Durnford 1879 from Isandlwana to Chatham: Colonel Anthony William Durnford the Isandlwana Papers - 140 Years Later

By Kristine Herron

It has been 140 years since the Battle of Isandhlwana, on 22nd January 1879, when up to 20,000 Zulu Warriors, attacked Regiments of Queen Victoria's Army, killing them all. A career soldier with the Royal Engineers, Colonel Anthony William Durnford was blamed for the disaster by General Chelmsford. He became the General's scapegoat.
Much has been written about him over the years, but little has been written of the events peculiar to his life. It takes family to understand their ancestor's characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, qualities, traits and behaviours. His brother wrote a memoir "A Soldier's Life and work in South Africa" 1872 - 1879, which included research to disprove the General's claims. Edward was to write an update in 1886, but didn't, as he was pressured.

Anthony Durnford had two families, his ancestral one, which we share, and his military one. Both had one thing in common, to prove that he did "follow orders". His brother investigated and in, 1882 published his findings. The Royal Engineers also investigated and amassed a huge file of evidence, never before seen by the public.
The Royal Engineers Evidence file, comprising over 300 pages of fact, has lain hidden from public view, in the drawers of the Royal Engineers Library since 1932. It rebukes much "confirmation bias" of currently held perceptions.
This file has been fully transcribed, placed in logical context, and additional research included from the Royal Archives, the National Army Museum and archives in South Africa.

"Durnford 1879" comprises 2 volumes and is an extension of Colonel Edward Durnford's research.

It could perhaps be described as a Military Mystery, created as a result of Genealogical research and Military History colliding. A story which would not be told, had it been for a series of "mistakes".

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Aug 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796005363

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Copyright © 2019 by Kristine Herron.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Rev. date: 09/26/2019

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Contents

Secrets Revealed

Introduction

Chapter 1 Durnford Family Connections With The Royal Engineers

Chapter 2 Investigations By The Royal Engineers

1. Initial Investigations 1883.

2. Planning To Hold An Enquiry In London 1886

3. An Inquiry Is Held In South Africa - April 1886

4. Lord Chelmsford And The 1886 Inquiry

Chapter 3 The Isandlwana Collection At The Royal Engineers Museum.

