Isandlwana

[douglass]

Hi all

Due to needing funds to purchase other military stuff I am reluctantly selling a Martini bullet found at Isandlwana.

it was found in 1999 by a friend who often visits with a history group. He has marked on a photo approx site on where it was found and an accompanying letter to me regarding this.

anyone interested please contact me for photos etc

regards

Douglas

[Mervyn Mitton]

Douglas - this should really be on our For Sale and Wanted section - it would give you better exposure for a potential sale. However, we are happy to leave it here as we can discuss the possibilities of what such a sale requires.

Firstly - the laws in Sth. Africa are very strict about picking-up items on historic sites. However, your friend is safely back in Scotland.

The .577/.450 Martini Henry bullet - from such an important battle - is quite a valuable item. However - provenance is all ! Even photos of him picking it up wouldn't be totally conclusive - he might have dropped it ? The battlefield is quite compact and items do tend to work to the surface and then rebury themselves. Usually, spent bullets will have either markings on them - or, very often a crushed end where they have hit bone or a boulder

You will find my email on my home page - if you can send me a picture of the bullet and of the photo, I may be able to help identify who was fighting in that area. Meanwhile for some provenance, you should ask him to sign a short note saying where and when he found it.

I have a jar of these spent slugs which were picked up prior to 1962 when it became illegal to pick things-up. They are worth at least 100 pounds each - however, I don't sell them - occasionally give one to a collector.

[Mervyn Mitton]

Douglass - I have your emails of the slug and the area. Firstly, I will show your three pictures - and then some photos which may answer your queries.

Hopefully, our members will find this of some interest ?

This first picture shows the Dundee Diehards - who re-enact the 1879 Battle of Isandlawana - posing in front of the mountain.

[Mervyn Mitton]

The .577/.450 slug that the Douglas' sent.

[Mervyn Mitton]

This is the end picture. Again these are the Dundee Diehards - which was the nearest town to Isandlawana. The view shows the mountain from further along it's flanks.

[Mervyn Mitton]

This rare picture (All taken from The Washing of the Spears by Donald Morris ) shows the battlefield of Isandlawana in May of 1879. The battle itself took place on January 22nd. and it was only in early May that British troops returned to the Field of Battle.

Try to enlarge - the whole of the foreground has British bodies and dead oxen. The mountain has always been held to look like a Sphinx.

[Mervyn Mitton]

This was taken at the same time - but further to the left. This was the area known as the Saddle.

[Mervyn Mitton]

The black lines with arrows indicate the path taken by different Impis. The mountain is shown by all the lines and the King's half brother - Dubalamanzi - is shown going behind. From there he continued down Fugitive's Trail and the next morning attacked Rorke's Drift.

To the right - but fairly close to the mountain are the squares of the British 24th Regt. In front of them are the NNC - Natal Native Contingents and to their left are the Artillery. When the Zulus attacked the NNC panicked and ran away - this caused confusion with the British.

Looking at the British Squares, I think the position that the bullet was found, is roughly where the tent area for the 2nd. Bn. 24th Regt. was standing. When Lord Chelmsford advanced across the plain he left an enhanced Company from the 2nd Battalion to help defend the Camp..

This is not conclusive evidence that the bullet was dropped - or, fired by them. We must consider that perhaps it was a complete bullet and the brass cartridge case had been taken off for scrap - or, it may have been fired from some distance and dropped there. However, this is a well searched area, and the possibility of it being brought there in the more recent past must be considered. However, it is a fired Martini .577/.450 bullet and it does have the rifling marks from the barrel.

Perhaps you will never know it's history - but, what a wonderful story goes with it's finding.

[Hisworship]

951 Pte Richard TREVERTON 24th Foot 2 Batn G Coy. Aged 26 was my x3 G Grandfather on my mothers side (she was a Treverton) and he was killed the morning before Rorkes Drift on 22/1/1879 in the Battle of ISANDLWANA.

I have a copy of a letter sent by his mate Pte Jones , home to the UK stating 'poor old Dick Treverton has just bought it' held by the Museum in Brecon SW . His name is on a well polished plaque to the left of the alter in Brecon Cathedral. I have a copy of his 1877-79 medal which I wear on Remembrance Sunday with pride and sorrow in equal measure. My family's armed forces service covers the period 1640- 1983 from Admiral John Benbow C-in-C RN under Charles I, my x7 G Uncle,thro Pte Treverton above,Pte H Millership RE/RAMC WWII , L/CPL W Rolnik MP Polish Army Monte Cassino WWII and me RAF 1959-83. All very humbling to say the least!

AFM

[Mervyn Mitton]

Welcome to GMIC - AFM. A wonderful record of service for your Family. I hope you will gradually add posts to cover some of the more

active members.

With regard to Pte. Treverton - this would make a very interesting post - and you have access to many items which would illustrate it well.

Particularly, the Zulu War Medal. We will hope to see you posting regularly and I think you will find our members will show a lot of interest. Mervyn

[mickey]

hi all a couple of photos of the battlefield one a close up of the wagon area i believe the ground at the time of the battle was very hard and would expect some type of deformation of the relatively soft lead even on a spent projectile but you never know,as an aside as a teenager in the 70s i visited the zulu war battlefields with my parents and at ulundi you could purchase martini henry cartridge cases in various states of condition from the local youngsters out to make a buck recently here in nz a framed board came up for sale with buttons misshapen projectiles bits of cartridge cases and various metal items including a horse bit supposedly dug up at isandlwana

[Mervyn Mitton]

Mickey - I have a large coffee jar filled with .577/.45 bullets picked up from Isandlawana prior to 1960 - after which it became

illegal to do so. Whilst many are deformed from hitting bone and rocks - others are still perfect from where they ran out of 'steam'

and just fell. I don't sell them - rather give them to serious collectors - however, they can be worth a 100 pounds each - with

provenance.

The frame you have would have been put together from a man in Dundee - now dead. He obtained most of the items from the

Battlefield of Kambula - where Sir Evelyn Wood VC - won our first victory in the 1879 campaign. The British troops dug three

large pits and the Zulu dead - over 2000 - were just dropped-in, together with their equipment and weapons. The locals are

busy digging them out - which is totally illegal - however, it is a remote area. Mervyn