Colonel Henry Thomas Curling (27 July 1847 – 1 January 1910) was a

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

officer of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

who served between 1868 and 1902. He fought in the

Anglo-Zulu war The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coupl ...

and during the

Battle of Isandlwana The Battle of Isandlwana (alternative spelling: Isandhlwana) on 22 January 1879 was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Eleven days after the British commenced their invasion of Zulul ...

was one of only a few British officers to survive; in fact he was the only British front line survivor. Afterwards he wrote a dramatic report on the battle and several letters home that described it further. After the Zulu war he saw service in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. The letters he wrote during the Zulu war were posthumously published in the book ''The Curling letters of the Zulu War: "there was an awful slaughter"'' (2001) co-authored by Adrian Greaves and Brian Best.

Early life

Henry Curling was born on 27 July 1847 in

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...

, Kent, England, the son of Dr Henry Curling and Mary Ann (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Warwick).Greaves (2011), pp. 164–5 He was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

and then the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Sig ...

before being commissioned into the

in 1868.

Military career

Curling joined the Royal Artillery on 15 July 1868 as a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

and ten years later he was sent to South Africa with N Battery of the 5th Brigade. When the

was declared in January 1879 the 5th Brigade was a part of the central column of the invasion force which set up their camp near the lion shaped hill called

Isandlwana Isandlwana () (older spelling ''Isandhlwana'', also sometimes seen as ''Isandula'') is an isolated hill in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is located north by northwest of Durban. The name is said to mean abomasum, the second s ...

on the 20th. In the early hours of the 22 January the General Officer Commanding

Lord Chelmsford Viscount Chelmsford, of Chelmsford in the County of Essex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1921 for Frederic Thesiger, 3rd Baron Chelmsford, the former Viceroy of India. The title of Baron Chelmsford, of Chelm ...

decided to split his forces in order to chase what turned out to be a Zulu decoy. Only two of the RA guns were left in camp under the charge of Major Stuart Smith and Lieutenant Curling.Greaves (2011), p. 84 Having spent much of the morning turned out in a defensive position they returned to the camp at 11 am only to be sent back out at 12 where they came immediately into action against a large body of Zulus about 3–4 thousand yards away. Soon the infantry were sent to meet the enemy but, unable to slow their approach they were quickly ordered back. Unable to take the road to

Rorke's Drift The Battle of Rorke's Drift (1879), also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was an engagement in the Anglo-Zulu War. The successful British defence of the mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenants John Chard of the ...

Curling and Smith followed a crowd of natives in an attempt to save the guns however the only escape route was down a steep ravine in which the guns became stuck fast. Zulus were amongst the crowd trying to escape and were relentlessly killing so they left the guns. Major Smith was killed some time later during the flight as they climbed down a cliff but Curling was able to cross the Buffalo river safely, his horse swimming with three or four men hanging on to it.Best, Curling & Greaves (2001): Letter home 2 Feb He was one of only five British officers to survive the

of which Captain Edward Essex and Lieutenant

Horace Smith-Dorrien General Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien, (26 May 1858 – 12 August 1930) was a British Army General. One of the few British survivors of the Battle of Isandlwana as a young officer, he also distinguished himself in the Second Boer War. Smith ...

were transport officers; Lieutenant Alan Gardener was a staff officer who was sent to the camp with orders during the battle only to find it destroyed; and Lieutenant William Cochrane was running an errand for his CO when the camp was overrun.Greaves (2011), pp. 161–183 "Battlefield participants" Thus Curling was therefore the only front line officer to survive.Greaves (2011), p. 93 After the Zulu war he was promoted to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 16 August 1879 in charge of C Battery, 3rd Brigade based in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

, then on 6 February 1885 gained his

Majority A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from #Related terms, related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-Webster Aldershot Command Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

. Finally he was given command of the Royal Artillery in Egypt as a

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

(promoted 4 January 1895).

Retirement and death

Colonel Curling retired in 1902 to his home town of Ramsgate where he died on 1 January 1910. Many of his friends only learned about his daring escape from Isandlwana after his death.

References

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Curling, Henry Thomas 1847 births 1910 deaths Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War People educated at Marlborough College People from Ramsgate Military personnel from Kent Burials in Kent