‘A Solemn Mockery’ The Anglo Zulu war of 1879, The Myth and Reality

Drawing on a wide range of archive material, in addition to a thorough examination of published sources, Jonathon Hicks has re-appraised five events of war of 1879 and has investigated the myths that have arisen around them.

The Battle of Isandlwana, the flight from the field of Isandlwana with the Queen’s Colour by Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill, the defence of the Mission Station at Rokes’s Drift, the Battle of the Ntombe River and the death of Louis Napoleon, the Prince Imperial of France, are each examined in depth of produce a fresh insight into the most famous of Britain’s colonial wars.