Ian Knight tour of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.  

Ian Knight tour of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.
 
Ian is about to arrange a specialist trip to Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift staying at Isandlwana Lodge for the whole tour, which will allow everyone to settle in, and save travelling times.Hopefully that will give us some flexibility which we can work into the itinerary.
At present, this stands as -

Fly out 6th November 2015 -
Day 1 (7th) - meet at Jo'burg, travel to Lodge, hopefully taking in something interesting along the way. Settle into Lodge - introductory talk on the verandah before dinner, discussing what we hope to achieve.
Day 2 (8th) - General iSandlwana day. Drive out to Ngwebeni, then view the battlefield from above the Lodge, then down to the Museum and camp area. After lunch, walk the firing line to Durnford's donga.
Day 3 (9th) - Explore the line of advance of the left horn (walk where possible; please note that because we hope to explore less well-known aspects of the battlefields, we will do a lot of walking where we can - generally these will NOT be as physically challenging as, say, the Fugitives' walk). Go to the iThusi high spot on the iNyoni ridge, climb the Conical Hill.
Day 4 (10th) -Walk the route of the rocket battery and explore the likely spots it came to grief.
Day 5 (11th) - Explore Chelmsford's movements, visit the spot on Magogo hill where Milne looked back at the camp, where Hamilton-Browne watched Isandlwana fall, Mangeni falls etc. (NB; This is a more relaxed day, allowing time to either for a mid-tour regroup, or for us to respond to any particular requests that might crop up).
Day 6 (12th) - walk the route of the right horn, starting at the mouth of the Ngwebeni valley, and across the plateau to finish at iSandlwana.
Day 7 (13th) - Drive out to Fort Bengough (on the lines of communication to Greytown), return to look at Helpmekaar in more detail than usual, then drive to Fugitives' Drift. On the way back to the Lodge explore Sihayo's territory in more detail - visiting the site of his homestead, and walking into the gorge to identify the area where the fighting took place on 12 January 1879.
Day 7 (14th) - Rorke's Drift. The story of the battle, walk up Shiyane, visit Zulu memorials and Sister Janet's site,  then visit the site of Fort Northampton (1884) and the British graves on the Zulu bank.
Day 8 (15th) - leave Lodge and return to Jo'burg - fly out that evening, arrive London early on the 16th.
This is obviously not a full tour of the war, a la Holts - we might attempt that again next year - but is intended as shorter option for those of you who want specifically to look at Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift in more detail than any other tour currently offers, and with real experts.
Obviously no one needs to commit until we have costings and a payment schedule, but please register your interest if you think you might want to come. You guys have priority - but we will be offering it more widely to fill the numbers later.
As per usual Paul Marais will be your registered guide - Ian will be doing the history talks assisted by Dr David Payne..
If you are interested, just e mail the AZWHS at anglozuluwar.com and they'll pass it to Ian.
Dr Adrian Greaves

 
 
 
 Fragments and Snippets from the Zulu War.  
 
Dr Adrian Greaves of the AZWHS is arranging a competition for members of the AZWHS and AZWRS.
 
With Dr David Payne of the AZWRS, they have compiled a new informative work about the Anglo-Zulu War which looks at the reasons for the campaign and takes the reader through to the end of the war. It is gently thought-provoking as well as up-to-date with their recent research and titled Fragments and Snippets from the Zulu War.  Unusually, the book contains a dozen or so large hand-drawn maps displaying masses of information.
 
The competition….    Within the book’s text and maps is the single answer to a question. All the necessary clues are in the question. The unique competition entry form and the question come with each book.The answer can be found in the book.
 
Entry forms must be returned to the AZWHS in time for ZULU DAWN actress, Anna Calder-Marshall, to draw the results which will take place on the 22nd January 2016. The first correct answer drawn will receive the first prize, the following two correct answers will receive an original pencil drawing of a Zulu War scene, ready for framing, by the celebrated War artist, Jason Askew. These drawings are rare.
 
The first prize is a rare 1879 Gold Sovereign. It comes with a photograph of David Rattray and the author with the prize sovereign on the Isandlwana battlefield. Being Victorian, and with this date, it is one of the rarest and most valuable of all gold sovereigns, and it has unique ‘battlefield interest’.
 