1. A Timeline Of Events Associated With Colonel Anthony Durnford 1879 - 2015

2. The Durnford Collection At The Royal Engineers Museum - Reference Number

3. File Descriptions

4. Timeline Of The Material In The Isandlwana Papers

5. General Sir Andrew Clarke Material To 23Rd February 1886

6. Colonel Luard Material

7. The Evidence File

8. Sir Andrew Clarke

9. General Nicholson

10. Col Harry Biddulph

11. Identifying Missing Source Documents

12. Missing Source Documents Collected By Colonel Hawthorne 1884

13. Material Gathered By Col Edward Durnford

Chapter 4 Further Investigations

1. Removal Of Items From A Corpse

2. Attempts To Bury The Dead

3. The Matter Of A Coat

4. Who Was Captain Theophilus Shepstone?

5. The Involvement Of Dr James Thrupp And Unusual Circumstances

6. Examination Of The Iswandhlawa Papers In Relation To Dr Thrupp

7. Analysing The Actions Of Dr Thrupp.

8. Interference With A Corpse - Facts In Dr Thrupp’s Own Words

9. Rigor Mortis - An Arm In A Sling.

10. Removing A Pocket Watch From A Corpse

11. Newspaper Article July 1882 Included In Evidence File.

12. In 1883 Dr Thrupp Wrote His Version Of Events.

13. Statements Regarding Dr Thrupp Collected By Col Hawthorne In The Evidence

14. Who Was Dr Thrupp?

Chapter 5 The Royal Engineers Files - A Need For Understanding

1. Frances Colenso A Woman Scorned

2. Colenso And Shepstone - A Private War

Chapter 6 The Royal Engineers Involved

1. Those Who Investigated The Evidence In The Iswandhlawa Papers

2. Colonel Robert Hawthorne

3. Colonel Charles Luard

4. Lieut General Sir Andrew Clarke

5. Col Robert Hamilton Vetch

6. Major Herbert Jekyll

7. General Lothian Nicholson

8. Lieutenant General Sir Gerald Graham.

9. General Henry Brackenbury

10. Brigadier General Sir James Edward Edmonds Cb, Cmg

11. Colonel Harry Biddulph

12. Major.-General. Sir William Andrew Liddell

13. Lieut Col P H Kealey Rn

14. Sir Linton Simmonds

15. The Intelligence Department At The War Office

Chapter 7 Battlefield Maps And The Parliamentary Archives

1. Different Maps

2. The Maps - Documents In The Parliamentary Archives.

Chapter 8 Matters Investigated as a result of the Isandlwana Papers

1. The Consequences Of Burning Personal Papers

2. From The National Archives Of South Africa (Nasa)

3. An Assessment Of Personal Property

4. Family Concerns And An Author’s Apology

5. Correspondence With Major Barthorp 1989

6. Chieftain A Loyal Horse

Chapter 9 Museum Items Relative To Col Anthony Durnford

1. List Of Items By Collection Number

2. Other Items Belonging To The Durnford Family

Chapter 10 Modern Research

1. The Royal Engineers Museum From Their History

2. Loss Of Records World War Ii

3. Integrity Of The Collection

Chapter 11 The Durnford Chapter Closes

1. Mateship and Remembrance - The Royal Engineers.

2. The Involvement Of Prince George

Chapter 12 Reflections On The Centenary January 1979

Conclusion

Material Referenced In Research And Bibliography

Endnotes

SECRETS REVEALED

"I herewith send you the Isandlwana¹ Papers which I spoke about today

This two part narrative continues the research which his brother

Col Edward Durnford began in 1879 and includes evidence and

contemporary research, which has remained unseen since 1930.

It is a story of loyalty, dedication and commitment by

so many serving Royal Engineers, who believed in one

of their own, and their efforts to seek answers.

From the current Chief Royal Engineer

…..having visited the Isandlwana battlefield myself earlier this year, I can vouch of the fact that Anthony Durnford’s exploits are accurately told. Indeed, standing on the very spot where he was killed and hearing about his bravery and the high esteem in which he was held by the native troops under his command was truly poignant.……………..

Lieutenant General Sir Mark Mans KCB CBE DL

Headquarters Royal Engineers

Ravelin Building

Brompton Barracks

Chatham

Kent

ME4 4UG

8th July 2015

INTRODUCTION

In 1882, a book was written:

A Soldier’s Life and work in South Africa 1872 - 1879

A Memoir of the Late Colonel A.W. Durnford, Royal Engineers

By Lieut-Colonel E. Durnford

Lieut-Colonel Edward Durnford was his brother. He himself was a qualified Military Officer who served in the Crimean War with the Royal Marines. Their father was a General with the Royal Engineers, and his grandfather before him, also served and was in charge at Chatham Barracks. His younger brother Col Arthur Durnford served at Chatham.

We share common grandparents, Major Andrew Durnford R.E. and his wife Jemima Isaacson, but while Edward wrote the memoir, he concentrated on Anthony’s life during his period of time in South Africa, until his death on 22nd January 1879, in the Zulu War, and continued with research Edward collected up until 1882, when the memoir was published, including an update which contained crucial evidence, in the form of a missing order.

His book is now quite rare, and obtaining a copy very difficult. Edward was to write a sequel in 1886, but that book was never published. It would have contained a significant amount of information of evidence collected after 1882, relevant to the death of Colonel Anthony William Durnford.

That evidence was written, presented, collected and collated, and filed in a set of drawers in a Library, with strict instructions on the cover, Not to be Seen by the General Public.

It lay there from 1930, through a World War, and suffered damage, the pages became loose, and in 1955, an inquisitive researcher found some loose pages.

Attempts were made to create a factual timeline of the contents, but while some pages were revealed, a great many were not. In fact, many pages and items were simply collected, and re-filed.

Through a series of mistakes, those pages have been revealed. Edward’s proposed publication of 1886 has taken quite a while to be told, as he was one of many who had collected, material which became known as The Isandlwana File. Did he have full knowledge of what it contained? Perhaps not, but as a contributor, he was privy to a great deal of the information.

Someone pressured him to not publish, perhaps because Arthur was still a serving officer. Would Edward have expanded his book to include a biography of the life of Colonel A.W. Durnford?

Not many without an interest in family or military history, may be familiar with the Durnfords, but before understanding the factors that made him become a well known figure in Victorian Military History, more of his life story should be told.

"Durnford 1879 - From Chatham to Isandlwana²" follows on from Lieut-Colonel Edward Durnford’s memoir, and contains details of Edward’s research, including greater details of the Soldier’s Life.

Durnford 1879 From Isandlwana to Chatham, is the untold story. The one that Edward would have written, of events up to 1886, and the subsequent contemporary research conducted for many years afterwards.

