Luneberg and the Pongola River.

Posted on behalf of Ralph Hinze. Photo & Text by Ralph.

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Here is the picture of  "Luneberg and the Pongola River" as in the Illustrated London News of 3 May 1879. On the right of the picture one can see the church with the fortifications. This is where the churchyard is today. The present church in Lüneburg was built a bit higher up the slope of the mountain towards the west in the 1880s.
 
Perhaps someone has the article that accompanied the picture in ILN and would like to share it?
 
Thanks for all the previous responses.
 
Ralph Hinze”

To summarise the information we have gathered so far in another part of this forum (Camp of the 80th near Zulu Border) about Lüneburg in chronological order:

Before November 1877- The German settlers of Lüneburg build a laager around their church.

Mid-November 1877- Zulus impi threatens the Lüneburg laager. The Zulus fetched wood and built a cattle kraal near the laager and then left. Cetshwayo had sent them to build this kraal as a beacon to say that he considered the land to be his. (described on page 134 in the Boiling Couldron by Huw Jones)

19 October 1878- The laager was occupied by Major CF Clery and 2 companies of the 90th Light Infantry. The lager was strengthened and the adjoining graveyard fortified.

November 1878- Fort Clery (earthwork) was built at Lüneburg.

In December 1878- 2 companies of the 1/13th Light Infantry and the dismounted Kaffrarian Rifles occupied the lager.

9 Feb 1879- 5 companies of the 80th Staffordshire under Major C Tucker occupy the laager.

4 April 1879- A Zulu impi came near the laager while most men where out with the British soldiers, harvesting crops on the surrounding farms. Both times the Zulus came near the laager, the inhabitants of the laager kept their cool and didn't shoot at the Zulus, who outnumbered them by far, and the Zulus moved on.

9 April 1879- 2 companies of the 2/4th Kings Own Rifles under Major WF Blake occupy the laager.

19 April 1879- ILN publishes picture of “Camp of the 80th Regiment on the Zulu Border” (at Derby). The caption inside the newspaper reads:

“The Illustration presented on our front page this week is a view of the camp of the 80th Regiment at Derby, for which we are indebted to a sketch by Lieutenant Beverley W. R. Ussher of that regiment. Derby is in the Transvaal territory, beyond the northern border of Zululand, and close to the Swazi country over which Cetewayo has always claimed a sovereignty, disputed by the Transvaal government. It is a distant of above a hundred miles from the Natal frontier, being situated quite on the opposite side of the Zulu kingdom.” (Source: Illustrated London New, April 19, 1879)

3 May 1879- ILN publishes picture of “Luneberg and Pongola River”

1881- The fortifications at Lüneburg are dismantled.
When the First Boer War started in 1881, the Transvaal government expected the Lüneburg men to fight for the Boers. They protested that they didn't see fit to fight again after all the losses they had had during the recent Zulu war. Also, of cause, they didn't want to fight te British, who had protected them in the AZW. They were allowed to stay neutral on condition that they dismantled their fortifications, so it couldn't be used by the British. This they duly did and that is why so little can be seen of the Laager today.

Thanks Ralph. Very informative.

Zulu War Luneberg Pongola River Mountains River 1879 in Colour!
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