News from the Front: Review:

A Widow-Making War:

The Life and Death of a
British Officer in Zululand, 1879

edited by Howard Whitehouse

Reviewed by John Barratt


A Widow-Making War: The Life and Death of a British Officer in Zululand, 1879 edited by Howard Whitehouse
160 pp. illus., maps and plans.
Paddy Griffiths Associates, 1995.
Price: 12.00 pounds

A great deal has been written concerning the more glamorous and dramatic aspects of the Zulu War, but less well covered are some of the more mundane but essential aspects of operations such as logistical matters and the work of the Royal Engineers. A book which places emphasis on both of these subjects is therefore to be welcomed.

Excellently edited by Howard Whitehouse, author of the well-received "Battle in Africa 1879-1918", "A Widow-Making War" (the title is taken from a letter of Colonel Pearson's) deals with the last months in the life of Major Warren Wynne of the Royal Engineers, and his service in the Zulu War.

Wynne was a member of one of those Anglo-Irish military families who played such a vital role in the history of the British Army of the 19th and 20th centuries. Assuming command of 2nd Field Company, Royal Engineers in November 1878, Wynne was despatched to South Africa shortly before the outbreak of hostilities with the Zulus. He was attached to Colonel Pearson's No 1 Column in the advance on Eshowe, seeing action at Inyezane, and the "siege" of Fort Eshowe, for whose fortifications and defences Wynne was principally responsible. It was in the severely overcrowded conditions of the siege that Wynne contracted the fever from which he died on April 9th 1879.

The book is based partly upon Wynne's letters home to his wife, frequently vivid and descriptive, and his much more concise and technical diary. These were published by Wynne's wife shortly after his death, and between them provide a fascinating insight into the life of an "ordinary" officer of the time. Wynne emerges as a highly conscientious and painstaking, if not particularly charismatic, man, the type of reliahle officer essential for the smooth functioning of an army. An enlightening aspect is that, although Wynne was apparently well-liked by his men, on not one occasion are they ever mentioned as individuals in his letters home!

A clear picture emerges of the daily life, routines and concerns of a 19th century engineer officer on campaign, with many of the problems and conditions encountered being features of any war of the period. Much light is thrown on a number of topics, including the transport and logistical problems faced by the British forces in Zululand, and the severe effects of foul weather and disease, in some ways a more serious danger than the elusive Zulus, whose threat provides a constant hackground to Wynne's other concerns.

Also well brought out is the frequently monotonous and uneventful routine of army life, even in a "war" zone. Apart from a hot engagement with the enemy at the battle of Inyezame, Wynne's main activities in the campaign centred around transport matters and the design and construction of fortifications and defences, most notahly those at Fort Eshowe itself. Later he was to find some variety in attempts to make a hot air balloon and various signalling devices.

The material reprinted here (especially that from Wynne's Diary) provides a wealth of useful information on the practical aspects of building fortifications of the period. Also, included are detailed diagrams and plans, valuable for historians, modellers and wargamers alike.

The latter part of the book deals with the rather anticlimatic "siege" of Eshowe itself, during the latter part of which Wynne contracted the illness which killed him.

Howard Whitehouse has done an excellent job in editing Wynne's writings; especially informative are his linking paragraphs and comprehensive explanatory notes and background information on the topics covered and on the campaign itself.

Particularly useful for the insights which it gives into one of the less well-documented campaigns of the war, this book will make a valuable addition to any Zulu War collection.

More Reviews:

Back to Colonial Conquest Issue 11 Table of Contents
© Copyright 1996 by Partizan Press.

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com