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Date	Original Topic
8th November 2002	Smith Dorrien By Peter Ewart John I work with the daughter of AJ Smithers, biographer of S-D ("The Man Who Disobeyed") & it is not unknown for me to bring him (S-D) up in conversation during idle moments! I shall convey to her your admiration of the General, which will please her. His tormentor, French, lies buried only a few miles from where I write. Having once been pulled unceremoniously across a fairly swollen & fast flowing Mzinyathi in a rubber tyre by two of David Rattray's sons (strong swimmers!!!) it is not difficult to feel rather humble when contemplating S-D's predicament at the same spot, or Melvill & Coghill for that matter. Or at the site which met Wilson Black's group the following month when the waters had receded & revealed all the debris. This should probably have been posted with the running Isandlwana discussion but while I'm on I might mention that I, too, have had Anstey's "site" pointed out to me, not far from the aforementioned gulley and relatively early on the "trail." (I can't remember by whom but possibly by Adrian Greaves, perhaps from info via Ian Knight?) I remember it was much further on than I'd realised, as in my mind's eye I had him falling not too far away from the nek, so must have read of its location somewhere beforehand. Peter
Date	Replies
8th November 2002	Peter Ewart Site? Sight! (Wilson Black's, not Anstey's, that is!) PE
9th November 2002	John Young Peter, Obviously your colleague's father's book did much to raise an awareness of Smith-Dorrien, but what a man he truly was! Despite his shabby treatment at the hands of French & Haig, Smith-Dorrien still acted as a pall-bearer at French's funeral. At a meeting in 1991, David Pelham Smith-Dorrien said to me, "I'm surprised anyone these days remembers my father." I told him that through my words I hoped to perpetuate the memory of his father at least for some time to come - and I have done so ever since, at every opportunity. Where is he in the B.B.C.'s "Great Britons"? No-where, I'd venture? Yet this was the man who put pay to Kaiser Wilhelm's dream of European domination in that one action that would shatter his career. Little wonder he chose to live in France in his latter years, at least they respected him for what he had done. John Young, Chairman, Anglo-Zulu War Research Society.
9th November 2002	CLIVE DICKENS Peter I can only echo John's words I also consider Gen Smith Dorrien a very fine and much underated soldier Clive
11th November 2002	Julian Whybra Ditto to all the above. Gifted soldier, I'd go so far as to say.
11th November 2002	James Garland General Smith Dorrien was one of the few Generals that had the admiration of the common soldier in WW1, especialy amongst the "Old Contemptables". I suspect that he would have been more proud to be the subject of their admiration, than he would of the modern BBC viewers votes. James
12th November 2002	Peter Ewart Yes, and much of the work for which he rightly received recognition was carried out in peacetime, especially during his Aldershot days prior to 1914, when a number of simple - but revolutionary for the time! - measures began to shift some responsibility to the private soldier and render his existence a little less brutal. Not for the first (or last) time, it was clearly demonstrated that improving the lot of Tommy Atkins would not necessarily render him a less effective soldier - quite the opposite. Perhaps Smith Dorrien, after Haldane, was responsible more than anyone (or at least as much as anyone) for the condition of the BEF when the time came? It is tempting to wonder whether his experiences in 1879 influenced his later leadership qualities in any way, but I suspect his Boer War experiences (as with most senior officers) were more important. Peter
7th June 2004	Philip Hanby Does anyone know where I can buy "Memories of 48 years Service" or "The Man Who Chose to Disobey"?
8th June 2004	Peter Ewart Philip There are four copies of his memoirs for sale via abebooks.com - two in the USA, one in the UK and one in RSA, the cheapest being on offer at �85 and the others for a great deal more. Can recommend this site for all your book searching. No sign of the biography by Smithers on that site at present but I suggest you keep looking regularly - you're in competition with quite a few others, however! On looking at the Smithers book ("The Man who Disobeyed" to be exact) one wouldn't immediately consider it likely to be valuable, but if it isalready that scarce and in demand I suppose it will soon be rivalling the memoirs in price! I mention it's present desirability to the author's daughter now and again and she is tickled pink, as her dad is still alive. Peter
15th June 2004	Anthony Pigott Hello I've recently become very interested in Gen. Smith-Dorrien, initially through research into my Grandfather's Great War service and from there to 2nd Suffolks to Le Cateau to SD. I stumbled across this site and wondered whether anyone might be able to help as he is obviously well known here through the Isandhlwana connection. I'm trying to find out whether there are any significant collections of original papers, pictures, etc. in existence, e.g. in a museum or family collection somewhere. I've seen the usual books and found one or two outline biogs. on the web but not very much. I feel there ought to be more source material out there. Any ideas would be much appreciated. I've come to realise that he is one of Britain's great 'unsung heros'. Hardly anyone seems to have heard of him these days; I'm tempted to try to do something about it - perhaps via a web site. Anthony
15th June 2004	John Young Anthony, David Smith-Dorrien, the last surviving son of the General give most of his father's papers to the Imperial War Museum and to Museum of the Sherwood Foresters, Nottingham Castle. I've written about Smith-Dorrien myself, and will be presenting a lecture on his life in November at the Royal Engineers Museum. The same lecture which I have already presented at Sandhurst. In the lecture I use David Smith-Dorrien's own words "I'm surprised anyone remembers my father these days." Frankly I believe he is a forgotten "National Hero", and in these days in which people who can kick a ball around are ranked as "heroes", and I for one would like to do something about remembering Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien. John Y.
22nd June 2004	steve hsd,a tenacious man,a great general,and a man with honour. many of you have seen the long running debate on myth of ammo failure at isandlwhana,on a previous page. there,smith dorrien quoted at length from his memoirs..........some question his memory in later years,and have every right to do so in order to get to the truth.......however.......... i believe smith dorrien could have said more, particularly on the subject of essex,but i believe he did not do so out of honour and duty to a brother officer........... controversial......maybe,but it is of great credit to the man that he was more shabbily treated against than shabbily treating.