An envelope taken by a Zulu from the body of Private James Tullet who was killed in action

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Saw this in action - it seems remarkably unlikely that a Zulu chief would take an envelope and then carry it into battle at Ulundi to be taken off his body.

Don't think I will be bidding!!

Sergio

Interesting to say the least scratch

90th

Postmarked 1878. Would be interesting to see where James Tullet was stationed at the time. It looks like December 78. Anyone with better eyes than mine?

Cheers

I have him as H company in 76/77 in St Helena Medal 1877.78.79. I also have two numbers for him 2394 at attestation and 25B/14

post mark London Dec 12 1878.

post mark London Dec 12 1878.

4 more days and it'll be the letters 137 th Anniversary ! Shocked

.
90th

What is interesting is when did H company leave for Natal? and secondly how long would that letter have taken to reach him?
Would 40 days have been long enough?

Cheers

just about I think 4 weeks was the average sailing time eg City of Paris left queenstown on 22nd Feb 1879 and after hitting rocks and transferred to HMS Tamar - reached Durban 23rd March.

Still it is cutting it fine to be post marked London on 12th Dec and reach the Tullet in time to be carried to isandlwhana on the 22nd Jan.

Posts : 2871 Join date : 2010-06-02

I see there is also a Cape Colony stamp with a "9" visible - perhaps that is the date the letter reached SA? Also written on the envelope is "o/elsewhere", presumably in case Tullet was not at King William's Town.

Steve

So if the letter was forwarded on the 9th (assuming) it wouldnt have been in Durban before the 15th.
So 7 days to get to PMB and then via RD to iSandlwana. Possible but only just.

ok so we have established the timing makes it possible . But why would an envelope be carried into battle at Ulundi by a Zulu chieftain. Do we think it could be some sort of totem or trophy. Is their any other evidence of items from isandlwana taken in to battle?

Posts : 2871 Join date : 2010-06-02

Just a thought - it had the Queen's portrait on the stamp.

Steve

There is of course the possibility of a slight corruption in its provenance in that we do know that the bodies were stripped of, in particular, the jackets. And its a very good possibility that the letter was kept in a jacket pocket and so when the wearer at Ulundi was killed the jacket was repossessed and carried back to England. I mention this as a possibility because I have in the past discovered some very interesting items. A newspaper report in an old book. Old correspondence from the crimea used to pack out a helmet etc.

Just a thought.

Posts : 600 Join date : 2013-09-18 Location : West Country

The Zulu warrior tradition of removing something from an enemy to enable his defeat in future battles could offer an explanation. I read somewhere that any physical object could be used, anything from hair to clothing even the food scrapings from an enemy dish would suffice, so maybe an envelope could have been used.

Posts : 589 Join date : 2013-05-07 Location : Brecon

Interestingly, H Company 1/24th left PMB on 30 Nov. They reached Greytown by 4 Dec and then Helpmekaar on 12 Dec 78. Just tracking officers of 24th - Moffett, Church and Bennett - who embarked on the mail - Walmer Castle - which left Gravesend on 2 Dec 78. According to The Times (dated 20 Jan 79), this ship reached Cape Town on 27 Dec 78 and then left the Cape for Port Natal (Durban) on 30 Dec 78. It does not gives an arrival date in Durban - but likely to be 2 or 3 Jan 79. So it very very tight for the letter to actually reach James Tullett up country in Natal assuming it was on board a mail ship to the Cape the day it was posted (12 Dec 78).

My eyes are not what they used to be, but, looking through a magnifying glass, there appears to be what looks like an oval shaped stamp mark on the far right of the envelope with 2d (the old twopence), marked on it, could this have been the cost of forwarding this letter to get to James Tullet I wonder?

Obviously someone wanted the '' Isandlwana '' envelope as it hammered for near , or just over 1,000 GBP's ! Salute

90th

PS , No Sergio it wasn't me this time ! Joker

Obviously it was felt to be genuine. A big price after commission and VAT. Definitely wasn't me - I think Mrs D would have lost the plot if I spent best part of £1250 on an envelope!!

Posts : 2871 Join date : 2010-06-02

Interesting piece on the previous owner!
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Steve

Posts : 600 Join date : 2013-09-18 Location : West Country

rusteze

Did you manage to visit the Artist and Empire display and did you see 'The Battle of Isandlwana’ by Charles Fripp'? I am planning a trip to see it.

Hi Sergio
In answer to a question you posted previously as to why a Zulu would be carrying the Envelope , Ian Knight on his F/B page has said that there is a reference somewhere , that the Zulu's used paper as wadding for their muskets ! , this would explain why it was carried into battle at Ulundi .
Cheers 90th Salute

Posts : 2871 Join date : 2010-06-02

Waterloo

Not yet - expecting an Xmas present (but it will probably be socks)!

Steve

» Private R. Parry, 1st Battalion, 24th killed in action at Isandhlwana on 22 January 1879
» Memorial to Officers killed in action duing the Zulu War (Sandhurst)
» Private 1824 James Coyle 2/21st Regiment killed by a horse