Another serious incident occurred

Posts : 1862 Join date : 2009-03-25

As this been mention before. Don't recall hearing about this.

"following the relief of Eshowe, another serious incident occurred. Early on the morning of 6 April, an outlying piquet beyond Lord Chelmsford’s overnight halt at the eMvutsheni mission thought he saw Zulus in the pre-dawn gloom, after his challenge went unanswered, fired a warning shot. This caused the remaining piquet to rush back into Chelmsford’s laager. The retreat was so precipitate that some of the 60th Rifles abandoned not only their officers, but even their helmets. As the camp stood to, dark figures carrying shields and spears were seen running towards them. They were met with the bayonet as they tried to force their way into the camp; two were killed, and eight more wounded. This was unfortunate, because they were not Zulus, but retainers of Chelmsford’s intelligence officer, John Dunn, who had been posted in an advance screen beyond the camp. Before the terrible mistake was realised, several of the white piquets were also injured. Chelmsford was furious, and convened a general court martial, which stripped a sergeant of the 60th of his rank, and sentenced him to five years’ penal servitude. Curiously, the sentence was never carried out, and Captain Molyneux pondered that “it was supposed afterwards, when a more serious runaway was suffered to go unpunished, that this man in justice could not be brought to book”

Source: Ian Knight.

Posts : 2308 Join date : 2010-07-02 Age : 44

24th there's some information here on the incident, it's by John Dunn himself. Page 9.

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Posts : 1862 Join date : 2009-03-25

Thanks Impi. appricated,

Subject: Another Serious incident occurred Wed Jul 11, 2012 2:44 am

Hi 24th .
It has been covered before I think under the '' False Alarms ' thread , some say there was fatalities other sources dont mention it .
I do remember reading of the Sgt who was courtmartialed and some here tried to find his identity but as far as I know nothing came
of it . Salute

Cheers 90th. Salute