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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 12:44 am

It's late. I'm tired.

However, has anyone got any gen on this coming book, from Pen & Sword ?

Thankyou and goodnight.

Coll

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:31 am

Coll

I have seen the flyer from Pen & Sword - it's by Ron Lock and Peter Quantrill - based on the memoirs of Capt Charles Dennison published in 1904 - A flight to a Finish. Stocks will arrive shortly.

Just in case you wish to be refreshed on Dennison...

DENNISON, Charles George, Captain, Border Horse.
Second in command to Colonel Weatherley during AZW.

Born at Cradock in 1844, Cape Colony, the son of George Dennison, a farmer, who died of wounds received while serving as a volunteer during the Eighth Cape Frontier War in 1851. Charles first saw service as a trooper in the Bloemfontein Rangers at the age of 19. In 1876 he raised and commanded the Rustenburg Rifles in the Transvaal. During the Anglo-Zulu War he served with Colonel Weatherley. He took over command of the Border Horse as Commandant when Weatherley was killed at Hlobane on 28 March 1879 and, on the 29th, was present with 16 men at the Battle of Khambula. He later saw service during the Sekhukhune campaign and, in 1896, raised the Stellaland Light Horse for the Bechuanaland campaign. During the Anglo-Boer War he raised and commanded the Dennison Scouts. While in command of the Kimberley Column, he was award the D.S.O. and promoted to major. His son Clifford was killed during that war. He was very fond of hunting in Mashonaland and Matabeleland. His memoirs, entitled A Fight to a Finish, were published in 1904.

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 1:16 pm

I look forward with some relish to what contributors might have to say about this 'new' work.

KIS

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 4:56 pm

Gentlemen,

Understand that PQ and RL have found unpublished chapter(s) from the 1904 work. This therefore will be the book Dennison at one time planned to publish and not what he actually ended up publishing. Covers the Zulu piece.

It will be worth getting, I'm sure!

AMB

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:06 pm

Andrew

The author is Dennison, Ron & Peter being the editors. For some reason, in their advertisement for this book Pen & Sword describe the original published memoirs of Dennison's 2nd ABW experiences as having appeared "in abridged form." Those memoirs have apparently now been "expertly re-worked by Ron & Peter."

I haven't seen the new book yet but additional material appears to have been incorporated by Ron & Peter, presumably including the autobiographical notes in Dennison's MSS held in the Transvaal Archives, Pretoria, including his account of Hlobane. I'm sure they won't be claiming to have found this material themselves - at least, I certainly hope not!

Peter

Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:17 am

Again, on behalf of Ron, the following message endorsed by me.
" Gentlemen,
Thank you Martin for your thumbnail sketch of Dennison's life. Just to allay and clear up any misunderstanding, P.Q. and I have never claimed to have written 'Zulu Frontiersman.'We have edited a hitherto unpublished document covering the first half of Dennison's fascinating life and combined it with a 'Fight to the Finish.' We have written an introduction and attended to grammatical details. We have also compiled a comprehensive index and included over thirty illustrations.
While I am about it, a word to KIS. Your comment, seemingly loaded with sarcasm, is surely inappropriate. Wrong target - bad shot.
Peter E Razz

.Q. and I certainly have not claimed to have discovered Dennison's account of Hlobane and Kambula; credit for that goes to Huw Jones, which we have of course acknowledged. However, the first half of 'Zulu Frontiersman,'the hitherto unpublished document, runs to 126 pages(in draft form) of which Hlobane and Kambula are but a very small portion.
It is a fascinating yarn that covers such an extensive period of African history.
Stock up, Martin!
Incidentally, we have no fewer than 11 Dennison's ranging from New Zealand, Australia, Cape and KZN,awaiting their copies.
Ron."

Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 1:13 pm

Martin

Thanks for the details.

Coll

Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:05 pm

Is it 'A Fight to a Finish' or 'A Fight to the Finish'?

Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:40 pm

Ron

I'm sorry if I touched a nerve. According to the blurb issued by Pen & Sword:
"Originally published in 1904 in abridged form (under the title A Fight to the Finish) his memoirs have now been expertly reworked by Ron Lock and Peter Quantrill in order to reinstate some of the fascinating details missing from the earlier published account, including for example Dennison's involvement in and dramatic escape from the battle of Hlobane."

Allow me to quote from Huw Jones, whose artice "More Dennison" was submitted for publication in SOTQ last year:

"In 1904, Dennison�s account of his experiences during the Second Anglo-Boer, A Fight To A Finish, was published by Longmans, Green in London; not surprisingly his earlier experiences in the Anglo-Zulu War received scant mention. Whilst researching in the Pretoria Archives Repository in March 1996, I had come across a draft of his autobiography, Chapter 5 of which included an account of the action at Hlobane."

