Electric lights in the Zulu War

Subject: Electric lights in the Zulu War Fri Oct 20, 2023 12:05 pm

I was reading The Narrative and there is a line, that when Lord Cs army was camped on the saddle 22nd/23rd Jan, they could see light from RD - which they hoped were the "electric light used by the engineers"

Well I never.....I know they were used in the Matebele war....but I would have said that the AZW was too early if asked....

Subject: Re: Electric lights in the Zulu War Fri Oct 20, 2023 1:53 pm

Sorry it wasn't The Narrative, it was in the book Witnesses At Isandlwana (the trouble with having two books on the go) Page 45 note 13 (Notes on the Report of Proceedings)

Subject: Electric Lights in the Zulu War Sat Oct 21, 2023 1:11 am

Hi Sime
Seems they had the technology but as explained it was the flames that gave off the light at RD , I've also read somewhere they had telephones and Telegraph but don't ever remember them ever being used during the war ! .
90th

Subject: Re: Electric lights in the Zulu War Sat Oct 21, 2023 4:28 am

Hi Gary,

There is a article (on the Anglo Zulu War forum) which says the telephone was used for the first time during tye war.

I did Google when electric lights were first used by the army and it does say in the 1880s - but maybe the technology was just being introduced to the army, though not actually used and the people observing RD, mentioned it could be this new fndangled elastictrickery

I suppose it was of an age where technology was developing at an alarming rate.

Cheers

Sime

Subject: Re: Electric lights in the Zulu War Sat Oct 21, 2023 4:34 am

https://www.anglozuluwar.com/images/Journal_14/Signalling_in_the_Anglo_Zulu_War.pdf

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