rorkesdriftvc.com Forum Index


rorkesdriftvc.com
Discussions related to the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879
Reply to topic
The British Empire "War on the Veld"
Sawubona


Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 1179
Reply with quote
Just got an Ebay (UK) win in the mail and thought I should pass on some info about it (although maybe it's already well known over on the Other Side of the Pond). I guess there was (at least in 1972) a weekly magazine called "The British Empire" somehow co-produced by BBC TV and Time-Live Books. This one is "No. 30" and is titled "WAR ON THE VELDT: British, Zulus and Boers at Each Others' Throats" and is a series of articles with a lot of illustrations by (none other than) Donald Morris and Brian Gardner. Surprised Nice to read something "new" by DM! Just thought it's existence might be of passing interest.

Did you get that one, Harold? Sad to say I haven't got your book yet to check for myself.
View user's profileSend private message
Harold Raugh


Joined: 25 May 2008
Posts: 211
Location: Heidelberg, Germany (U.S. Army)
Reply with quote
Hi Sawubona,

Thank you for the information. Perhaps the title you gave is a sub-title, or the cover title? I have it on p. 43, entry 267, of my AZW bibliography:

267. Gardner, Brian, and Donald Morris. "The Zulu War of 1879 and the South African War, 1880-1881." British Empire 30 (n.d.): 813-840.

(I wasn't sure about the date.)

Cheers and many thanks,
Harold
View user's profileSend private message
Sawubona


Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 1179
Reply with quote
It's the title on the cover and (oddly) there isn't anything that I can find inside or out with your wording. The contents within, both text and illustrations, are pretty much what one would expect from a publication in 1972-- kind of a "Washing of the Spears Lite",-- although Morris seems a bit harder on Durnford here than he was in TWOTS. Sorry, Coll. The caption of a (THE) photo of Durnford reads: "When Colonel Anthony Durford disobeyed orders at Isandhlwana (sic) and went off on a sortie, the Zulusw annihilated the weak and disorganized force he left behind." Surprised I guess that phrase doesn't say much for Puliene's capabilities either. The shortage of ammunition rears its ugly head as expected as well as does the consequences of the gap in the defense perimeter left by the fleeing NNC.
View user's profileSend private message
Coll
Guest

Reply with quote
Sawubona

I've been doing my best not to reply to every mention of Col. D. by others in posts, but it's going to take a bit of time to stop being like my usual self, trying to make 'Good Coll' and 'Bad Coll' two different people, put it down to a split personality. Confused

Much like Dr. Jekyll Smile and Mr. Hyde Twisted Evil

Anyway, I've not read TWOTS for quite a while, though I don't recall him being so direct in the matter you refer to, if anything he was supportive of Durnford.

Was this article before or after the book ?

I'm wondering what changed his mind, whatever was published first.

Coll
Galloglas
Guest

Reply with quote
Coll,

Try harder.

G
Galloglas
Guest

Reply with quote
I should perhaps have added that no matter how awful Mr Hyde was his handwriting was very probably a great deal better than Dr Jekyll's.

G
Coll
Guest

Reply with quote
Galloglas

Try harder ?

Sounds like the subtitle to the first sequel of 'Die Hard'

My sequel would then read -

'Try Hard II - Try Harder'! Wink

Coll

PS. If there was such a thing as a Durnford emoticon on the forum, I'd have used it too. Rolling Eyes


Last edited by Coll on Thu Feb 02, 2012 3:22 pm; edited 1 time in total
Galloglas
Guest

Reply with quote
See, you can do it.

G
Sawubona


Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 1179
Reply with quote
This magazine, "War on the Veldt", came out in 1972 and The Washing of the Spears was published in 1965. TWOTS is in fact much kinder to Durnford and I haven't a clue what, if anything, colored Morris' opinion during those intervening years. Remember that this is just a lightweight military history periodical and the "disobeyed" quote was merely the caption of an illustration.

I read some time ago that Morris was intending to publish his conclusions concerning Addendorf's presence at Rorke's Drift, so I imagine he was still actively researching the AZW for years after he wrote TWOTS.
View user's profileSend private message
Coll
Guest

Reply with quote
Sawubona

There is a chance, now you mention it, the magazine itself might have added the caption under the illustration, rather than Morris himself, perhaps being their interpretation of what the article was saying.

I'm not sure about article-writing, but wouldn't its author have to okay the whole thing before print ?

If so, then he must then have agreed with its inclusion, but it just doesn't seem like his view when compared with his book, though I don't know enough about him after TWOTS, so his opinion could have changed.

Interesting.

Coll
Sawubona


Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 1179
Reply with quote
Truth be told, Coll, I had the same thought. Morris was, after all, a busy man in 1972 and a Yank at that, so he mightn't have even noticed until it was a "done deal".
View user's profileSend private message
The British Empire "War on the Veld"
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
All times are GMT  
Page 1 of 1  

  
  
 Reply to topic