In the words of Edward Durnford.

In publishing this Memoir of my brother, I think it due to the public to state the reasons which have induced me to undertake such a work.

In the first place, I must apologise for any shortcomings arising from the hindrance I have experienced, owing to my brother’s papers having been destroyed at his death, I believe by the Committee of Adjustment of his affairs; and thus the valuable papers on Colonial and Native matters, which were in his possession at the latter part of 1878, have disappeared……..

As regards South Africa, I believe that facts relating to our rule, and the rights and wrongs of our dealings with the natives, form an interesting subject, well worthy of all the light that can be thrown upon it. Colonel Durnford, during his service in South Africa, had a large and varied experience - including the coronation of Cetshwayo, the outbreak of Langalibalele, the annexation of the Transvaal, the Zulu Boundary Commission, and the preparation for, and commencement of, the Zulu War.

The unwavering justice he showed in all his dealings with the natives soon led them to place unbounded reliance upon him. And thus it is plainly shown how easy and beneficent would be our rule if truth and justice were in all things associated with the loved name of England. With these subjects of much import are introduced varied scenes of colonial life, which I would fain hope may furnish pleasant, as well as interesting reading.

But the mainspring of my action has been that the closing scene of my dear brother’s life, during which he in all things upheld the honour and fame of his country, has been misrepresented., I grieve to say, wilfully and deliberately; and my endeavour has therefore been plainly to set forth the truth, and thus to vindicate the military reputation of a soldier who deserved well of his country.

Edward Durnford,

Rothamsted Lodge St Albans,

24th July 1882

Edward was to publish an update, with information that was available up to 1886. That book was not written, but if it had, it would have contained the details which are now presented in Volume Two, of the series, Durnford 1879 From Isandlwana to Chatham.

Those details remained hidden in a Library, labelled the Isandlwana Papers, and noted in 1930, Confidential not for general library use.

In assessing those papers, further questions and research was conducted into matter that were all part of the Mysteries Following the death of Colonel Anthony William Durnford on 22nd January 1879.

CHAPTER 1

Durnford Family Connections with The Royal Engineers

You see these Zulus, like Afghans, consider that wounds given and received are love-tokens between brave men, and that they give a claim to help if required — a true soldier’s creed it is too." AWD

There are probably not a lot of families, who can boast of 250 year tradition in serving in one arm of the forces of the British Military.

The Durnford Family’s links with the Royal Engineers began in 1755, and continue probably even to today. What is generally unknown, is the role that very senior members of the Royal Engineers played in the efforts to clear the name of one of their fellow officers.

Enormous efforts!

So many of our family have been trained at, lived at, worked for, or served in far flung places of the world, as a Royal Engineer. The Royal Engineers at Chatham feature with the beginning and the ending of our UK Durnford family, before arrival in Australia, in 1852.

Our ancestors were responsible for designing forts, canals, buildings, roads, harbours, fortifications and surveying lands. They fought in battles all over the world, and many are buried in graves in the far flung outposts of the world, or its oceans.

They were instructors, teachers, artists, pioneers, prisoners, became Governors, but more importantly, their loyalty was to the Royal Engineers at Chatham, Kent.

They belonged to the Royal Engineer Family.

After learning about the amazing discovery by David Jackson in 1955, of the papers relating to the Zulu War and Anthony Durnford, that he found in a Mapping Drawer, there were some timelines that just didn’t seem to make any sense to me.

How could papers compiled in 1886/7 have found their way into the Royal Engineers Library to be found in 1955? The building had not even been built till after the Second World War.

There had to be some other logical explanation

The following is an extract from the curator Royal Engineer’s Museum, when asked as to how the Royal Engineers Museum acquired the documents.

We do not have any detailed information on who transferred the file to the Museum, frustratingly these details were not as well recorded then as now. The Museum has never had a presence in the War Office but was developed over the last 200 year from a variety of sources and collections here at Chatham. The collection was moved to Ripon, Yorks, for the duration of World War Two. Our Library and Archive collection was resident at the War Office for a number of years and, rather ironically, was moved to Chatham during World War Two to avoid the London bombing. The Durnford collection was gifted to the Museum and it has only been in the last 10 years that the two collections have been managed as a unified entity.

