help sought again on zulu war

[selena by the sea]

thankyou to those that helped me on my other threads seeking help,i have pasted that info on to my MIL,she was chuffed.she is still insistent that her grandfather guarded Cetshwayo and his wives.after reading through the info given and going on the recommended  sites,a few times it is mentioned about Cetshwayo being under guard.does anyone know which company had the task of keeping guard over him after he was captured,or somewhere i could find out.and was Cetshwayo poisoned as i read on one site?thankyou for taking the time to read this.much appreciated.

[selena by the sea]

p.s. where would i get pictures of 99th regiment of foot in uniform,would love to be able to get this for my MIL as she never saw her grandfather in his(photos i mean).thanks.

[neil1821]

I'll check further if you like.

Cetshwayo was captured on 28th August 1879 by a squadron of the 1st Dragoon Guards. He was taken back to Sir Garnet Wolseley at Ulundi, informed his kingdom was to be divided and he was a prisoner. He was than escorted to the coast at Port Durnford and put aboard the steam transport Natal and into exile in Cape Town.

During this period, the HQ, 'A', 'C' & 'H' companies of the 99th were at Pietermaritzburg, 'B' company at Rorke's Drift, 'D' company at Greytown, 'G' company at Fort Pearson, 'F' company at Durban, while 'E' company were in garrison at St Johns River, Pondoland.

Cetshwayo was eventually taken to England, arriving on 12 July 1882. where he met Queen Victoria at Osborne. He was back at Cape Town in September. After a time he was restored to Zululand, HMS Briton landing him at Port Durnford on 10 Jan 1883. His power and authority were broken however.
On 4 Feb 1884, the British resident Mr Osborn and a medical officer were summoned to Cetshwayo's kraal near Eshowe. They arrived to find him dead (his body was cold, he'd been dead for hours). When the medical officer prepared to perform an autopsy, Cetshwayo's Zulu attendants stopped him. Without an autopsy he attributed death to "fatty disease of the heart" while privately suspecting poison.

So no-one can actually prove he was poisoned but that's the suspicion. I can't see from positions of the 99th's different companies how their path could have crossed with Cetshwayo's at any point, but if anyone knows otherwise I'd love to know.

[selena by the sea]

thankyou so much for all the info Neil,just what i needed.will pass it on to my rellie who i know will be chuffed.i am only now getting the hang of this war..its all very confusing.thankyou for your time.