Author Topic: Native Natal Contingent officers Zulu War  (Read 3165 times)

Offline Stuartta

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Native Natal Contingent officers Zulu War
« on: Wednesday 19 June 13 21:45 BST (UK) »
Lieutenant L D Young 2nd battalion 3rd Native Natal Contingent is listed as killed at Isandlwana 22 January 1879. Does anyone know if more precise information about his given names is available?

The background to this is figuring out the fate of my 2xgreat grandmother's brother Lonsdale Denoon Young born 1858. I have BMD Birth info, and census data from 1861 and 1871, school admission 1868 and discharge 1873, which is the last I see of him. Given no England and Wales BMD Marriage or Death, it seems likely to me that he died outside of England and Wales.

Looking at the BMD Birth Index 1837-1863, there are only two boys Young with the initials L D, (and less than 20 with just L). Of the two, one can be ruled out because he shows up in a later census. The other of the two is Lonsdale Denoon Young.

I understand that it's possible the lieutenant was not from England and Wales. Even so the pool of L Youngs would appear to be quite small. If the information exists about the names of officers for 2/3NNC, I can rule in or out the Lt L D Young. So far, what I can tell, the Lt L D Young would have joined the unit as it was forming in Natal in December and was likely recruited in the Cape Colony.


Offline km1971

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Offline Stuartta

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Re: Native Natal Contingent officers Zulu War
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 20 June 13 16:29 BST (UK) »
Thank you Ken,

Sure looks like the same person. I think you're right about a badly formed d, although the writer of this document seems quite clear with "ll". I suspect "Lonsllale" is a transcription error introduced when the list was compiled from a "d" that was left open on a previous list and interpreted as two ells.

Searching further, I also found an award for "Lieutenant H C Young" of the Natal Native Contingent, and I suspect that this would be his brother Heydon Charles Young, for whom I also had no records post-1873. He was the one who picked up his brother from Christ's Hospital School on the latter's discharge. Lt H C Young also served in the 1879 campaign.

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1686&iid=31794_221411-00034&fn=H+C&ln=Young&st=d&ssrc=&pid=1073850

Do you or does anyone know the significance of issue voucher numbers and, for Lt H C Young under remarks the reference 68/SA/1275? That is, do they refer to other documents that can be consulted?

Anyway, thanks again, Ken. Your information has already been very helpful to me.
Alan

What other Anglo-Zulu War documents exist, especially for the NNC?

Offline km1971

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Re: Native Natal Contingent officers Zulu War
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 20 June 13 19:33 BST (UK) »
The Issue Voucher is when the medals were sent out by the medal office. They were usually sent to the regiment for distribution. If you look a few places above another officer's medal was returned f ive years later (to the medal office) as presumeably they did not have an address for him or his family if he was killed. So you can assume LDY's medal was received by his family.

Ken


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Re: Native Natal Contingent officers Zulu War
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 20 June 13 21:57 BST (UK) »
Have you tried looking for a memorial plaque either in his school or local church?

Also, I think most officers would have left a will.

Ken

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Re: Native Natal Contingent officers Zulu War
« Reply #5 on: Friday 21 June 13 01:06 BST (UK) »
Hi Ken:

These are great ideas. I'm not sure where I'd search for a South African will.

I did visit the South African archive site here:
http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za/sm300cv/smws/sm300dl

Although there is nothing for Lonsdale Denoon Young, I did find some records establishing the appointment of Heydon Young as Postmaster of Umbilo in 1888. If Lonsdale's medal went to anyone, I expect it was to him. There is a record from MSCE (I believe this is a concerned with probate) for Heydon Charles Young, which may refer to his death. The record is dated 1912 and has S/SP Young, Isabella Mary Ann who could be his wife or daughter.

And another record for a David Heydon Denoon Young from 1913. Its source is "MHL", and I have at this point no idea what it records. But the name alone demonstrates a family connection.

Incidentally, the sister of Lonsdale Denoon and Heydon Charles Young was Euphemia Chamberlain Young who married Sir Frank Umhlali Reynolds in 1894. So, by the turn of the century three of the Young siblings had emigrated to South Africa. I'm descended from one of the two sisters who stayed behind in England - although I have emigrated to the USA.

Christ's Hospital School had no record of what had become of Lonsdale Denoon Young, and this is information that they may appreciate.

From looking for online clues to the officering of the Natal Native Contingent, I'm sure there is more in the Times of Natal during November and December 1878 as the NNC battalions were mustering. I don't have access to it. Hopefully someone on the forum will.

Alan


Offline Stuartta

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Re: Native Natal Contingent officers Zulu War
« Reply #6 on: Friday 21 June 13 02:35 BST (UK) »
Just to add to this. I have just found a reference to newspaper articles that I am seeking:

The following is from an endnote to Zulu Rising by Ian Knight:

"13. Stafford, Account, January 1938. Lieutenant L.D. Young of the 2/3rd
NNC was killed in the battle. Young’s brother, Lieutenant H.C. Young,
wrote a letter published in the Echo on 24 February 1879 in which he
claimed to have been in the camp and to have seen his brother shot
through the head before he escaped; Walter Higginson refuted this
version in the Natal Mercury of 16 May 1879, claiming that H.C. Young
had never been present at iSandlwana, but had been sick at the
Sandspruit on the day of the battle."

If anyone has access to either of these, I would be grateful.

Alan

Offline Tyrannosaurus

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Re: Native Natal Contingent officers Zulu War
« Reply #7 on: Friday 21 June 13 03:53 BST (UK) »
Said here to be the brother of Lieut. H. C. Young.
http://www.1879zuluwar.com/t1774p60-coghill-and-melvill-issue?highlight=Melville+++%2BCoghill

Also the following newspapers and others.

Birmingham Daily Post (Birmingham, England), Saturday, March 1, 1879

Berrow's Worcester Journal (Worcester, England), Saturday, June 07, 1879

Rex

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Offline Stuartta

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Re: Native Natal Contingent officers Zulu War
« Reply #8 on: Friday 21 June 13 21:27 BST (UK) »
Ken,

Amazing! Thanks again; these are just great documents. There appears to have been a public hungry to make sense of how a modern army had been bested by the Zulus, and journalists willing to print anything without cross-checking.

Following the zuluwars forum reference, I found they cited Walter Stafford's report of how L D Young died, which is cited also in Ian Knight's Zulu Rising. I'll just have to buy the book! As historians, we know a little more about how L D Young's last moments, than we do for most of those who perished at Isandlwana.

And then we have poor H C Young who concocted the story of how he fought alongside his brother. The later reported may have it right, that some people will do anything to gain notoriety. But from a more sympathetic angle, he was possibly psychotic with grief and guilt. This is the sort of family history you can't make up!

Alan