Both Museum and Library contain a large amount of material gifted over a number of years by the War Office, or later Ministry of Defence. It seems to be the case that this was either through the interests of Royal Engineers working in Whitehall or because material did not meet National Archive collecting policy. Curator

During World War 2 there is evidence that the RE records were housed in Brighton as noted in my email to the curator

The link between the War Office and your building might be a clue, but I also researched that the records from RE were forwarded to Brighton during WW2. It would appear though from the vivid description of the document found by David Jackson that it had been in contact with water and blood, not from 1879, but more likely from WW2, and either way finding the one document in those circumstances is something unbelievable, and a case of actually finding a needle in a haystack. KH

The curator was asked where the collection came from. She did indicate it had been gifted from the National Archives, and perhaps to contact them. That was done. They researched to see if they could find anything, but were unsuccessful.

So nobody seemed to know just how these papers arrived at their destination.

Perhaps being a Family historian brings with it some differences in terms of material being researched. Every why question requires an explanation. Suppositions can be made, but factual information proves a point.

At this point, my list of why questions was quite long. No matter how many hours spent researching, reading newspapers, and books, one thing that became a moot point, was how did these papers get to Chatham?

Living 12000 klms away has its disadvantages, when seeking information, but luckily there are some experienced researchers available who can assist. My next step involved photographing some of the items in the Durnford Collection, as attributed by the Museum, and listed in various resources.

My list prepared, and sent to the Museum and to my researcher, an appointment was made, and she and another museum director attended, on my behalf. His role was in relation to a particular item.

Through a misunderstanding, some records on our pre-arranged list, were not found, so the staff brought everything that was catalogued. My researcher simply photographed the contents.

So many questions were answered on 29th April 2015, all due to those 350 photographs.

A theory that proved to be correct, but a theory that overwhelmed me as to its implications.

As stated, the Royal Engineers Museum in Chatham in London, hold a collection of papers, letters, manuscripts, photos, paintings, drawings, artefacts, all loosely housed under the category The Durnford Collection. All sorts of bits and pieces, all photographed in the sequence of Item number, as provided by the curator.

However, not all belong to the Durnford Ancestral Family. In fact not much belongs to the Durnford ancestors at all.

It is extremely difficult for anyone to fully understand the many Durnfords who served in the Royal Engineers, and in fact, the only way to sometimes understand the relationships is to work with the genealogy chart open at the same time.

Obviously that lack of intimate knowledge of the family, the different members of the Royal Engineers, and indeed a profound lack of knowledge about the sequence of events and the involvement of certain people in the events following the loss of the Zulu War on 22nd January 1879, is somewhat responsible for the current state of the cataloguing of the records.

For someone using the Royal Engineers Museum as a source of research, dealing with items on an individual nature, would and has, provided an incorrect assumption of the facts relating to each item number.

Amazing new facts have been revealed.

While the discovery of these factual reports has been brought to light, there must still be reams of similar documents waiting to be found, either in the War Office, the Royal Engineers Museum, the Royal Archives, or any other museum or repository in UK.

The amazing thing is that there are papers that have survived so many years.

His fellow officers at the Royal Engineers believed in Anthony and it was through their intervention, their pursuit for the truth and their investigations that covered 8 years past his death, and who made representations on his behalf to ensure that the truth was told.

They amassed their findings in detailed files. The material and evidence collected had been done in a very meticulous manner, and prepared in preparation to be presented at a Military Enquiry.

They considered the extensive evidence they had collected from a variety of sources. All was read, and appropriately actioned.

The material was in fact, compiled and created by senior Military Personnel in the Royal Engineers, and subsequently stored in their Library. It is also abundantly clear that any information or material that Edward Durnford had discovered, was recognised, and copies were often included in their material. But not all.

The files belonging to the Royal Engineers are known as the Isandlwana Papers.

They do not belong with, nor belong to, any material relating to Colonel Anthony Durnford, they were not placed in the Royal Engineers Museum by his brother Lieut-Colonel Edward Durnford.

They have been mistakenly labelled.

A mistake that would have been not deliberately made, but because of lack of knowledge and understanding of the person they were attributed to, the various members of his family that served with the Royal Engineers, and the secrecy surrounding the events of the time.

Secret papers, never before catalogued, but left in an office in the Royal Engineers Library, under the care of the Chief Secretary, papers which survived not one but two World Wars, the constant bombs and fires of London during those periods.

Obviously being wet and bloodied, not from a battle in 1879, but from a battle attributed to one of two World Wars.

Papers which have been totally unknown, not ever recorded in any of the historical books and papers, until now.

Papers that rightfully belong to the Royal Engineers.

