Our home Letter. Otago Witness , Issue 1431, 26 April 1879, Page 21

A good read. Covers a lot.

It's the only account i have read where there is no mention of Lt John Chard being at RD. it was all down to Bromhead and his 80 men.

Julian, can you also provide evidence that Chard was actually at RD.

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=OW18790426.2.89&e=-------10--1----0--

Posts : 2308 Join date : 2010-07-02 Age : 44

Funny you should say that, in the Chard report he mentions seeing Adendroff and Jenkins. Yet very few of the others do. He didn't stand in for the Butler painting, but he's there. No one knows what happened to his bibe. He never attended any of the reunions or attend defenders funerals.
There is no account from anyone, to confirm he arrived back at RD from Isandwana. Suspect

Posts : 1862 Join date : 2009-03-25

Of course you are Joker

Posts : 588 Join date : 2013-05-07 Location : Brecon

Littlehand,

You have to remember that communications around the World in 1879 were rudimentary. Messages from the Cape (and even Natal) had to be taken by ship to Madeira before they could be transmitted direct telegraph to UK. There were few private messages (these had to travel the whole way by ship). The important published documents were the National Newspapers and the London Gazette. Local and colonial newspapers use these published national reports, and of course put their own slant on them (and omitted things), to inform the local communities - this in the time before radio. If you look at on-line for old newspapers you can track the news/stories of the AZW being reported nationally then a few days later being replicated in the provincial newspapers. Therefore it is often difficult to really identify an original or 'source' report. Chelmsford did produce official reports which were subsequently used in the Natal press and then were shipped/transmitted to London for publication in London Gazette.

littlehand wrote:: A good read. Covers a lot.

It's the only account i have read where there is no mention of Lt John Chard being at RD. it was all down to Bromhead and his 80 men.

Julian, can you also provide evidence that Chard was actually at RD.

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=OW18790426.2.89&e=-------10--1----0--

Yes, Ask the bloke that stopped him getting shot ! Very Happy

Posts : 1261 Join date : 2010-04-12

Well let's wait to see, if that chap was there, before we ask him.

I posted the link, with tongue in cheek. Just practicing for April. Joker

» RORKE'S DRIFT. Star , Issue 9278, 3 July 1908, Page 2
» From The Oldham Chronicle, 26 April 1879 Letter from an Oldham Soldier in Zululand .
» Archaeology Issue 93 March/April 2007