GENERAL MILITARY

This biography of Colonel Anthony W. Durnford, R.E., is a revised version of the author’s 1982 doctoral dissertation at the University of South Africa. It is the most comprehensive and up-to-date biography of an officer who occupies a special place in the historical memory of Natal. His career as Colonial Engineer, his association with the Colensos, his leadership of the ill-fated expedition against the Hlubi rebels, and his death in battle at Isandlwana have surrounded him with a romantic aura. He was ‘the good soldier’ of the British empire, a thorough professional, devoted to duty, and very much a man of conscience. Drooglever brings out these virtues, but also Durnford’s shortcomings, notably his failures in leadership – an impulsiveness at the prospect of combat and irresolution when under fire – and his flaws of personality.

pp. 272 First Edition #040923