The extensive number of them who stood by another one of their Military Family.

A man whose Military career began in the halls of the Royal Engineers in Chatham - mortally wounded on the plains of Isandlwana in South Africa and concluded back where it all started - at the Royal Engineers Museum in Chatham.

The papers tell a story, one that began back in 1879, at 3.30pm on 22nd January, and one which apart from the few pages unearthed in 1955, has not been revealed since at least 1887.

A Court of Enquiry was held in South Africa in April 1886, managed by the influential Shepstone family, who, upon learning of Colonel Luard’s request for an Enquiry in London, sought and was granted an enquiry under their terms in South Africa.

The evidence amassed by Col Luard was disregarded totally. Colonel Luard then sought assistance to return to Britain, and his evidence, the source documents, original papers written by various contributors formed part of another file which was then prepared on behalf of General Brackenbury, who in July 1887, was prepared to recommend a review.

Colonel Luard was meticulous in his research, his presentation of a case, and his commitment to right a wrong.

From 1887, nothing more has be found, or learnt, until my recent research into the Durnford Papers, revealed that in 1922 the source documents and the evidence were typed into a transcript. Over time, that transcript has been dislodged, and certain pieces were located by David Jackson in 1955.

On 17th July, 1930 the Librarian at the Royal Engineers Library, Horse Guards wrote to the Secretary of the Institute of Royal Engineers,

I herewith send you the Isandlwana Papers which I spoke about today. They are not shown in any Catalogue here, and as no one knows of their existence (excepting the C.I.D.); and in any case being confidential are not for general library use. You may prefer to retain them in your office.

Within those papers is a huge assortment of new source material, and by dealing with certain items collectively, the true story emerges.

A remarkable story, and one which clearly shows the involvement of many different very senior members of the Royal Engineers Corp, and the personal involvement and investigations carried out by Col Edward William Durnford. Many letters, pamphlets and articles which he sourced, he no doubt provided to the Investigating officer responsible. They used his work, and they included it in the Isandlwana Papers.

He wrote about his discoveries in his book which was released in 1882, "A Soldier’s Life in South Africa..³ ", and it is to this book that reference is made, when assessing the material contained in the Museum.

It also reveals a connection back to the one person who seemed to be reluctant to have the truth, especially in relation to the orders which were issued, updated within the official Narrative.

The only way to define what those photos contained, was to re-sort the collection into a meaningful timeline of events and sequence of dates

It was then, in that context, that the story made sense.

Who held which document, what was its purpose in the collection? What did it all mean?

And more importantly, how did the documents contained in the Collection, with reference to the Battle of Isandlwana arrive at the Royal Engineers Museum?

The transcription of the Isandlwana Papers is provided in a Chronological fashion. Sometimes, the events will and have, crossed over with already known existing material. However, some of that existing material is not in context when compared to the whole file.

The part of the Durnford Collection relating to different members of the Durnford family in the Royal Engineers Museum, has also been photographed and then each article transcribed, dated, and sourced back to the likely ownership of those records, and how they became stored in the Royal Engineers Museum.

This research has assessed the Royal Engineers Museum Collection which contain specific references and it is very clear as to how the records were received, and hopefully the Durnford Papers will be able to be finally catalogued correctly.

One may wonder what significance the Durnford papers hold, and in particular why would they be stored in the Royal Engineers Museum?

The person to best shed some light on that, was another of my cousins, Cuthbert John Wolfe Lydekker Esq, and the story regarding the association that the family had with the Royal Engineers, in 1933.

It not only provided a background of the different ancestors and the role they played in history, but also as to the timing of items which the family had donated material to the Museum.

CHAPTER 2

Investigations by the Royal Engineers

You see these Zulus, like Afghans, consider that wounds given and received are love-tokens between brave men, and that they give a claim to help if required — a true soldier’s creed it is too." AWD

Within the documents located by David Jackson and Julian Whybra, mention is made of a letter to Major Jekyll of the War Office. Which raised the question why would War Office documents be found in the Royal Engineers Museum? There had to be a logical connection.

Various authors and researchers had written about a court case which was held in Pietermaritzburg in 1886, and the background information relating to the subsequent inquiry.

Frances Colenso was involved, as was Colonel Luard, and Captain Shepstone. The inquiry hinged on whether Shepstone removed papers from the body of Col Durnford.

Evidence was presented, and in the end Shepstone was successful.

Col Luard was forced to make an apology for his actions.

