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DateOriginal Topic
21st June 2003Photographs of zulu and british dead or wouded.
By Andrew Bush
I have read many books on the zulu war and in all of them there are never any photographs of british,Zulu dead or wounded on the battlefields.You compare this with the Sudan,Boar and American civil war campaigns which have many of the above .Can someone please explain why, if there was censorship surely some photo,s woud of got out by now.
DateReplies
21st June 2003Glenn Wade
Hi Andrew. I do agree with you regarding photos of British casualties but in Ian Knight's Osprey Elite series title 'The Zulus' there are photos of Zulu rebel dead from the 1906 rebellion. Also, in 'Brave Men's Blood' by the same author, there are photos of Zulu skeletons on the field of Gingindlovu.
Hope this Helps!
Regards
Glenn
21st June 2003Geoff
Andrew, in After The Battle's excellent book 'Zulu War Then & Now' there is a photo of a Zulu skeleton on one of the battlefield sites but i can't remember which.
Regards
Geoff
22nd June 2003John Young
Andrew,

I have a photograph in my collection of two Zulu skeltons on the field of Gingindlovu. It is not the same one as appears in 'Brave Men's Blood' - so we can conclude Lloyd photographed at least two photographs of the remains of Zulu warriors.

Do forget photography in Natal was in its infancy, off the top of my head I can only think of three photographers working in Natal at the time of the campaign. Their equipment was cumbersome and would have required a wagon at least to move it from their studios.

As to comparing it with the Sudan & Boer Wars, I assume you're referring to the later Sudan & Boer campaigns, there had been great advances in the processing of film by then, and the cameras themselves were much easier to carry.

As to comparing it with the American Civil War, much of that war fought near to cities & towns which had resident photographers. Yet there is little photographic evidence of the campaigning in the more remote parts suchas as Florida or in the south-west.

There may well have been a modicum of self-censorship practised by the photographers, but I don't personally think there was any imposed censorship.

John Young
27th June 2003Andrew Bush
Yes i have seen those photos but I have never seen photos if British wounded or dead in the fieild.