Rocket trough captured at Isandlwana

Posts : 65 Join date : 2011-12-15

Hi all,

I know the zulu's managed to get it working (although the unpredictability of the rockets meant they killed their own in learning how), and had intended to use it at Ulundi, but did it see action again?
Does anyone know if it was actually brought to bear (unsuccesfully) against British forces?, or if it was recaptured?

cheers

Matt

ps. I'm surprised the zulu's didn't eventually make use of the 7pdr's, did it not work on the same principle of pulling a friction cord as the rockets?

Subject: Rocket trough captured at Isandlwana Wed Dec 21, 2011 11:14 am

Hi Matthew83.
I wasnt aware the zulu worked out how to fire the Rocket tube !. scratch

. I know they played around with the Artillery
but cant remember which book I read it in . I do know they gave up trying to get them to work .
cheers 90th.

Posts : 65 Join date : 2011-12-15

Hi 90th

There is a quote i wrote down some time ago from a member of a work party on the road to ulundi, in Louis Creswickes 'south africa and the transvaal' vol 1

"TOWARD ULUNDI
The road, as is generally known, took a direction towards the Inyezane. Whilst out on one occasion, the road party saw a torpedo explosion which took place about three miles from where the party was working. It had been accidentally fired by Kaffirs, who were unaware of the clangers connected with the implement, and it is believed that several of them were killed".

I'll see if I've got the rest of it when I dig out my copy but it speaks of zulus as 'kaffirs' and notes that they approached the work parties intending to hamper them numerous times but were seen off.

Cheers

Matt

Subject: Rocket trough captured at Isandlwana Wed Dec 21, 2011 12:30 pm

Hi Matthew 83.
I know the British set a booby trap on the road not far from Eshowe and it killed several zulus .
cheers 90th.

Posts : 65 Join date : 2011-12-15

That may well be the incident, it has been a while since I read the book and my memory may have fogged, maybe the work party was unaware of the booby trap set and presumed it to be the eqpt captured at isandlwana.

Do you have any more info, ie: was the booby trap a rocket hooked up to fire when tampered with?

Cheers

Matt

Posts : 3384 Join date : 2009-03-03 Location : Devon

:lol!: An improvised explosive device (IED) in 1879 :lol!:

Subject: Rocket trough captured at Isandlwana Wed Dec 21, 2011 7:27 pm

Hi Matthew83.
I'm certain the incident is in ' Fearful Hard Times ' by Ian Knight . If no one posts it today I'll try and do so this afternooon .
cheers 90th.

Posts : 65 Join date : 2011-12-15

1879graves wrote:: :lol!: An improvised explosive device (IED) in 1879 :lol!:

Stranger things have happened Wink

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Cheers 90th, look forward to it.

Matt

Posts : 187 Join date : 2010-02-04

90th wrote:: Hi Matthew83.
I'm certain the incident is in ' Fearful Hard Times ' by Ian Knight . If no one posts it today I'll try and do so this afternooon .
cheers 90th.

100% is, but don't have it to hand.

Posts : 3384 Join date : 2009-03-03 Location : Devon

Hi matthew83

Very Good :lol!:

Posts : 2008 Join date : 2011-08-01 Age : 27

Wasn't the trap set to stop the Zulus pulling up spikes in the ground??

Cheers
DB14

Subject: Rocket trough captured at Isandlwana Thu Dec 22, 2011 8:06 am

Hi Matthew83.
As you may be aware the Road working parties were often fired at from long range by the zulu's which was more a hinderence
than anything serious . Once the Party had finished for the day and gone back to Eshowe , the zulu decided to try and destroy
what progress had been made during the day . This entailed the removal of marking lines and the pulling up of the road posts .
Generally doing what they could to disrupt the Road's progress . Capt Warren Wynne after arriving at the fort described
the efforts completed on the 10th March as a fiasco and was angry at Pearson's over caution , he found it necessary to speak
strongly and earnestly on the subject to him in the evening , saying he could not be held responsible for the completion of the road unless the most vigorous measures were taken on the remaining day's. The next day the 11th March , The following from p 138 ;
At the completion of the days work the road party determined to put an end to the zulu's interference with their progress , and so ,
under the direction of Capt. Beddoes of the Natal Native Pioneers , they improvised a booby - trap , the device , a landmine made from dynamite with a friction tube as detonator , was tied to a wooden stake planted in the ground . The dynamite was covered by some planks of wood . To ensure that no unwary soldier tampered with it , a board was attached to the top on which was painted the TORPEDO . Even before the work party reached the Fort they heard a tremendous explosion behind them as the mine detonated .
Ian goes on to say that this was the last time they interferred with the roads progress .
This from ' Fearful Hard Times ' by Ian Castle & Ian Knight .
cheers 90th.

Posts : 65 Join date : 2011-12-15

cheers 90th.

Makes me wonder where I got the thought they'd taken the trough from isandlwana from????????, something had convinced me.

Subject: Re: Rocket trough captured at Isandlwana Thu Dec 22, 2011 8:19 pm

Was there Zulu casualties. scratch

Posts : 2008 Join date : 2011-08-01 Age : 27

Well if it blew up when they touched it...............

Cheers
DB14

Subject: Rocket trough captured at Isandlwana Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:39 pm

Hi Littlehand .
The narrative doesnt say so , but as DB points out one would certainly think so !. The fact that the zulu didnt attemp to disrupt work on the road again certainly implies there was a loss of life to some degree !
cheers 90th.

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