Anthony Durnford

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Anthony William Durnford
Anthony Durnford in 1870
Born(1830-05-24)24 May 1830
Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland
Died22 January 1879(1879-01-22) (aged 48)
Isandlwana, South Africa
Buried
St George's Garrison Church, Fort Napier, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1848–1879
RankLieutenant-Colonel
UnitRoyal Engineers
Commands heldNo. 2 Column, Zululand Invasion Force
Battles/wars
Spouse(s)Frances Tranchell

Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony William Durnford (24 May 1830 – 22 January 1879) was an Irish career British Army officer of the Royal Engineers who served in the Anglo-Zulu War. Breveted colonel, Durnford is mainly known for his defeat by the Zulus at the Battle of Isandlwana
, which was a disaster for the British Army.

Background

Durnford was born into a military family at Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland, on 24 May 1830.[1] His father was General Edward William Durnford, also of the Royal Engineers.[2] His younger brother, Edward, also served in the British military, as a lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Marine Artillery. During his formative years he lived with his uncle in Düsseldorf, Germany.

In July 1846 Durnford returned to England to enter the

Ceylon and upon arrival was stationed at Trincomalee, where his assistance with defences for the harbour under Sir F Pellew was brought to the attention of the Master-General of the Ordanance by the Lords of the Admiralty.[3]
In 1853 Durnford was instrumental in saving portions of the harbour defences from destruction by fire.

Durnford volunteered for service in the

Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. He served in Malta as an adjutant until February 1858, when he was promoted to Second Captain[4] and posted back to Chatham and Aldershot in England. Between 1861 and 1864 Durnford commanded No. 27 Field Company, Royal Engineers, at Gibraltar
.

In 1864, promoted to captain,

Devonport and Dublin on routine garrison duties. In 1871 he received a posting to South Africa
.

South African duty

On 23 January 1872, he arrived in Cape Town, still never having seen active service. He was, however, promoted to major on 5 July 1872[6] and lieutenant-colonel on 11 December 1873.[7]

Of the 16 months following his arrival in the Cape, Durnford spent the greater portion at

King William's Town
. In a letter to his mother he wrote of the blacks: ″...they are at least honest, chivalrous and hospitable, true to their salt, although only barbarians. They are fine men, very naked and all that sort of thing, but thoroughly good fellows.″ He appears to have adhered to this view throughout the remaining years of his life.

He was later stationed at

Frances Ellen Colenso. His marriage, though in a poor state, meant that they remained only close friends.[8] Miss Colenso later wrote two books in support of his military reputation, My Chief and I (1880) and History of the Zulu Wars (1880).[9]

Durnford saw some action during the pursuit of

Natal Carbineers had abandoned him, but his loyal Basuto
troopers stood by him.

In 1878 Durnford, as the senior Royal Engineer officer in the colony, served on Sir Henry Bulwer's Boundary Commission to investigate the disputed border between the Transvaal and the Zulu Kingdom. Later that year he was given the task of planning the formation of an African auxiliary force which soon became the Natal Native Contingent (NNC).[1]

Anglo-Zulu War

Main article: Battle of Isandlwana

He was one of the most experienced officers of the

Lord Chelmsford.[citation needed
] Assigned to lead the No. 2 Column of Chelmsford's invasion army, Durnford commanded a mixed force of African troops including the Natal Native Horse and a detachment of the 1st Regiment Natal Native Contingent.

On 20 January, Durnford's force was ordered to

Rorke's Drift
to support Chelmsford's column. That evening, a portion of the No. 2 Column under Durnford arrived at Rorke's Drift and camped on the Zulu bank, where it remained through the next day.

Late on the evening of 21 January, Durnford was ordered to

John Chard, which had arrived on the 19th to repair the pontoons which bridged the Buffalo River
. Chard rode ahead of his detachment to Isandlwana on the morning of 22 January to clarify his orders, but was sent back to Rorke's Drift with only his wagon and its driver to construct defensive positions for the expected reinforcement company, passing Durnford's column en route in the opposite direction.

Around 10:30 am on the morning of 22 January, Durnford arrived from Rorke's Drift with five troops of the Natal Native horse and a rocket battery. A Royal Engineer, Durnford was superior in rank to Brevet Lt.-Col. Henry Pulleine, who had been left in control of the camp, and by tradition would have assumed command. Durnford did not over-rule Pulleine's dispositions, however, and after lunch he quickly decided to take the initiative and move forward to engage a Zulu force which Pulleine and Durnford judged to be moving against Chelmsford's rear. Durnford asked for a company of the 24th, but Pulleine was reluctant to agree, since his orders had been specifically to defend the camp.

Durnford's last stand

Durnford was killed during the resulting battle, and was later criticised for taking men out of the camp thus weakening its defence.

24th Foot that had held open the only escape route. Durnford's body was later found lying near a wagon, surrounded by the bodies of his men.[11][12]

Among the causes of the disaster were the ill-defined relationship between Durnford and Pulleine, brought about by failures of

Lord Chelmsford
's command and control, a lack of good intelligence on the size and location of Zulu forces which resulted in Chelmsford splitting his force and, most decidedly, Chelmsford's decision not to fortify the camp (which was in direct violation of his own standing pre-campaign orders).

Popular culture

In the 1979 film Zulu Dawn, which depicted the battle of Isandlwana, Durnford was portrayed by Burt Lancaster.

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d Greaves (2011), pp. 165–167.
  2. ^ "rorkesdriftvc.com - Brevet Colonel Anthony W. Durnford". www.rorkesdriftvc.com.
  3. ^ a b The Prince Imperial, Mackinnon, J. P., and S. H. Shadbolt. The South African Campaign, 1879 : a Memorial Volume Containing Sixty Permanent Cabinet Photographs of the Officers of the British Army and Navy Who Lost Their Lives in the Zulu War, Biographical Notices, Detailed Accounts of the Various Engagements, Maps of the Country Showing the Movements of the Various Regiments in the Field, and Separate Records of the Services of Every British Officer Who Was Engaged / Compiled by J.P. Mackinnon ... and Sydney Shadlbolt. Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington, 1880. p. 35-39, State Library of new South Wales, TQ047678
  4. ^ "No. 22137". The London Gazette. 7 May 1858. p. 2298.
  5. ^ "No. 22809". The London Gazette. 19 January 1864. p. 262.
  6. ^ "No. 23876". The London Gazette. 16 July 1872. p. 3194.
  7. ^ "No. 24043". The London Gazette. 9 December 1873. p. 5778.
  8. ^ J. P. C. Laband, 'Durnford, Anthony William (1830–1879)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2008 accessed 2 Jan 2017
  9. ^ B. M. Nicholls, 'Colenso, Harriette Emily (1847–1932)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2006 accessed 2 Jan 2017
  10. ^ "No. 24695". The London Gazette. 15 March 1879. p. 2199.
  11. ^ Knight, Ian (17 June 2012). "Durnford's Last Stand". Retrieved 19 November 2015 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ Bourquin, Sighart (June 1985). "Col A W Durnford". Military History Journal. 6 (5). The South African Military History Society. Retrieved 19 November 2015.

Sources

External links

External image
image icon Grave of Anthony William Durnford at St George's Garrison Church, Fort Napier, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
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