The medal instituted for this campaign and issued in 1880, was similar in design to the South Africa Medal of 1853, but without the reverse date and instead a trophy of shields and weapons. The ribbon too is similar but with differing shades of colour and stripes. Twenty men are known to have served in both the campaigns of 1853 and 1879.
The medal could be awarded alone or with one of the following seven clasps along with numbers awarded:
No Bar 5,600
‘1877’ 150
‘1877-8’ 5,820
‘1877-8-9’ 3,520
‘1877-9’ 8
‘1878’ 2,000
‘1878-9’ 1,180
‘1879’ 18,330
A total of 36,608 medals were issued to British and Colonial troops, which included 1,829 medals awarded to the following RN ship’s, HMSs ‘Active’, ‘Boadicea’, ‘Euphrates’, ‘Himalaya’, ‘Orontes’, ‘Shah’, ‘Tamar’ and ‘Tenedos’. An undetermined number of medals were unclaimed and were returned to Woolwich.
History
This campaign in South Africa was fought against a variety of African tribes and across Southern Africa, but is more usually referred to as the Zulu War in the UK. In fact the fighting involved tribes in Cape Colony two years before the Zulus became involved. It was an extremely bloody and at times brutal campaign and it marked the end of the military might of the formidable Southern African tribes. The campaign holds a special place in the annals of the history of South Africa, the British Army and the expanding British Empire.
The trouble began in 1877 when inter-tribal animosity between the Fingoes and the Galekas flared into open conflict which involved colonial troops. The Fingoes, who bore long standing ill will for the Galekas, had been encouraged to settle in Galekaland under British protection. A minor squabble soon erupted into a series of large scale attacks by Galeka forces and so the Colonial Government decided to act and sent a large contingent of 7,500 men into Galekaland to quell the unrest.
At this point the intervention calmed the situation somewhat until fighting again flared in December 1878 and now the Gaikas and the Tambookies joined forces. General Sir A. Cunynghame, with a mainly colonial force with few Imperial troops, moved against the insurgents. At an engagement in the Cetane Mountains in February 1878, the Galekas suffered such heavy casualties they did not take to the battlefield again. The Gaikas now took the field against a reinforced British force under Lt General Sir F. Thesinger, who had relieved General Cunynghame. During April and May 1878, General Thesinger pursued the Gaikas relentlessly and ruthlessly until the Cape Assembly offered an amnesty to the tribes in July.
In 1878 The Griquas, a tribe of mixed race settled close to the Boers in East and West Griqualaland in the Cape revolted and established themselves in a mountain stronghold. A Colonial force and without Imperial troop assistance, inflicted defeat on the tribe in June 1878 after a brisk fight lasting some six hours. Smaller skirmishes ensued throughout the year until the Cape Administration issued an amnesty.
In 1878-9 a Basuto tribe under Chief Sekukuni caused a disturbance in the Transvaal and attacked the surrounding countryside at will from their strong position. The Colonial government wary of unrest in Zululand suspended operations against them until the following year. On the 28 November 1879 a large force drove the Basutos from their mountain base, inflicting heavy loss on the tribe and resulting in the surrender of Chief Sekukuni.
In 1879 a revolt flared after the Cape Government ordered the removal of firearms from the tribes fearing a combined inter-tribal uprising. This mountain engagement was between the Basutos under their Witch Doctor Moirosi, ensconced in a highly precipitous and well defended stronghold. The defenders were extremely well protected in their eagle’s eyrie but the Cape Mounted Rifles scaled the extremely difficult slopes and inflicted a defeat on the rebels, succeeded in killing Moirosi and earned three Victoria Crosses during this operation.
The Zulu tribes were precipitated into a war with the Colonial authorities in 1879 under the administration of the High Commissioner, Sir Bartle Frere in Natal. Despite living peacefully under King Cetshwayo, the Colonial authorities had long feared the reputation of their neighbouring disciplined Zulu warriors, formed during King Shaka’s reforms, which had a standing army of 40,000 men and the construed threat they posed. On the pretext of an unacceptable ultimatum to the King, Frere brought about his intended war in January 1879 when British forces crossed into Zululand under General Thesinger, now Lord Chelmsford.
After crossing the Buffalo River, Chelmsford with three columns, left one column under the command of Lt Colonel Henry Pulleine under the Sphinx-like precipice at Isandhlwana on the 22 January 1879. Shortly after breakfast the camp was attacked and overwhelmed by a large Zulu impi, inflicting over 1300 deaths on the British column. Three Victoria Crosses were awarded in what was an unmitigated disaster for the British Army. Chelmsford returned with the remainder of his force that same evening and despite his close proximity to the camp, the battlefield was found to be deserted, except for the carnage and the dead.
The camp at Rorke’s Drift, manned by 139 men under Lieutenant’s Chard and Bromhead, meanwhile gallantly withstood a concerted attack by a superior Zulu force on the 23 January, earning 11 VC’s and in many ways restoring the British Army’s tarnished honour following the debacle the day before at Isandhlwana.
The plan for the campaign underwent immediate revision and Chelmsford withdrew into Natal to await major reinforcements, meanwhile Colonel Wood’s column undertook operations around the Hlobane mountains in March before Chelmsford relieved Colonel Pearson’s column at the mission station at Eshowe in April, 1879. These two successes weakened the Zulu army and emboldened Chelmsford to then plan the attack on the King’s kraal at Ulundi.
The kraal fell on the 4 July after an open-square advance by the British against determined opposition of between 12-15,000 men. The Zulus are believed to have lost 10 men for each British soldier killed, due to their superior firepower and the use of machine guns. The king was captured on the 28 August 1879 and deposed, bringing the campaign to an end. The remaining Zulu chiefs gave their submission and the once mighty Zululand was divided among pro-British chiefs and which ultimately led to years of bitter internecine rivalry. Zulu casualties were very high and the legendary army King Shaka had created entered the history books and posterity, but was now broken and spent force.
Of note during this campaign was the tragic death on the 1 June of the exiled heir to the French throne, Louis Napoleon, the Prince Imperial, who was ambushed and killed by a Zulu skirmishing patrol thereby ending royalist dreams of a restoration of the monarchy in France.
Frere, whose actions had instigated the war was demoted to a minor post in the Cape and Chelmsford returned home to a major controversy over his handling of the campaign and to widespread criticism and disapproval. Queen Victoria however failed to condemn him.
In all, 29 VC’s were awarded for the campaign.
