Islandlwana

 

Picture the scene. Early morning in the NCTEZ (North Central Texas Exclusion Zone) and the sun's rising fiercely in the East making the back deck untenable, so you advance to the cool shade of the front porch, strong coffee in hand and 1928 BCP Morning Prayer complete. You're met by your cohort who rocks gently on the porch swing as you announce, "I say, you'll never guess what I did last night."

Pan to a quizzical eyebrow, it's almost too hot to speak, and you expound, "Yes, I watched Zulu, the movie." Now, all three of you readers of this shallow mind blog know exactly what that means, Isandlwana, the horrific 1879 defeat of a small British battlegroup by a far larger Zulu army. Yes, you know this, but Front Porch Joint Command was uncertain, "You mean some kind of horrible Victorian African war?" Exactly so, and we changed the subject.

Front porchery aside, Isandlwana sent such shockwaves through Great Britain that I was being taight about it, with a degree of reverence, let the reader understand, in the 1970s, same with the Indian Mutiny. No wonder, our teachers were mostly former officers who'd served the Empire and fought the Hun to boot. But back on point.

Isandlwana. What a total, tragic failure on Great Britain's part, a lot of good men killed through sheer, bone-headed incompetence and upper class hubris, see Lord Chelmsford and associates. Well, you can read about the disaster on the internet, which details the defeat of some 1,500 Martini Henry wielding troops by around 12,000 spear chucking savages who somehow stumbled on Hannibal's famous flanking maneuver. Bad show, Chelmsford, and well done boys for rallying at Rorke's Drift, which reminds me.

Many, many years ago I let a rifle (L1A1/SLR) fall to the ground at a training range and my Platoon Commander gave the old drop and do 50, which I did. Half way through he asked, "Royal Regiment of Wales, name a battle honour." I replied, "Rorke's Drift," and he stumped off, a British South African, curiously.

So there you have it. Watch Zulu or Zulu Dawn, most awesome. If you already have, watch 'em again.

Cheers,

LSP