Ducker, Peter HMS Shah and the Anglo Zulu War

This is an account of the career of Lieutenant Frank Abbott, Royal Navy (185486). It begins with his early service with the navy in the Far East and the Pacific and his central role in the Perak Crisis of 1874, follows his career to the Egyptian Campaign of 1882 and his final service as an officer aboard the Royal Yacht. The book focuses on Abbott's experiences aboard the powerful new frigate HMS Shah during its long deployment in the Pacific between 1876 and 1879. This included its famous ship-to-ship action with the Peruvian warship Huáscar in 1877, during which the Royal Navy used torpedoes for the first time, followed by its unexpected deployment in South Africa during the Anglo-Zulu War. After the disaster at Isandlwana on 22 January 1879 and the very real fear of a Zulu invasion of Natal, the sudden arrival in Durban of this impressive warship, carrying most of the garrison of St Helena and landing a landing party of nearly 300 officers and soldiers, was a great relief to the colony of Natal and a significant boost to morale. The ship's crew played an important role in the operations to relieve the besieged garrison at Eshowe in March and April 1879, including the great battle of Gingindlovu, and served in the subsequent campaign under General Crealock in the 1st Division, which advanced slowly northwards along the coast of Zululand. Abbott himself played an important role in transporting troops, ammunition and equipment to Zululand via the pontoon across the Thukela and in the subsequent advance to a new landing place on the coast at Port Durnford. In an area of the Anglo-Zulu War that is not covered in detail in general accounts, Abbott's letters and diaries offer a new and interesting insight into the workings of the naval brigade and the experiences of an officer during a difficult campaign.