The book and competition is free to members who make a minimum donation to the Society’s Zulu Village at Rorke’s Drift of £25. Each book will be signed by the authors and numbered; the edition is limited to 500 copies.  The book is worth it, even without the competition – so do please obtain a copy to help the Zulu Village and ‘have a go’.  
 
Good luck!
Dr Adrian Greaves AZWHS
Dr David Payne   AZWRS
 
Copies of the book, post free, can be obtained from;
 
AZWHS
Woodbury House
Woodchurch Road,
TENTERDEN,
TN30 7AE
 
Please enclose your postal details and cheque payable to ‘The Zulu Village’.

Posted on behalf of David Payne. Zulu War Author / Historian.

What is the AZWHS and AZWRS ?

Anglo Zulu War Historical Society

".....................Research .........."

Neil

Thanks!

Can you purchase this book even if you are not a member of the AZWHS or AZWRS and enter the competition?
cheers
Richie

Anyone wishing to enter the quiz, can obtain a temporary membership, further details can be obtained by contacting Mr David Payne at Info@azwrs.com

EXPLORE ISANDLWANA AND RORKE’S DRIFT WITH IAN KNIGHT;
ACCOMPANIED TOUR 7-15th November 2015
    This tour offers a rare opportunity to explore the iSandlwana and Rorke’s Drift campaign in depth with Ian Knight, author of Zulu Rising and Brave Men’s Blood etc. It is not a full tour of the sites connected with the Anglo-Zulu War but rather a comprehensive study of the best-known campaign; as such it would suit those with a particular interest in this aspect of the war, or those who have already been on a tour of the war as a whole and wish to consider the iSandlwana campaign in greater detail than most tours allow.
This tour will explore sites which are off the beaten track and currently visited by no other tour, and you will have the chance to walk over the ground with the leading expert on the campaign.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS TOUR STARTS AND ENDS IN JOHANNESBURG: FLIGHTS ARE NOT INCLUDED. You will need to make your own travel arrangements, ideally arriving on the morning of 7th November 2015. We will meet you at the airport (Johannesburg International/O.R. Tambo); if any of you wish to arrive a day early and spend a night or two in a hotel locally to recover from your flight we can advise you on this. You will be returned to Johannesburg International Airport in time for evening flights on 15 November 2015.
Throughout the tour we will be staying at the luxury Isandlwana Lodge, with its stunning views of the battlefield. Because we are based at one hotel, this will give us some flexibility with regard to timings and itinerary. If you have any particular interests we will attempt to accommodate them; it might also be necessary to change the sequence of some of these visits in the event of wet weather as many can only be accessed by dirt roads.
Please note that walking some of the sites is an integral part of the tour, and this tour offers a rare opportunity to explore aspects of the campaign on foot - a general level of fitness is required; if however you do not wish to undertake the walks we will endeavour to take you to key points by vehicle, or you will be able to relax at leisure at the hotel.
This is a fully inclusive tour – all accommodation, air-conditioned transport, food, guiding and site entry fees are included, although bar bills will be at your own account.
Your local guide is Paul Marais who is a registered SA Tour Guide and has over twenty years’ experience managing Anglo-Zulu War tours for Holts and others. The tour will be accompanied throughout by Ian Knight who will fully explain the story and significance of the sites as we explore them.
Costs;
The cost of the tour is UK £2360 per person sharing , single price is £2800. Please note we do have a maximum number of available places limited by the number of rooms at the Lodge. 
 
We have already had considerable interest in this tour so please register your interest as soon as possible by emailing anglozulutours@gmail.com

Day 1 (7th) - meet at Johannesburg airport, travel to Lodge, hopefully taking in something interesting along the way. Settle into Lodge - introductory talk on the veranda before dinner, discussing what we hope to achieve.

Day 2 (8th) – A general over-view of the iSandlwana campaign. We will drive out to a viewpoint overlooking the Ngwebeni valley, where the Zulu army bivouacked before the battle, then view the battlefield from the iNyoni escarpment, from the perspective of the Zulu commanders. From there we will visit to the battlefield interpretation centre and camp area. After lunch, we will walk across the British firing positions and down towards the Nyogane stream, ‘Durnford's donga’.

Day 3 (9th) – An exploration of the movements of the Zulu left horn, beginning on the iNyoni heights and descending onto the plain and towards the camp.
 
Day 4 (10th) – On this day we will follow in the footsteps of Durnford’s ill-fated rocket battery; beginning in the camp area we will walk out and explore the likely spots it came to grief.

