David Grey Rattray
One of my most treasured possessions is a set of cds entitled 'Day
of the Dead Moon' which is the oral recounting of the Battles of Isandlwana
and Rorke's Drift. Islandlwana took place on a day when a solar eclipse
occurred, hence the title. These battles were of course those which took place
in KwaZulu Natal in 1879 between the British and the AmaZulu nation who had refused to
accept British rule. Rorke's Drift is the conflict which is better known to the
British public, possibly because this was the fight in which that although the
British were not victorious, they managed to fend off enormous odds. The Zulus
though are more likely to recall Isandlwana, where their impis were wholly
triumphant, massacring almost 2,000 of the invaders of their land, an
engagement in which only a handful of British soldiers escaped with their
lives. At Isandlwana the British encampment was attacked and eventually
overrun by 20,000 Zulus. At Rorke’s Drift, just over 150 regular troops faced up to 4,000 Zulu warriors and managed to hold their ground.
In the late 1990s I began planning two novels which would
cover the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. The first would concentrate on the events at
Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift, the second on the final battles ending with the
British victory at Ulundi, the Zulu capital and seat of their king, Cetshwayo
kaMpande. During the period of my research I acquired fellowship of the Anglo-Zulu
War Historical Society and had access to a myriad of books and also the audio
tapes of a one David Rattray, a white South African who had grown up with Zulu
children and had heard, and had become fascinated by, the stories of
Isandlwana. He is the first of the ten people who have been the inspirational
writing gurus who I intend depicting in my blog.
In the 1990's David Rattray lived at the site of Rorke's Drift and
conducted tours of the battlefields. When I played the tapes (I now have the
cds) I was totally mesmerised by this man's gift for oral storytelling. I had
never heard anything like his soft powerful voice and the tremendous talent he
had for recounting a war between a nation with primitive weapons and an army
bearing modern armaments. It was spears and hide shields against Martini-Henry
rifles and field artillery. I played those tapes over and over again,
absolutely lost in the hynotic retelling of two engagements that took place in
the shadow of the Drakensberg Mountains.
In his recounting of the history of these battles, David Rattray
took no sides, praising the 24th Foot (later the South Wales Borderers) and the
Zulus alike for their courage. He did however state that Isandlwana should not
be looked on as a British defeat, but a Zulu victory, a subtlety that impressed
me. I am also a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and in the early 2000s
I was privileged to hear him speak at the society's lecture hall in London.
When he visited my grandson's school at Felsted in Essex and gave a talk to the
students there, I spoke to the man and shook his hand. Sadly, he was murdered
at the age of 48 in his home at Rorke's Drift while being burgled by six men. I
understand the person who fired the killing shot was a young Zulu and one
wonders whether his killer knew that a great deal of the money David Rattray
earned lecturing and guided tours was spent on the education of poor Zulu
children.
David Rattray was an inspirational man. Being a teller of tales
myself, albeit in print, he filled me with awe and admiration for his
storytelling. In 1999 some Welsh troopers visited the battlegrounds and held a
memorial service in the chapel at Rorke's Drift. Thousands of Zulus came from
their homes to meet their erstwhile enemy and the two groups, both famed for
their ability to sing, joined together in a chorus that soared into the
surrounding hills. David Rattray was present to witness the event and
apparently he stood in the audience and wept. He is survived by a wife, Nicky,
who I understand carries on the work he so loved, amongst the people he loved.
(For those interested in the two historical novels I wrote on the
Anglo-Zulu War, they are:
The Scarlet Sash and Dragoons.
I also wrote a poem on Isandlwana:
The Iron Wind
[In 1879 2000
Zulus charged into a hail of
fire from 2000
Martini-Henry rifles.
It was at a
place called Isandlwana and after their
total victory
the Zulu youths used the battle cry:
‘We are the
boys of Isandlwana’.]
We are the boys of
Isandlwana
who faced the iron
wind.
A furnace wind,
like the Saharan
Simoom
or Haboob of
Khartoum,
bringing madness on
its breath.
No shield can turn
it,
no mask,
no magic cloak.
Warriors are whisked
away
like broken straws.
Sometimes
it takes our heads
clean off.
We are the boys of
Isandlwana
who race at the fiery
rush,
into the bulleting blast,
for wind is only wind
and tomorrow the
enemy
will be calm
and quiet
and utterly still.
