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Hooks encounter with the Zulu youth
Simon


Joined: 26 Feb 2007
Posts: 95
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Hi,

I�m intrigued by Henry Hooks original account of Rorke�s Drift � mentioned in Ian Knights Zulu Rising.

Has anyone got any ideas why he omitted the bit about �braining� the young Zulu in his later accounts. I have read many re-tellings (in modern books) of the �Hospital defence� � none of which (as I recall) mentions the gory encounter with the Zulu boy.

Why would Hook omit this, from his later account?

Did he feel it too gruesome and felt the need to tone the story down? Or was he ashamed of his actions? Alternately was the tussle with the lad something Hook had �made up� and dropped in a fit of honesty?

Additionally, I find it strange that someone who was so modest would either put himself down or allow himself to be put down, in the 1881 census, as Henry (V.C.) Hook (unless he was unaware of the entry in the census)


Cheers Confused
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ciscokid


Joined: 01 Nov 2008
Posts: 54
Location: Plymouth, Devon
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Hi Simon

What exactly did he do?

Many thanks
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Simon


Joined: 26 Feb 2007
Posts: 95
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Hi,

As I recall, he caught a young Zulu nicking off with his greatcoat, they struggled and the end result was Private Hook hitting him so hard on the head that it broke his Martini stock.

A while later, the 'dead' Zulu made a sound or moved and Hook finished him with a head shot.

He gave this account in a publication called 'Rare Bits' in 1883ish

Cheers

Simon
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Keith Smith


Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Posts: 540
Location: Northern NSW, Australia
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This is the incident to which I think you are referring - it does not appear in either of the two accounts by Hook in my possession, only as a footnote in one of them.

The following incident in the hospital is only described in one of Hook's accounts (Rare Bits, c.1883) : � ... in the hospital I had my top coat and a rug. A young Zulu�he was only about twenty�stole this, and was making off with them when he was disabled, and I came and caught him with my things. I clubbed my rifle, brought it down with all my force on his head, and smashed�not the Zulu's skull, but the stock of my rifle all to pieces. He lay quiet for about five minutes and then began to wink his eyes a bit, so I gave him the contents of the barrel in his head, and finished him off.


KIS
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Hooks encounter with the Zulu youth
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