Day 5 (11th) – Follow Lord Chelmsford’s footsteps, visiting the Mangeni Falls and the area in which his troops skirmished on 22nd January, and then go to the little-visited spot on the side of Magogo hill where his ADC, Lt. Milne, looked back at the camp at iSandlwana. This is a relaxed day, with some free time for those who might need some time to unwind at the Lodge, or for us to respond for any special requests to visit places not otherwise covered on the itinerary. .

Day 6 (12th) – Explore the movements of the Zulu right horn, starting at the mouth of the Ngwebeni valley and walking across to the outlying spurs occupied during the battle by Mostyn and Cavaye’s detachments. This is an opportunity to consider some of the more controversial aspects of the campaign regarding the initial contact between the two armies.
 
Day 7 (13th) – The road to iSandlwana; on this day we will drive down the British line of communication to Fort Bengough in Msinga, then follow the route by which Chelmsford’s column advanced to iSandlwana. We will visit Helpmekaar, and drive to the graves of Lts Melvill and Coghill for the story of Fugitives’ Drift. From there we will explore the territory of Chief Sihayo and the Batshe valley – the site of his homestead, and we will consider where the skirmish of 12 January took place.

Day 8 (14th) – A full day at Rorke's Drift. First we will hear the story of the battle, and there will then be a chance to visit the battlefield museum, the grave of James Rorke, and the monuments to the Zulu dead. We will walk up to the rocky terraces on Shiyane Hill, occupied by Zulu musket-men during the battle, and for those who wish we will walk to the top of the hill and consider the panoramic views of the Mzinyathi valley and distant views of iSandlwana. We will then visit Fort Melvill and, on the old Zulu bank, the site of Fort Northampton (occupied by British troops in 1884) and the nearby graves.

Day 9 (15th) - leave Lodge and return to Johannesburg in time for evening flights.

Can't understand why this tour is arranged for the South African summer (rainy season) also, when the flights are at their highest price! April is nearly always the best time to visit Zululand; weather superb, flight prices, well, a lot better than November.

David Payne wrote:

 
 Fragments and Snippets from the Zulu War.  
 
Dr Adrian Greaves of the AZWHS is arranging a competition for members of the AZWHS and AZWRS.
 
With Dr David Payne of the AZWRS, they have compiled a new informative work about the Anglo-Zulu War which looks at the reasons for the campaign and takes the reader through to the end of the war. It is gently thought-provoking as well as up-to-date with their recent research and titled Fragments and Snippets from the Zulu War.  Unusually, the book contains a dozen or so large hand-drawn maps displaying masses of information.
 
The competition….    Within the book’s text and maps is the single answer to a question. All the necessary clues are in the question. The unique competition entry form and the question come with each book.The answer can be found in the book.
 
Entry forms must be returned to the AZWHS in time for ZULU DAWN actress, Anna Calder-Marshall, to draw the results which will take place on the 22nd January 2016. The first correct answer drawn will receive the first prize, the following two correct answers will receive an original pencil drawing of a Zulu War scene, ready for framing, by the celebrated War artist, Jason Askew. These drawings are rare.
 
The first prize is a rare 1879 Gold Sovereign. It comes with a photograph of David Rattray and the author with the prize sovereign on the Isandlwana battlefield. Being Victorian, and with this date, it is one of the rarest and most valuable of all gold sovereigns, and it has unique ‘battlefield interest’.
 
The book and competition is free to members who make a minimum donation to the Society’s Zulu Village at Rorke’s Drift of £25. Each book will be signed by the authors and numbered; the edition is limited to 500 copies.  The book is worth it, even without the competition – so do please obtain a copy to help the Zulu Village and ‘have a go’.  
 
Good luck!
Dr Adrian Greaves AZWHS
Dr David Payne   AZWRS
 
Copies of the book, post free, can be obtained from;
 
AZWHS
Woodbury House
Woodchurch Road,
TENTERDEN,
TN30 7AE
 
Please enclose your postal details and cheque payable to ‘The Zulu Village’.

Just received my copy of " Fragments and Snippets from the Zulu War."    Inside is a question, which in it's self is interesting. The book contains 76 pages which covers just about everything to do with the Zulu War. The maps are very well detailed and easy to understand. Personally I think it's a must for anyone interested in this subject and makes an excellent addition to the bookshelf.