rorkesdriftvc.com :: View topic - Graphic History Series

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 4:16 pm

I put forward this suggestion again last year to Osprey, in the section from which every month, they shortlist and get viewers to vote on, though no success as yet.

I started a topic on their forum too, which only had one response, I think from an author who wrote a book comparing Isandlwana with Little Bighorn, though don't know if it is definitely him. Anyway, he liked the idea, but nothing else since has been posted. Sad

Does anyone know if this Graphic History series has finished adding titles, as they haven't advertised anything else for ages ?

It'd be great, as mentioned a long time ago, to get a couple of Zulu War 1879 battles into this series, especially Isandlwana/Rorke's Drift, for a younger readership, perhaps in time interesting them enough to pursue this campaign as a hobby.

If others could maybe consider replying to the topic on Osprey, or start a new one, it might get their attention. Idea

Just a thought.

Coll

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 9:49 pm

"Durnford's last stand"? What "last stand"? Everyone who fell that day had a "last stand." What was so remarkable about Durnford's "last stand"? He died - either stabbed, shot or bashed over the head or all three - in exactly the same way as everyone else and at virtually the same time (wthin an hour or so, mostly within a few minutes or seconds) as everyone else who fell on the British/colonial side and in exactly the same circumstances as almost everyone else.

No-one saw his end but he was in the same position as hundreds of others were at the same time - desperately fighting with what they could in a hopeless task that could only have one end. The vast majority of the British troops died while hopelessly surrounded. He did absolutely no more than virtually everyone else on his side in doing what he could do to defend the camp during the attack in whichever way he could in the position he found himself in/they found themselves in. And that's all - nothing else at all. No-one doubts his soldier's courage, either in 1873 or 1879 and I make no comment at all about his apparent bone-headed stubbornness which can, in occasional circumstances, even be an attribute. Some of the camp's defenders - no-one can know how many - died before Durnford did, but of course many (perhaps most?) died after he did. No-one can guess exactly how many but it is a fact that certainly scores died after he did and quite possibly hundreds. So what is this "last stand" business?

The only difference between the loss of Durnford and the loss of all the others, is that not one of those others, with the possible exception of Pulleine, bore any responsibility whatsoever for the defeat, whereas any fair minded person accepts that Durnford's behaviour that day was either (a) completely, (b) fairly or (c) marginally responsible for the disaster. Virtually everyone else, during their own "last stand", was blameless.

Peter

Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 12:21 am

Peter E.

I'm not sure if you've had a look at this series on Osprey, but each is like a history lesson about a specific battle, in almost a Boy's Own comic version of a book, with titles to appeal to a younger readership.

The title itself hasn't anything to do with proving Durnford's last stand, but is meant as a somewhat exciting, but different heading than the last stand of the 24th, which is used very regularly, even though other units were present.

It is based on the familiar 'Custer's Last Stand' that most know of, that's all.

Coll

PS. Even Durnford's friend had a book titled like this in the Osprey Campaign series - 'Khartoum 1885: General Gordon's Last Stand', as well as the aforementioned example -'Little Bighorn 1876: Custer's Last Stand'.