The Truth About Rorke's Drift - The Zulu Wars

[Psycho Mike]

As much as I love the film ZULU (if you haven't seen it you must) information recently discovered casts a very different light on the event.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international ... 10,00.html

The phrase "crime scene" is used.

[Lord Gort]

The film was brilliant, I can still hear them singing as the Zulu charge



" Men of Valour stop your dreaming, can't you see their spear points gleaming!"

Or the famous line -

Missionary: If you stay here you'll all be killed like them at Islandwhana!

British Officer: Oh no reverend, you see the Army doesnt like to have two disasters in one day, looks bad in the papers for the civilians at the breakfast table.




regards,

[David C. Clarke]

Thanks Mike, damn fine article! I see your ability to find links of interest has not diminished.
By the way, my recollection (I haven't studied the Zulu Wars in ages) is that the Zulu custom of disemboweling the dead was not meant as a disfigurement. I believe the Zulus regarded this as the proper method of releasing the soul from the body after death.
So, at least some of the actions that outraged the British soldiers might be but down to a cultural misunderstanding. Just an observation.

Best Regards,
~D

[col. klink]

I read that part of the cleansing ritual the Zulu warriors had to perform after killing on a battlefield included a rape ritual of women from neighboring tribes. The ritual had to be performed in a certain time frame and that is why much of their army at Islandwhana had left the area quickly.

[Fridolin]

I do not know about the last bit (raping) and AFAIK I never read about it, but David is certainly right in the rtitual nature of disembowelling. Much was written by British Press on Zulu savagery on this account, what in reality was a miunderstanding, due to viewing things from an exclusively European optic.

[Paul Timms]

I wonder if the Guardian will do an expose on the fate of British/Native ally wounded. I assume they think all 1000 at Isandwhala died in combat. The disembowelling was almost certainly not only saved for the dead.
It was a brutal war and neither side took prisoners.
The only suprise in this is that its taken the Guardian so long to figure it out.

[ChristopherPerrien]

Nice posts

The Guardian doesn't know that the Zulu Wars predate the appropriate Geneva and Hague conventions on war crimes. I suppose next they will talk about violations of "civil rights" and / or high a lawyer to sue somebody with "deep pockets", Maybe Queen Victoria since they may not realize she is dead either , in their politically correct world.