Paul Bryant-Quinn
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Neil / Peter
I suspect that the 1415 Thomas letter, which may in fact have been written originally in Welsh and translated into English, is a curious mixture of rumour and guesswork; and it appears to include details which make more sense in the context of Rorke's Drift than Isandlwana. Judging from the newspaper itself, it's highly likely that the text of the letter was garbled during transcription to print. Interesting to note that John Laband seems to have taken it at face value. Regards, Paul |
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Peter Ewart
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Paul
Yes, guesswork & rumour seem to fill this letter, and - like you - I'd be surprised, too, if confusion hadn't also arisen from errors in translation and transcription. For example, his implication that "we" were in the camp but that Chelmsford was somewhere else does not suggest he had been out with Chelmsford that day but there are so many wild anomalies that it is difficult to know where the writer's confusion begins and the newspaper's editorial efforts take over. It is not unlike many published but inaccurate letters in its strange claims (as you'll already know) but must be considered one of the more bizarre! Where, for example, does his claim that they were forever on the march come from, unless he was not, unlike most, writing from the claustrophobic, soggy and fever-riddden confines of R/Drift or Fort Melvill? Perhaps he meant to say (or actually said but was mis-transcribed) we had been constantly on the march, referring - as in the rest of the letter - to events a month earlier. Who knows? The resulting published letter was a mess and it is impossible now to work out who was responsible for all the wild claims and assumptions. Peter |
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Paul Bryant-Quinn
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Peter
You're right: Thomas's letter is a mess, but it's worth noting that a number of the soldiers from Wales (perhaps elsewhere too?) refer to their regiments in the first person plural, even when the writers themselves are not personally present: so for example 'they attacked us; we drove them off'. Does this perhaps derive from the sense of identity the soldiers had with their own units? I think the 'marching' thing can be taken as an instance of mistranslation. Owen Ellis uses a Welsh word which can be translated as 'marching' to indicate that he was on duty. Maybe Thomas was simply saying that the men had constantly been on high alert since Isandlwana - which was, of course, true. Paul |
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Donald Morris-- Ammunition--Again. |
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