RARE ZULU WAR MEDAL - 1879

[Mervyn Mitton]

This is a lovely example of the 1879 Zulu War Medal. Named to S.SMITH he was a member of the Buffalo Border Guard. This was the home defence unit for the town of Dundee in Northern Natal. They were only some 20(25kms) miles from the battle site and small in numbers. Their full strength was only 30 or, 32 men and out of these only 24 received the 1879 bar - showing that they were present for the fighting. The others were guards in Dundee. They were an irregular cavalry unit and wore a black uniform with the pith helmet of the time. Trooper Smith is shown on the roll.

They were present at Isandlawana on the 21st. and the small Force was split - about 10 remaining at the battle site and the others accompanying Gen. Chelmsford and his scouting group as far as the Mangeni Falls - about 20 kms. (15 miles) across the plain. During the Battle three members of the Buffalo Border Guard were killed.

I am still awaiting confirmation as to which group Tpr. Smith was with. Even if he was with Chelmsford, he would still have been in the camp until the 21st. and on the 22nd. they had to camp amongst the dead soldiers and Zulus. Early on the 23 rd. the whole Force moved to Rorke's Drift to relieve the siege and following that they were stationed at the Drift to act as a mounted unit in case the Zulus returned. Interestingly - Rorke, who was the original trader who set-up the trading post at the Drift ( or a shallow river crossing ) was one of the original founders and an officer in the Buffalo Border Guard.

So much history in just one small silver medal weighing 1 oz. of silver (32gms.) Ribbon is the original silk from 1879.

[Mervyn Mitton]

[IrishGunner]

Impressive bit of history; a joy to look at and read about. Thanks!

[Brian Wolfe]

Now this is what I think the GMIC is all about.

A great bit of history and a very nice medal indeed.

Please keep us posted if you find out more, Mervyn.

Regards

Brian

[army historian]

Yes, Mervyn, A great medal and fascinating history. Thanks for sharing. Captain Albert

[Guest Darrell]

Is this yours Mervyn? Nice medal :beer:

[Brett Hendey]

Mervyn

A great medal! A brother of my paternal grandmother (Trooper Charles Lennox Stretch) served in the Buffalo Border Guard and was an Isandlwana survivor, so I have long been interested in this unit.

Regards

Brett

[Mervyn Mitton]

Thankyou everyone for your interest. Darrell has shown some lovely 1879 medals and I always feel that his research is so complete. I tend to show the medals and just give some background. This one has just come-in to the shop and I have an even rarer Levy Leader - but tragically it has been brooch mounted. I am trying to arrange a replacement suspender bar. I will show it later.

Brett, what happened to Stretch's medal ? Isandlawana is probably only the one battle where a survivor is worth much more than a KIA......

I have a problem with pricing this one - he may not have been present for the actual battle - but, was so closely associated with the whole episode.

[IrishGunner]

This one has just come-in to the shop

I have a problem with pricing this one - he may not have been present for the actual battle - but, was so closely associated with the whole episode.

Mervyn, how do you let these beauties come into your life and then just walk back out again under the arm of another man! :speechless:

[Mervyn Mitton]

Always a very difficult question - and there is no easy answer. At one time I kept back the rarer 1879 medals and had 17 put away - then friends, customers - plead to buy them once they have seen them - and helping other collectors is really what a specialist collector's shop is all about. I keep quality silver - but, the house and the apartment in the UK are 'swimming' - and it all has to be cleaned. I suppose as I have got older I have a different focus. I love the rare and different things that come-in - however, you can't keep everything. When I decided to sell my Police Collection I really did think it would upset me - I miss some of the pieces, but, it will always be remembered because of my book. I will just say though, that I would not want to run a specialist shop in the UK - the atmosphere that we have - where the coffee flows freely and customers are old friends is not always possible in high pressure situations where money is important above all else !

[IrishGunner]

Always a very difficult question - and there is no easy answer. At one time I kept back the rarer 1879 medals and had 17 put away - then friends, customers - plead to buy them once they have seen them - and helping other collectors is really what a specialist collector's shop is all about. I keep quality silver - but, the house and the apartment in the UK are 'swimming' - and it all has to be cleaned. I suppose as I have got older I have a different focus. I love the rare and different things that come-in - however, you can't keep everything. When I decided to sell my Police Collection I really did think it would upset me - I miss some of the pieces, but, it will always be remembered because of my book. I will just say though, that I would not want to run a specialist shop in the UK - the atmosphere that we have - where the coffee flows freely and customers are old friends is not always possible in high pressure situations where money is important above all else !

Better to have loved and lost, then to have never loved at all. :beer:

[Brett Hendey]

Mervyn

Stretch's medal is 'missing'. I have been looking out for it ever since I started collecting medals, but there has been no sign it still exists. I was excited by your posting of Smith's medal because the BBG was such a small unit and the two men must have known each other well.

Regards

Brett

[Ulsterman]

Very cool.

Did any of them leave any interviews about what happened that day?

[Brett Hendey]

My distant relative certainly left no written records, although he did later apply to the Natal Government for a pension on the grounds that he was an Insandlwana survivor. His application was refused on the grounds that he had a drinking problem and was likely to spend such a pension on booze rather than subsistence. I suspect that his addiction led to the exchange of his Zulu War medal for money, thus ultimately depriving me of a family treasure that would have been the star in my medal collection.

There are many personal accounts written by men of their experiences before, during and after those fateful days in the Zulu War. They are to be found in libraries and archives, with some published in contemporary newspapers and journals. The Zulu War is a favourite topic for authors, who have made extensive references to the records of the participants of this war. Some of the books are soundly researched, while others are re-interpretations of earlier works. A good example of one of the primary sources is "Reminiscences of the Zulu War" by John Maxwell (University of Cape Town Libraries, 1979). Recently, "Anglo-Zulu War Diaries: Trooper Fred Symons, Natal Carbineers" by Mark Coglan was published (available at the Talana Museum in Dundee). Unfortunately, the book has more of Coglan's comments than Symons' original writings.

The current popularity of research into family histories is bringing to light participants and events of the Zulu War that might otherwise have been lost forever. One such study has revealed the story of a Natal Mounted Policeman who was in the detachment that reached the camp at the end of the day the Isandlwana battle took place. These men spent the night camped amongst the bodies of their dead comrades, an experience that so unsettled this Policeman that he left the force, returned to England and spent the rest of his long life in a mental asylum. We can look forward to the day when the family researcher publishes the full account of this tragic story.

Regards

Brett

Edited October 27, 2010 by Brett Hendey