Kwazulu-Natal, MTUNZINI district, Gingindlovu, British Military Memorial, Fort Chelmsford

09 November 2021 3 images Share: Facebook , Twitter , Google+

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Cemetery information:- Album complete. eGGSA captions by: Judi Meyer The GGSA Cemetery DVD only has information on the cemetery location. Cemetery ID: 6369 Google Earth Cemetery Initiative Information:- GPSID: 7599 GPS: -28 59.284, 31 37.753 Fort Chelmsford The fort itself was located on the farm of the same name and just in front of the current farm house, overlooking the ford crossing the Nyezane River. All signs of the fort have vanished but a slight embankment in the gardens may have been a part of the original fort. This farm is located on the R102, about half way between Gingindlovu and Mtunzini. A graveyard for troops that died whilst serving here is nearby (details below) on the opposite side of the R102 from the farm house. None of the troops stationed at Fort Chelmsford died in battle. Most died of dysentery, snake bites, etc. No sign of any individual graves is currently visible. Instead, there is a single, relatively recent memorial monument with an inscription to a broader spectrum of troops than those stationed at Fort Chelmsford. It reads, “IN MEMORY OF THE 3 OFFICERS AND 68 MEN WHO DIED WHILST SERVING WITH THE FIRST DIVISION UNDER MAJOR GEN CREALOCK IN 1879 DURING THE ZULU WAR MANY OF WHOM ARE BURIED HERE.” The memorial monument is about 50 m off the left-hand side of the road as you drive north from Gingindlovu on the R102. The monument is located at GPS Co-ords: S 28o 59” 16’ and E 31o 37” 47’. The monument is currently surrounded by sugarcane fields and separated from the cane by an encircling boundary of assorted trees. Several photos are attached. All notes, diagrams, photos and communication with locals was by Gavin Peckham Transport and GPS co-ords by Albert van Jaarsveld.