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DateOriginal Topic
20th September 2003Survivors of the battle of Hlobane
By Justin Young
Could anyone help me with any details of names of members of the Border horse who survived Hlobane?
I'm aware of Captain Dennison and trooper Grandier but not of any others.
I presume there must have been muster rolls taken by each of the units involved in this battle, or at least some sort of list of who was going into action- so that they at least knew who, if anyone was missing. Have any of these survived?

Many thanks
Justin
DateReplies
20th September 2003Mark Hobson
Apparantly only about six men of the Border Horse survived Hlobane. I can only find mention of three survivors:

Trooper B J Craney. Trooper Cramazon Bomdini.
(both these were initially reported killed, but turned up later at Khambula camp)

and Trooper W Hutchins who was severely wounded in the groin.

Perhaps Ron Lock, who has wrote about this battle, could help.
21st September 2003Keith Smith
Justin

Dennison left a memoir and below is an extract listing the casualties of that day:

"The usual routine followed after the battle [of Khambula], Casualty returns &c. were made up and sent in to Headquarters. The following is a copy of mine, as I have it in my old order book, of those who fell at Hlobane on the 28th March /79.
Lt. Colonel Weatherley. Corpl. Porter,
Adjt. Lys � Ford.
Lieut. Pool. � Blackmore.
Sub. Lt Weatherley. � Coetzee.
� � Parminter. Pay Sergt. Johnson.
Regt. Sergt. Major Brown. Farrier Major Frieze
Troop. � � Fisher Trooper Wynnan.
Qr. Master Sergt Russell. � Sheppard.
� Mann.
Sergt. Stewart. Trumpeter Meredith.
Trooper Underwood. Trooper Hartman.
� Ried. � Cameron.
� Evans. � Martin.
� Craig. � Thompson.
� Jefferies. � King.
Trooper Brooks. Trooper Dary,
� Barth. � Farquarson.
� Meillot. Lance Corpl. Bernhardt.
� Muller. Trumpeter Rielly.
� Mellman. Trooper Williams.
� Miller.
� v.d.Westhuizen.
Forty out of fifty five of the Border horse alone, of the other corps I am not sure but I think I am about correct in saying about eighty were the casualties of Hlobane alone. I forget the number who fell at Kambula. If I remember right they were over a hundred. One of the Border horse, our rough rider, a Frenchman, Grandier by name, was it appears, found hidden away on Hlobane after the fight by some women. "
21st September 2003Justin Young
Hi Mark and keith

Many thanks for taking the time to put your posts up.
Mark, the troopers you have come up with are new to me and certainly cuts the names of survivors I need to find down somewhat.
Keith, I've seen various extracts from Dennisons memoir before but not this- has it ever been published in full? (including his chapter on Hlobane)

Cheers
Justin
21st September 2003Trevor
Chaps.
Could someone give me a short history lesson of this battle Hiobane please.
Never heard of it!
22nd September 2003Keith Smith
Justin

The memoir has not been published, as far as I am aware, although extracts probably have been. I had to go to some trouble to locate it at the Archive in Pretoria, SA, and I only have a copy of the Hlobane chapter, which is itself very interesting.

Trevor, I suggest you buy an appropriate book on the topic and Donald Morris, Washing of the Spears, is a good place to start. The tale is too long to relate here.
22nd September 2003Julian whybra
Don't forget Trooper Grandier, the famous and unique British prisoner-of-war who lived to tell the tale - he was Border Horse too!
22nd September 2003Justin Young
Hi Keith

Hopefully this will be published in full at some point, I've read extacts from it in an article for AZWHS Journal and it looks like it would make a good read.

Trevor, keiths suggestion would be your best point to start, infact every fan of the Zulu war should have a copy of this book. It may be quite old and outdated in many ways but will give you a good starting point as to describing the various events leading up to, aswell as battles etc. during the Zulu war.

After reading this, you'll probablty find yourself wanting to find out more about the various events and there are many excellent books out there on specific battles etc that are much more detailed and up to date.


Cheers
Justin
27th October 2003Huw Jones
Justin Young
You may wish refer to my paper 'Hlobane: A new perspective' published in Natalia, No. 27, December 1997, pp.42-68 in which Dennison's memoir was used for the first time, to my knowledge, in a discussion of this engagement.

It is probably impossible to produce a definitive list of those who survived Hlobane because there is no complete roll extant as far as I am aware of the Border Horse who took part, not even a reliable number. The following is a list of those who served in the Border Horse in the AZW and survived the campaign, but only those starred are known actually to have been engaged at Hlobane.


*Capt C.G. Dennison
Saddler W. Schmidt
*Sgt C. Brown
Sgt J. Colbert
*Cpl J. Archer
Cpl E.B. Mitchell
Cpl A. Rous
Trooper J.J.A. Briet
Trooper F.W. Bartz
*Trooper B.J. Craney
*Trooper C. Boudoin
Trooper T.J. Gartrell
Trooper A. Germaine
Trooper J. Gleeson
*Trooper E. Grandier
*Trooper A.M. Hammond
Trooper W. Haybittel
Trooper W. Lotter
Trooper J. Lynch
Trooper C.O. Newnham
Trooper J. Nolan
Trooper J. O'Reilly
*Trooper L. Sawyer
Trooper J. Shepherd
Trooper W. Terrin
Trooper J.J.J. van der Merwe
2nd December 2003Paul Colbourne
Gentlemen, Could someone please help me. I have been given the task of producing a 30min presentation on the Battle of Hlobane.. Has anybody got any information/previous presentation that would help me with this task thank you in advance
Paul Colbourne
2nd December 2003John Young
Paul,

Who is the presentation for? I can provide details of the action from eyewitnesses, as well as a piece I produced on it for the Journal of the Anglo-Zulu War Research Society.

John Y.
30th May 2005Graham
I have just found a medal in my collection of family itmes. It is the 1879 Zulu war medal. It has "Troop R. G. King Border Horse" on it. I have no clue as to who this person is since I have no ancestors with that name. any information would be of interest to me. I have found a list of dead at Hlobane, a G. King is listed, could be the same person.