Overview

Interest in KwaZulu-Natal’s battlefields – especially those of the Anglo-Zulu War – has soared since the film Zulu first screened in 1964, followed by Zulu Dawn in 1979 (the centenary of the Anglo-Zulu War). During the centenary, the famous battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift were made `tourist-friendly’ by the then Natal Provincial Administration and controls were put in place by the heritage authorities to prevent relics from being plundered. Supported by effective marketing from the Battlefield Route Association and the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Tourism Authority, the battlefields have become a must-see. Indeed, Rorke’s Drift has become a tourist icon. Specialist battlefield guides have been trained and are considered to be among the best in the world. New hotels and lodges have been built with battlefield tourism resulting in the creation of an estimated 7,500 permanent jobs in what is termed the Battlefield Region. There are, of course, many more Anglo-Zulu War sites to be seen: Discovering the Battlefields will enable visitors to find them and to read an account that is not too lengthy yet has sufficient content to bring it to life. GPS co-ordinates will enable those wishing to undertake a journey of exploration. The book is also a useful training manual for prospective battlefield guides. Above all, however, the author shares his knowledge gleaned from over 50 years of researching the Anglo-Zulu War. He has blended first-hand accounts passed on from participants on both sides to subsequent generations with official or newly-researched information that has become available in recent years. It is written in a style that is neither technical nor dramatic, is extensively illustrated with photographs of personalities and places and includes comprehensive maps of all the battle sites.

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9781920143909

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Reviews

This is much more than a book with lots of directions in it, however (although it does have that), it reads as if you are listening to the guide himself taking you to the site and adding in lots of detail about why the site is important, the difficulties of finding the site itself, etc. I really, really enjoyed reading this book and next time I go to South Africa * Miniature Wargames - Chris Jarvis 03/12/2015 *

Author Information

Ken Gillings began taking an interest in South African military history as a schoolboy and since then has undertaken extensive research into South African battlefields, especially those in KwaZulu-Natal. He has written numerous articles on the subject, many of which have appeared in the South African Military History Journal. He co-edited The War Memoirs of Commandant Ludwig Krause (van Riebeeck Society) and is author of Battles of KwaZulu-Natal, which is in its fifth edition. The Relief of Ladysmith: Breakthrough at Thukela Heights, 13–28 February 1900 is an acclaimed South African battlefield guide and has been affiliated with the South African Military History Society, the South African National Society, the Ladysmith Historical Society (of which he is a founder life member), the KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Foundation and the National Monuments Commission’s War Graves & Graves of Conflict Committee. He chaired the KwaZulu-Natal Regional Committee for the Commemoration of the Centenary of the Anglo-Boer War. He lives in Durban, South Africa.

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