you are currently viewing: Discussion Forum
 
 

 
 

The Rorke's Drift VC Discussion Forum
(View Discussion Rules)

** IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL USERS **

PLEASE NOTE: This forum is now inactive and is provided for reference purposes only. The live forum is available at www.rorkesdriftvc.com/forum


(Back To Topic List)

DateOriginal Topic
17th June 2003That Man Jenkins
By A. Maniac
Esteemed Gentlemen of the Zulu persuasion,

As someone who only recently discovered this site I have been having a lot of fun going through all the back discussions and was pleased to find that many questions which I had have already been dealt with there.
However, I still have some questions for all you experts so let me begin with this one concerning Jennings:


1) All sources known to me state that there were 17 fatalities. However, I can only account for 16, as follows:
T.Cole, first to be killed (either shot or assegaied on leaving hospital via the front door. Did he reach the front wall, I wonder?), Jos.Williams, J.Jenkins and G.Hayden butchered in the Williams room at west end of hospital, Horrigan from this room killed immediately after escaping from this room and going towards the front door instead of to the protecting bayonet of Hook, the friendly Zulu who Hook left behind in the SW corner room, the delirious R.Maxfield and R. Adams killed in hospital, Hunter and Beckett assegaied on leaving the hospital (Beckett dying next day), E. Nicholas, T. Williams, J.Fagan killed while defending (together with Bromhead and Hitch) the incompleted barricade between the main enclosure and the front of the hospital (Williams dying later), L.Byrne shot in back of head on north wall (probably by a Zulu close up to the front wall rather than from the Oscarsberg since thereupon Schiess switched into action and apparently despatched the offending Zulus) , J.Chick and J.Scanlon killed somewhere unknown to me (probably on north wall, Scanlon maybe on the very exposed section in front of hospital since he was apparently a hospital patient and would probably have been deployed in the vicinity of the hospital).
On the basis of the above I deduce that either the deserting corporal shot by (presumably) Hitch or the J.Williams who succomed a week later to fever has been wrongly included in the casualty total.
My main question here, however is: Was Jenkins killed inside or outside the hospital?
Reynolds writes, �The only men actually killed in the hospital were three, excluding a Kaffir under treatment for compound fracture of the femur. The names were Sergeant Maxfield, Private Jenkins, both unable to assist in their escape, being debilitated by fever, and Private Adams��. But Chard mentions him as being outside. He writes: �It is impossible for one individual to see all, but I particularly myself noticed the behaviour of Colour Sergeant Bourne 24tth, Private McMahon, AHC, Privates Roy, Deacon, Bush, Cole (R.), Jenkins 24th, and many others:� Later on Chard mentions him again as doing good service.
Can it be that Reynolds has made a mistake and switched him with Hayden, who is thus described in a casualty list: �1769 Private HAYDEN, Garret KILLED - stabbed in 16 places, abdomen cut open in 2 places and part of cheek cut off.? Surely he must have been one of the patients dragged out with Joseph Williams? Yet Reynolds does not mention him as having been apatient who was killed in the hospital!
If Reynolds has made a mistake of identity this would give rise to a subsidiary question, naemlich, who was then the second patient dragged out of the Williams room and slaughtered while Williams-Fielding was escaping with the remaining patients?
It seems reasonable to assume that Reynolds would have known his patients so a feasible explanation is that only Joseph Williams and Hayden were dragged outside for degutting, Jenkins being killed on his bed. Even so it seems to me strange that Reynolds would not then consider patient Hayden as having been killed in the hospital.
More to the point, if Reynolds has not made a mistake then Chard has! So who was the soldier Chard mistakenly calls Jenkins? Could it have been Jobbins perhaps? Or has Chard perhaps been confused by one of those alias situations, with a second man using the name Jenkins?
One way or another this Jenkins issue is confusing me. Can anyone help?
DateReplies
18th June 2003Julian Whybra
Kia:
Byrne, Maxfield, Adams, Chick, Cole, Fagan, Hayden, Horrigan, Jenkins, Nicholas, Scanlon, J Williams, Hunter, Corp Michael Anderson NNC (maybe killed in anger by friendly fire by soldier unknown or maybe by Zulu fire from the Oskarberg), unknown NNC native, T Williams (d of wounds), Beckett (d of wounds) = 17
Rev Smith says that Jenkins was killed while half way through a hole and pulled back. Reynolds says he was kia in the hospital.
Chard mentions the incident outside the hospital - Chard would not have known the 24th men ny name - it's likely that he confused the man's name with Jenkins.
18th June 2003A.Maniac
Thankyou Julian for this additional information.
Gradually the picture comes together!