rorkesdriftvc.com :: View topic - The Rediscovery of 17th Lancers Lt. Frith's Grave

Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 12:32 am

The 17th Lancers Display Team, on a recent visit to Dundee, had been accompanied by tour guide Neville Worthington on a trip into Zululand. Neville had been asked to guide them down to Ulundi, but specifically to the grave of Lieutenant Frith, who had been killed in action against a group of Zulus who had taken up a defensive position on a rocky bluff next to the uPoko stream, near Fort Newdigate. Neville wrote the Lost Tales column in the latest Courier, 12 May 2006, and I quote some of it:

�On meeting the tour party at Isandlwana Lodge I was informed that these men were particularly interested in visiting Lieutenant Frith�s grave near Fort Newdigate. I was taken aback, to say the least. While the sequence of events back in 1879, and details of the fort were fresh in my mind, I had no idea of the exact locality of the officer�s grave somewhere out there in that remote and isolated part of Zululand. A few enquiries made locally and a call to Stan�s Hotel at Babanango � just down the road from Fort Newdigate � shed no light on this subject. No one knew exactly where Lieutenant Frith�s grave was nor whether there was any marker by which to determine its position. On arrival at the site of the fort the concrete slab with the plaque reading Fort Newdigate was easily located � and I remained at a loss as to where the grave was.�

Enquiries at local Zulu herdboys produced no results, and Neville�s party remained parked at the roadside. Two elderly Zulu men arrived thirty minutes later, and indeed confirmed that there was a grave, some distance off down at the river. They agreed to lead Neville and the group to the grave.

�Down we went, marching through the tall grass and over the rocks from where we could see the little Upoko stream ahead of us. There, in the long grass, was the stone cross, and as the grass was cleared, the inscription: Lieutenant Frederick John Cockayne Frith of the 17th Lancers.

The grave, of course, was completely overgrown, and the officers and men decided it had to be cleaned up and a service held at the graveside. Men were sent back to the vehicles to fetch swords to cut the grass. Some put on their uniforms, the bugler included. When the swords arrived, the men set to with a will, cutting and cleaning the graveside. On completion of the cleaning-up, the bugler arrived in full dress, accompanied by a growing nuber of Zulus who wondered what was going on. The officer now lined the men up and read a passage describing the death of Lieutenant Frith, after which the bugler sounded the Last Post.�

Neville ended his tale by mentioning the emotion which drifted over this empty piece of Zululand, with the strains of the Last Post. Even the Zulus were quiet. Uppermost in everyone�s mind must have been reflection on the motto of the 17th Lancers � the �Death or Glory Regiment.� These men came out to Natal to do a few re-enactments, and they certainly accomplished their mission admirably. (Neville�s words)

Johnny Hamman
Dundee

Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 7:09 am

Johnny,
Thank you for that excellent posting. Would it be possible to obtain exact directions from the point on the road to the stream?
What about Corporal William Cotter's grave? Any sign of that? It would seem from Commandant Lorrain White's report that although they were killed about one hundred yards apart, they were buried side by side.
Motague reported that the graves (plural) were marked by " two trees, quantly shaped aloes, the only two trees in that direction for many miles."Still there I wonder?
Have you Nevill Worthington's e-mail address?
Many thanks,
Peter

Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 8:45 am

Johnny

Many thanks for quoting in full the moving story from the Courier. I was slightly taken aback as I had understood that the Frith grave was not one of those which was elusive, although I recognise that the more remote graves will always be in some danger of disappearing into the long grass, as well as the usual problems of neglect and desecration.

According to Knight & Castle's Then & Now (p231) Frith's grave was restored comparatively recently by the National Monuments Council. Their book appeared in 1993 and the restoration had apparently been "recent", so it is a shame that the memorial - which, in this picture, looked in absolutely pristine condition with a brand new plaque - had succumbed so soon, although presumably there was no deterioration other than what one would expect after a dozen or so years in the long grass?

The photo also shows the other two graves, one either side of Frith - I wonder if any work has been done to identify these two individuals? Were they noted by the recent visiting party? K & C's photo also shows a low, dry stone wall and a barbed wire fence enclosing the three graves - has this survived or disappeared?

Peter Q - The same publication (pp232/3) has a photo (presumably modern?) of Cotter's and Scott Douglas's graves, as well as two contemporary sketches, one of the interment itself and the other with a soldier guarding the two recent interments. The photo reveals them both to be pretty robust concrete structures, which - unless dynamited for muti, which isn't unknown as you'll know - should survive. The long grass will have had its own ideas, of course!

I have a good many written descriptions of the mission site at kwaMagwaza and its beautiful location between 1860 and c1900 and have often been surprised at the almost total absence of any mention of these two graves in the correspondence I've seen after 1880. I haven't been there myself but have been within a few miles. I'm pretty sure Keith Smith has, though - and if so, he'll have located the graves, I'm sure.

Peter

Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 8:55 am

See also, of course, the large, relatively recent colour photos of each of these three graves on the Keynsham Light Horse site (linked to this website).

P.E.

Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 9:41 am

I am not sure about 'rediscovery' of the grave - I certainly took photographs of Frith's grave in November 2004. This was for new book on the WW Lloyd 1/24th AZW paintings (never been published before) - Lloyd produced a sketch of Frith's death - 'Done For' in his published book of stetches from called 'On Active Service'.

Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 9:06 pm

Evening, gents,

Yes, Martin, you are of course correct. I spoke to Uncle Neville at length this afternoon, and he said that he meant rediscovered in the sense that no-one, not even Rob Gerrard at Isandlwana Lodge, knew where the grave was now. The old Zulu showed them the grave, which was hidden from view, completely overgrown in grass above hip length. They would have fallen over the grave without seeing it. The gentlemen from the 17th Lancers cleared the grass with their swords, and held a service at the cleaned up grave.

Paul,

When you stand in front of the Fort Newdigate slab, looking in the direction of the stream, just behind the zulu homestead, little less than a km from the road, you will find the grave. It is visible now. Neville said you can phone or fax him at 034-2121347, or email him at Tourism Dundee at [email protected] as he does not have his own email. They will pas the email on to him.

Incidentally, Ian Knight is now at Isandlwana lodge, but he is leaving again tomorrow. I do not know if Neville spoke to him, but Ian knows where the grave was. There was a second grave there, but Neville said he could not see any markings on it. I will be going back there shortly to take a picture of both.

Johnny Hamman
Dundee

Posted: Tue May 16, 2006 10:36 am

As Peter Ewart rightly says, I have visited these graves a couple of times and have photographs. The first time I visited I could not locate them but when I went back a year later, I contacted, first, the headmaster of the local school, and second, the head of the local church conference centre. The latter was very excited at my visit and took me to the graves himself. Both of these gentlemen were very helpful, and I have found this to be a common trait in Zululand, whether the aid came from Zulu or European.

I was very interested in Frith's grave, having tried a couple of times to locate it from Ft Newdigate myself, and failed. On the other hand, I was able to 'find' Fort Evelyn, with the aid of Rex Duke, a site which is not marked by signs on the road at all.
KIS

Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 2:30 pm

Keith, I recently acquired an original white ink drawing of the Death of Frith by the illustrator of the ILN and Graphic-Hermanus Willem Koekkoek (1869-1929). I'll send you an email to your private address with a scan of it. Anyone else who would like a scan, just email me. The drawing is entitled "An incident in the Zulu War--the Trumpet Major dismounts quickly and lifted the adjutant's body off the saddle." Ron Sheeley