The eventual inquiry was the result of investigations initially undertaken by Colonel Robert Hawthorne, who was appointed, in 1883, as Commander of the Royal Engineers in Pietermaritzburg.

1. Initial Investigations 1883.

Colonel Robert Hawthorne

In 1883, Colonel Robert Hawthorne, R.E. was appointed the Commander of Royal Engineers in Pietermaritzburg. Colonel Hawthorne was married to Amy. She accompanied him to Pietermaritzburg, and embraced the local social issues.

She was a supporter of Florence Nightingale, and often reported back to her of the conditions at overseas posts, particularly in respect of medical requirements and needs.

Amy quickly became a friend of Bishop John Colenso. Amy Hawthorne was the cousin of General Charles Gordon. No doubt, that provided her with the motivation to ensure that her husband begin an investigation into the events associated with the death of Colonel Anthony Durnford.

During 1883/84 he collected a considerable amount of information, source documents and statements. By the time that he left he made the comment that he was sure that something was not correct.

On his return to Britain, his replacement, Colonel Luard continued with those enquiries and amassing evidence. He was assisted by the Colenso family, primarily by Frances.

Colonel Luard

He sought permission from his superior officers, for an enquiry to be held. He wrote a very long letter addressed to General Sir Andrew Clarke, detailing his concerns. He noted that he had also sent a letter to Sir Gerald Graham and Sir Linton Simmons.

However, it seemed that correspondence must have been particularly slow, or there was intervention, but his request to Royal Engineers was not received for 15 months.

He also, amassed a huge amount of material, and sent both source documents and a handwritten report, which he called The Evidence to his superiors at Chatham.

In 1885 Colonel Luard placed an advertisement in the Natal Witness, asking for any relics belonging to Durnford.

In response he then received information from Messrs Dormer & Davis, about papers/maps having been removed from Durnford’s body prior to burial - but nothing concrete comes to light and he had no idea what the rumoured papers/maps were.

Dormer and Davis, sounds like the name of a firm of solicitors, but they were the editors of The Natal Witness and The Argus newspapers. Both the editors told him that they were aware the papers/maps had been removed from Durnford’s body prior to burial - but no further evidence was available, and a report in the Natal Witness of 27th May 1879, in the supplement published 7th June, reported that after the papers and maps found on Durnford’s person had been removed, a pile of stones was heaped over the body.

The information had been contained in a telegram written by Dormer, who was at Ladysmith, who received the information from Alfred Davis, the editor of the Natal Witness. He was at Isandlwana looking for his brother Trooper Henry Davis of the Natal Carbineers.

Alfred had borrowed a uniform and accompanied the Carbineers, and found his brother’s body and recovered from it a letter from his sister. Col Durnford’s body was close by. Davis rode quickly to Ladysmith, met Mr Dormer, told Mr Dormer the story of papers being removed and asked that the report be telegraphed to his own newspaper.

Then on 25th June 1885, a letter was sent to the editor of the Natal Witness from Mr. F. Pearse regarding some papers his brother had picked up on the field.

Dear Sir

Referring to your advertisement which appeared a few weeks ago in the Natal Witness respecting relics of the late Colonel Durnford. I write to inform you that I have in my possession a document which was picked up by my brother A. Pearse, late trooper in the Natal Carbineers.

It appears to be the instructions issued by Lord Chelmsford to the late Colonel on taking the field.

I have written to my brother to ascertain whether he is willing to part with it in the event of your wishing to have it in your possession.

Yours truly

F. Pearse

What would be the reason that Trooper Pearse kept those papers for six years?

But he was not alone in the discovery. Another, Dr. Charles Gubbins was with him at the time of taking the documents, not from the field, but from the portmanteau.

It appears that Frances Colenso had written to Dr Gubbins in regard to these orders, and he confirmed that they were not the final orders.

Why would they wait so long before coming forward? This mystery can possibly be resolved.

Dr Gubbins had married Maud Scoble. Her father John Scoble was the editor of the Transvaal Advertiser.

As an editor and mixing in the same circles as Francis Dormer and Alfred Davies perhaps he was fully aware of the information which was forthcoming, and urged his son-in-law to reveal his involvement. Dr Gubbins later became a Member of Parliament.

The next significant event occurred in April 1886.

2. Planning to hold an Enquiry in London 1886

1886 was a very busy year with respect to the investigations carried out by Sir Andrew Clarke and his associates at the Royal Engineers.

Sir Andrew Clarke reviewed the Evidence supplied by Col Luard