Note (a) A Fight to the Finish was complete, and described Dennison's experiences during the second Boer War. It was not missing anything. (There is currently a copy for sale at a cool US$200.) (b) Jones' article makes it clear that he reproduced only Chapter 5 of Dennison's earlier biography. Again, allow me to quote from Huw Jones' major paper "Hlobane: A New Perspective", published in Natalia in 1997:

"The memoir of C.G. Dennison who took part in the action at Hlobane as second-in-command of the Border Horse and the only officer in that unit to survive, throws new light on these assertions. Written shortly after the end of the second Anglo-Boer War, it comprises 170 pages of typed text covering Dennison�s career to the end of the first Anglo-Boer War. This period is barely summarized in Dennison�s book, A Fight to a Finish, published in London in 1904, which deals with his experiences during the second Anglo-Boer War. His experiences at Hlobane are totally omitted, probably because, however much Dennison suggested otherwise, it implicitly blamed Wood for the fiasco and Wood was by then Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood, VC, GCB, GCMG commanding 2nd Army Corps."

I hope that this places your new work in the proper context. Smile

KIS

Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 6:22 pm

From Ron:
KIS,
I wouldn't say that you touched a nerve, but I admit the snideness is somewhat irritating.
I first came across 'A Fight to the Finish' in 1994 when researching 'Blood on the Painted Mountain.'
As I have mentioned on other occasions, I was mystified that Dennison had not elaborated on his Hlobane experiences.I was aware Huw Jones read 'Blood' shortly after its publication, perhaps speculating that it put him on the track of Dennison in the Pretoria Archives. At the time Huw had the opportunity to place Dennison's vital account of Hlobane and Kambula before a wide and interested following of the AZW, but chose instead to have it published in 'Natalia' in 1997.
In 2003, or thereabouts, I acquired copies of the complete Dennison m/s including a document dealing with his experiences in Stellaland.The chapters covering Hlobane and Kambula were important sources in writing 'Zulu Vanquished' in 2005.
You say 'More Dennison' by Huw Jones was 'submitted' for publication in SOTQ last year but omit to say whether or not it was actually published, and if it was, it would probably run to no more than half a dozen pages. Certainly no way near the complete m/s that appears in 'Zulu Frontiersman.' You also assert with vigour that 'A fight to the Finish' was complete .... not missing anything.' Not so. It is clear that the m/s including the AZW portion was intended to arrive on the publisher's desk as a whole. Why did this not come about? In Zulu Frontiersman we offer a possible explanation:
In the original manuscript we found evidence of an earlier editorial hand attempting to discipline Dennison's unruly grammar, but the corrections, in a small spidery hand, soon peter out.So, perhaps editor and raconteur lost patience with each other, causing Dennison's earlier adventures to fall short of the publisher's desk with the attention of both parties concentrating on the Anglo Boer War of 1899 - 1902, which was fast losing its topicality.
I might add that the hitherto unpublished section included in ZF also covers Dennison's involvement in the Basutoland Gun War, the Sekhukune Campaign and the Anglo Boer War of 1880-1. Intriguing stuff. We also located Dennison's grave in Zimbabwe, which photograph forms part of the illustrations in ZF.
This now perhaps puts our work into a correct perspective.

Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 9:06 pm

Peter / Ron
I personally have found your publications both interesting and informative.
Your publications never fails to bring new and interesting facts to light

I for one am grateful that you both find the time to engage in the replies and posts on this forum.

You cannot please everyone but as you are aware its up- to the individual who buys any publication to form his or hers her opinion.
Considering the Zulu Wars only lasted 7 months I think your work is out-standing and shows nothing but pure dedication to this subject.

Regards

Harman P.

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 7:00 am

Peter,
I have relayed your message to Ron.Yes, by and large the subject is most defintely a labour of love, nay, a passion!Such passion holds no monopoly, witness the efforts of Mike S,JY,KIS, Martin et al.And comments such as yours makes that passion even more rewarding.Thank you.
Best wishes,
R&P

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 12:40 pm

And I'd like to second Peter H's remarks. "ZF" is the next book on list for me who had his passion for AZW history awakened around here by Peter, Ron,MikeS, KIS,Martin and John Y as well as other fine and constant contributors here. I just can't get enough of it because of all of you.

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:38 pm

Ron & Peter Q.

I am perfectly content for the reading public, and particularly those who are members of this site, to make up their own mind about the book.

For those who would like to follow things up, Huw Jones' paper "More Dennison" appears in the September issue of SOTQ just published.

KIS

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 10:55 pm

Thats me, make up me own mind. However I'm glad your content Keith. Laughing