Unrecorded survivor of Isandlwana AND Rorke's Drift defender

Posts : 22 Join date : 2017-05-09

Hi - I've just registered and this is my first post - Have been reading over the last week or so with great interest.

I have a South Africa medal with bar 1879 to Lieut. E. Skottowe 1st Natal Native Contingent and am aware of this newspaper article from March 1879:
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Skottowe's name is highlighted in green - towards end of second para. The source of the letter is "A Colonial" and states that Skottowe escaped across the Buffalo River and made it to Rorke's Drift where he took part in the Defence!! There doesn't seem to be any corroborative evidence/source, though.

This is the only mention of Skottowe that I've been able to locate.

What do you guys make of this?

Chas

Posts : 22 Join date : 2017-05-09

Just a quick addition - Calcote is in Estcourt, Natal. I can't find any record of him in Estcourt but there are some South African Skottowes. The clan seems to have originated from the Isle of Man
Chas

Posts : 2268 Join date : 2010-10-22 Location : France

Bonsoir,

"England's Sons A Casualty and Survivors' Roll of British Combatants for the Battle of Isandhlwana and the Defense of Rorke's Drift" by Julian Whybra is the most complet study (and regulary updated) on the subject of victims and survivors of Isandhlwana.
Julian Whybra is a member of this forum.
Cheers.
Frédéric

Hi Chas
Your quite right Scottowe was a survivor. It was he who helped Wally Erskin back to Helpmakaar. There are othere references to him being there including a letter from him to his home.
There is a branch of the family living in Natal at present. Over all the family seems a bit reticent to discuss their ancestors.
Regards

Chas
Some more info for you.
His fullname was Edmund Beville Skottowe. At iSandlwana he was with the Rocket Battery in D Company.
The name is very well known in England although his brother Willy and his Father lived in Douglas Isle of Man.
There are as I mentioned above two strings of the Family, in Howick/ Nottingham Road Natal and in the UK.

Chas
Frank found Skottowe over a year ago and was kind enough to share his name with me then. He did leave an account of Isandhlwana though not a particularly enlightening one but was not, by his own word, at RD and never claimed to be. I have since then come across another letter from him and 2 letters by other survivors corroborating his presence at Isandhlwana. His details will appear in the new edition of England's Sons being prepared (with acknowledgement to Frank) along with a couple of other 'new' survivors. I have on and off been researching him for the last year and have found his descendants in England very helpful and informative. There will be I hope be an essay on him in a forthcoming volume of Studies in the Zulu War reproducing his account(s).
I have long suspected that Durnford's two coys must have each had two lieutenants apiece and wondered about the 'vacant' slot. Edmund Beville Skottowe fills it.

Posts : 22 Join date : 2017-05-09

Dear Frederic, Frank and Julian,
thanks very much indeed for responding.
I've had this medal for decades and have learnt more about Lieut. Skottowe in the last 24 hrs than in all this time. It's great to know his full name and that he was indeed present at Isandlwana. It always seemed fanciful that he might have been at Rorke's Drift as well.
Julian, when do you anticipate the next edition of your book? Please put me down for an advance copy.
I will photograph the medal and post the pictures on this forum at the weekend.
Thanks again,
Chas

Chas
I'm hopeful that everything will be in place for a November publication of volume IV with volume V following in the spring of 2018. I'll pm you in this regard nearer the date.
So, you've had the medal for decades. He died in 1927 - I wonder where the medal's been in between.

Posts : 22 Join date : 2017-05-09

Julian,
I bought the medal from a general antiques dealer well over 20 years ago - early 1990s, I recall.
Looking forward to the forthcoming publication of your book.
Chas

Posts : 22 Join date : 2017-05-09

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Posts : 2558 Join date : 2009-04-06 Age : 61 Location : UK

Chas thanks for posting. Trying to capture the text on medals isn't that easy, but you have done quite a good job.

Posts : 22 Join date : 2017-05-09

John, Yes, it's tricky - I took about 15 attempts and these were the best!
A few years ago I saw an article that described a photo trick to show the obverse and the naming of the medal simultaneously. The author used the chromed reflector (parabolic shape) of an old torch and placed the medal in the centre (with a cut out for the medal suspension) so that, whilst looking at the obverse, the edge naming was reflected forward. He then used photoshop to invert the image (because the naming was ubside down and back to front) and one photo showed the face of the medal AND the naming. I tried it but couldn't find a torch the right size. Might give it another go.
Have you coe across this trick?
Chas

Posts : 303 Join date : 2011-10-18 Location : Cornwall

According to Ancestors.co.za Edmund Beville Skottowe was buried in the Commercial Road Cemetery Pietermaritzburg - unsure whether the grave is marked but other Skottowe family plots are, and he may be close by to these.

Regards,

Tim

» With Reference to the Zulu Regiment/s, that attack Rorke’s drift.
» George Deacon. Rorkes Drift defender.
» William Roy DCM Rorkes Drift Defender and Cecilia Williamson.