "Frying tonight" from 'Carry on screaming' Very Happy

Guest

Hiya Martin, yes Carry on up the Khyber! what a class film,
i too love the carry on's, i guess there from a different time
and place, who can forget fennela fielding, smoking literally
and there was shirley anne field, Madeleine smith ect. Rolling Eyes

Subject: Re: Relic Finds Reveal Zulu War Cover-Up Tue Apr 15, 2014 12:03 am

Cor! yes mate, Fenalla sure did smoulder on that sofa (she must have been a bit of hot stuff) Very Happy

, what a doll, she could have one of my roll ups (Old Holborn) anytime agree

Guest

lol Martin agree

Golden v for me, i guess us
mancs have a slightly refined palette!

Just to say, i have all the carry on films and
there's a hell of a lot, there all ready to play,
i just wack a few on a pendrive and watch on
my pc, or if the family wish..i put the pendrive
straight into the big screen tv. forget dvd's or
cd's their yesterdays tech. its all about avi files
for me. iv'e managed to download quite a few
full series. just to hear sid james laugh still makes
me smile. cheer's mate

Subject: Re: Relic Finds Reveal Zulu War Cover-Up Wed Apr 16, 2014 12:46 am

That's a good idea Les, a Sandisk cruzer blade can hold a good deal of stuff (depending on the gig size you get).

I can see that I will have to search for sites to download the series then put them onto a cruzer blade.

Golden V is ok mate but very mild, I used to smoke it years ago, but I went onto Old Holborn it's got a lot more flavour.

Good old Sid, that grizzled face and that gruff har, har, har laugh, I bet he had a good time with the Carry on girls, he was after Bab's W for ages, Ummm! I wonder why? scratch

Har, Har, Har Very Happy

.

'Carry on buddy'

Salute

Subject: Re: Relic Finds Reveal Zulu War Cover-Up Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:25 am

Sid James, born and brought up in Johanesburg, 'Not a lot of people know that'

Cheers

Posts : 629 Join date : 2009-01-20 Age : 45

There are certainly twists and turns in these discussions. From a fake massacre, to carry on films scratch

Carry on chaps!!!!!! Joker

Subject: Re: Relic Finds Reveal Zulu War Cover-Up Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:10 am

Yes springy, I did know that, he was also a boxer at one time (but I don't think he took part in the boxer rebellion) Very Happy

Hi sas1.

A good film to watch to remind you of the days in the desert is 'Carry on follow that camel' with Phil Silvers (Sgt Bilko). One great gag line is when they find a skull in the desert, and Silvers says if it was a womans skull then the jaw bone would have been worn out with all the yakety yak, Very Happy

Guest

soz sas1, that tends to happen as you know, my fault.
springbok, yes jo burg, trained to be a hairdresser and
he was a good one! he's reputed to have got that
finely chiselled profile through drunken brawling..
yes Martin, it all does depend on the gigage, but prices
have come down a lot in the last few years, my folder
on carry on films alone is 25gig. harder to download now-
adays lots of p to p have been shut down, some of my
captures comedy wise inc, the confession films, all of them.
the following are all complete, man about the house, please
sir, just good friends, the good life, yes minister, blah blah,
the list really goes on, if you want any of it just give me a
shout.

Subject: Re: Relic Finds Reveal Zulu War Cover-Up Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:55 pm

And the best of the lot: The Plank.

Very Happy

Guest

There's a drama on here, easter mon, the
life of tommy cooper played by david threlfall
looks very interesting..warts and all.

Subject: Re: Relic Finds Reveal Zulu War Cover-Up Thu Apr 17, 2014 5:09 pm

Hi Les mate.

Many thanks for that, it will save me trawling through the internet trying to find them, cheers buddy. Salute

Subject: Re: Relic Finds Reveal Zulu War Cover-Up Thu Apr 17, 2014 5:18 pm

Ha ha ha, yes springy, The Plank is just pure class, hardly a word spoken but the laughs are endless. Just the looks on their faces is enough to have you in stitches, some of the best comedy actors of the time (1967), we have lost some greats over the last few years.

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