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Date	Original Topic
15th July 2002	samual wassell By p roberts can anybody furnish me with any information on s wassell south staffs vc at isandhlwana anything at all
Date	Replies
15th July 2002	Brian Best Pvt Samuel Wassall of the 80th (South Staffordshire Regt) served with the Mounted Infantry and was in the camp at Isandlwana when it was overrun. He joined the throng who made their way over Fugitive's Trail to the Buffalo River, where he performed the act for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. His official citation reads; "For his gallant conduct in having, at the imminent risk of his own life, saved that of Private Westwood of the same regiment. On the 22 January 1879, when the camp at Isandlwana was taken by the enemy, Private Wassall retreated towards the Buffalo River, in which he saw a comrade struggling, and apparently drowning. He rode to the bank, dismounted, leaving his horse on the Zulu side, rescued the man from the stream, and again mounted his horse, dragging Private Westwood across the river under a heavy shower of bullets." This rather stark citation hardly conveys the conditions under which Wassall performed his act of gallantry. The Zulus were pressing hard, stabbing those on the bank and shooting at men struggling to swim the Buffalo. The river was in full spate and many were swept away by the swift current and drowned. It took a particularly cool head to stop when safety beckoned, dismount and wade into the current to pull out a drowning comrade, return to the enemy bank before plunging once more into the swirling waters. Wassall was the only man to be awarded the VC for Isandlwana (Melvil & Coghill were posthumously awarded the VC in 1906). He received his award from Sir Garnet Wolseley in a ceremony before his regiment at Utrecht on 11 Sept 1879. His medals are on deisplay at the Staffordshire Regiment Museum at Lichfield. Regards Brian Best The Victoria Cross Society
15th July 2002	Ian Woodason And his headstone is on our site - Keynsham Light Horse - along with over 1 000 other graves and memorials to those involved in the Anglo Zulu War of 1879 - link from the links page on the left. Some publications have his burial location incorrectly given - we have been there, we know! Ian Woodason
15th July 2002	John Young Paul, I was preparing an answer to your query made outside of the forum, however, I encounted a difference between authors as to Samuel Wassall's date of birth, and indeed his parentage, and was endeavouring to resolve it prior to reponsing to your e-mail. I have not had time to do so at present but I will give you what I have found. 'The Register of the Victoria Cross' , first published in 1981 by This England Books, has his date of birth as 28th July, 1856, and records the place of birth as Ashton, Warwickshire. James W. Bancroft in his work, 'The Zulu War VCs', published by the author in 1992, concurs with the above date of birth and gives further address details;'11 Court, Alcester Street, Deritend, Aston, Birmingham'. James Bancroft states in his work that Samuel Wassall was the son of Thomas Wassall & his wife, Elizabeth, nee Silk. These facts are contradicted by Robert Hope in his book, 'The Zulu War and the 80th Regiment of Foot', published by the author & Churnet Val;ley Books in 1997. Robert Hope has Samuel Wassall born on 7th April, 1856, and '...at Moor Lane, Kingswinford near Dudley in Staffordshire.' Robert Hope records Samuel Wassall's parents as Samuel & Emma, nee Hubble. James Bancroft has Wassall residing in 'Exmouth Street, Barrow-in-Furness,...' Whilst Robert Hope has it as 'Exeter Street...' The two authors also give a variation of a number of a later address in Lyon Street. The above mentioned authors and works also disagree on the date of Samuel Wassall's death, two sources, James Bancroft & 'The Register of the Victoria Cross' have it as 31st January, 1927, whereas the other author, Robert Hope, records it as 21st January, 1927. At this time, I am not in a position to verify which of the above is correct. Samuel Wassall's Victoria Cross was gazetted in 'The London Gazette' of 17th June, 1879. The 'Private Westwood' mentioned in Samuel Wassall's citation given above by Brian Best, was Private 228 Thomas Westwood, 80th Regiment, attached to No.1 Squadron, Mounted Infantry. Who, for your information, was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, and enlisted in the same city on 20th February, 1874. John Young, Chairman, Anglo-Zulu War Research Society.
19th July 2002	Ron Lock Sam Wassall's aware of the Victoria Cross was initiated by that rather mysterious figure Captain William Barton of the Natal Native Horse. Twenty days after escaping from Isandlwana across Fugitives Drift, Barton composed the following statement: "As I approached the river, a man of the Mounted Infantry was riding in front of me, and I also saw at the same time another man of the Mounted Infantry struggling in the river and he called out his comrade's name; he was apparently drowning. The Zulus were at this time firing at our people from above us, others were down on the bank of the river stabbing others of our people on both sides of where I was. The man of the Mounted Infantry, who rode down in front of me, dismounted, left his horse on the Zulu side and sprang into the river to save his comrade. I consider this man to have performed a most gallant and courageous act, in trying to save his comrade at the almost certain risk of his own life. I crossed the river myself about the same time and did not think it possible that either of these two men could have escaped alive; indeed I spoke some days afterwards to Lieutenant Walsh of the Mounted Infantry, of the circumstances which I had witnessed and spoke of it to him as evidence of my having seen two of his men lost at the Buffalo River." As it happened, Barton's statement came about as the result of a remarkable coincidence. A few days after Isandlwana, Barton was visiting the makeshift hospital at Helpmekaar where he was overheard relating the gallant conduct of the unknown man that he had witnessed, Barton believing at the time that the unknown man had perished. Laying in a bed nearby was Private Westwood, the young man Wassall had saved, and having overheard Barton's conversation, Westwood cried out that Wassall was alive and that it was Wassall who had saved his life. This not only initiated Barton's testimony, but finally set in motion a recommendation for the Victoria Cross. But it was a tedious affair, at times treated with indifference and sloth by the heirarchy. Coloned Richard Glynn, the Column commander, was required to add his recommendation if the award was to proceed, but having received three additional statements from various officers supporting Barton's recommendation, Glyn merely sent them on to Lord Chelmsford without comment. Chelmsford replied with the stinging comment: "In cases like the one under reference it is absolutely necessary that you should yourself enquire into the matter and express an opinion as th the accuracy of the statements made." However, it was April before it was decided to track down Westwood for a further statement but by then he had been transferred and could not be found immediately. Several days later he was traced and on the 11th April made a formal statement that he signed in the presence of the Pietermaritzburg District Magistrate. The recognition of Wassell's bravery was assured and finally gazetted on the 17th June. The rest you know.