OX BONE HAND CARVED BRACELET

Rare roughly hewn bracelet carved from ox-bone with the inscription PTE – T – ALLEN - 13TH – LIGHT + 1879 + KAMBULA on the circumference inside of the bracelet.

Many relics of the Zulu War were brought back to the UK as souvenirs by British troops.

Private Allen served in the First Battalion, 13th Foot that served in South Africa from 1874 – 1879. Lieutenant – Colonel P .E. V. Gilbert commanded the 1st Battalion 13th Regiment with Wood's Column.

The First Battalion was instrumental in driving the Zulus away from Kambula during the Zulu War. http://www.britisharmedforces.org/li_pages/regiments/sli/somerset_index.htm

The Battle of Kambula took place in 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War when a Zulu Army attacked the British camp at Kambula. It resulted in a decisive Zulu defeat and is considered to be the turning point of the Anglo-Zulu War.

Following the disaster at Hlobane on 28 March 1879, Colonel Evelyn Wood's forces prepared to receive an attack by the entire Zulu impi, nearly 20,000 men strong, consisting of regiments that had already defeated the British at Isandlwana and other battles: many of the Zulus were armed with rifles taken from the British dead at these battles.

The defences on Kambula consisted of a hexagonal laager formed with wagons that were tightly locked together, and a separate kraal for the cattle, constructed on the edge of the southern face of the ridge. Trenches and earth parapets surrounded both sections, and a stone-built redoubt had been built on a rise just north of the kraal. A palisade blocked the hundred yards between the kraal and redoubt, while four 7-pounders were positioned between the redoubt and the laager to cover the northern approaches. Two more guns in the redoubt covered the north-east.

Two companies were sited in the redoubt; another company occupied the cattle kraal and the remaining infantry manned the laager. The gunners had been told that if the Zulus got in close they were to abandon their guns and make for the laager. In all, Wood's force mustered 121 Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers, 1,238 infantry and 638 mounted men. With headquarters staff, it totalled 2,000 men, of whom 88 were sick in hospital.

At 12.45 on 29 March 1879, the tents were struck, reserve ammunition was distributed, and the troops took up their battle stations. As the troops moved to their posts they could see the Zulu right horn, circling north out of British artillery range before halting north-west of the camp. The left horn and centre of the impi continued westwards until they were due south of Kambula. At 1.30 Lieutenant-Colonel Redvers Henry Buller suggested his mounted troops sting the right horn into premature attack, which was agreed to. The men rode out to within range of the massed Zulus, fired a volley and then galloped back, closely followed by a great wave of 11,000 Zulu warriors. At 2.15, as the right horn made its withdrawal, the left horn and centre surged up out of the ravine, their leading warriors falling to crossfire from the laager and kraal as they came over the crest. The Zulus soon forced their way into the cattle Kraal and fought hand-to-hand with men of the 1/ 13th company.

In the closing stages of the battle of Kambula, a company of the 1/13 were driving the Zulus back into the ravine. The Zulus charged again and again, with unwavering courage, but the head of each charge was shot away and at about 5 pm Wood sensed the impetus was going out of their attack. Two companies moved to clear the kraal and lined the rim of the cliff with a further company to fire into the dead ground.

A total of 785 Zulu dead were counted in the immediate vicinity of the camp by burial parties two days after the battle, but their total losses significantly higher. Knight, says, "785 [bodies] were collected from close by the camp. Many more lay out on the line of retreat where the slaughter had been heaviest... Perhaps as many as 2,000 died". The official British estimation at the time put the total Zulu losses of dead and wounded at 'nearly 2,000', while the Zulus thought that their casualties were at least as high or higher than those suffered at Isandlwana. By contrast to the heavy Zulu losses, only 18 British soldiers were killed, and 8 officers and 57 men wounded, 11 of whom later died.

Kambula is considered as the turning point of the war, for the British demonstrated that shield and assegai were no match for an entrenched force with artillery and the Martini-Henry. Never again would an impi fight against a prepared position with the ferocity and resolution displayed up to this date.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kambula
http://www.britishbattles.com/zulu-war/khambula.htm
Knight (Ian) The ZuluWar then and now pages 142- 149