South Africa
In 1906 the British Colony of South Africa was a land filled with tensions; the Bambatha Rebellion was brewing; it was coming in response of unfair taxation by the British against the Zulu people.
Amongst soldiers sent from England in order to quell this uprising was a young soldier; Private Thomas Davidson; coming from a Trade Union family he had earned a reputation amongst his fellow soldiers, often clashing with them in some cases, but these clashes simmered as time progressed, he had enlisted at the age of Fourteen, in Eighteen-Ninety Nine; he had lied about his age at the time, a decision he came to regret when he found himself in the Second Boer War fighting for the first time, it was this that led him to encountering his commanding officer; Wilson Daniels, a non-nonsense Scotsman who was considered legendary amongst the soldiers in Southern Africa for his military service through his time.
Thomas and Wilson had developed a strong mentor-student bond, enabling Thomas to get to grip with his life in the British Army.
Little did Thomas know, that this trip to South Africa would present changes he wouldn’t be expecting; stationed with his usual regiment near a small town called; Greytown, the air was thick with uncertainty as the soldiers prepared for the conflict; as Thomas looked around at his fellow soldiers, he felt the usual blend of anxiety and determination, he was twenty-one, and while not his first foray into a world of violence, he could still feel those sensations.
One day while polishing his boots, Thomas’ friend and fellow soldiers; Miquel Maiyo, he was a year younger than Thomas, but he had earned his place within Wilson’s regiment through hard work and determination, despite his lack of combat experience, he had a reputation for his bravery and determination; the refusal to backdown when things got tough.
Glancing up, Thomas looked towards Miquel as he was approaching “Hey, Thomas; ‘ave you encountered the Zulu before?” he queried; his accent was strong, sometimes it made it difficult for people to really understand him when he spoke; but Thomas had grown accustom
“No” Thomas answered “I only know what Wilson told me about ‘em” he told Miquel “That they’re fierce fighters; they fight for their land and their people; to me, that means that this will be no easy task”
Miquel could see a sparkle present in Thomas’ eyes, it was obvious that Thomas had a respect for the Zulu purely as a result of whatever it was that he had learned from Wilson’s stories.
It was about a week later when the call came; the soldiers were ordered to move towards the main area of conflict; as they marched through the dry landscape, Thomas noticed the beauty of the land; it’s vast skies, the rolling hills and the distant mountains; yet amid the beauty lay a sense of foreboding, he could already hear the sounds of the distant drumming as it echoed through the valley, it signalled that the Zulus were gathering for resistance.
The first encounter was chaotic; the British soldiers had gone into battle feeling confident, but the encounter with Zulu warriors was an entirely different experience; they showed not only bravery and determination, but used tactic’s that caught the British off guard; Thomas found himself in the midst of it all, his heart raced; pounding in his chest as fear washed over him, he fired his rifle, but this experience felt different to other encounters.
Miquel however found it an entirely different experience; he had only spent time under training exercises, the reality were people were shooting back was nothing short of a nightmare, with every loud ‘bang’ and ‘pop’ it seemed to shake his entire being, his ears were ringing, and he felt he would not survive; luckily for him, Thomas was there to help him when he started to sink into a desperate panic.
When the battle finally reached its conclusion; Thomas was sent out by Wilson, and he began to examine the battlefield where he happened upon an injured Zulu warrior lying on the ground; the man looked at Thomas, his eyes were filled with pain but also a deep sadness; they were strangers n opposing sides, but within that fleeting moment, they shared a connection.
Thomas hesitated a moment, he felt the urge to help; glancing about, he realised none of his comrades were around him, taking a deep breath he kneeled down by the warrior “Let me help you” Thomas said calmly
The Zulu warrior looked at Thomas with a curious expression; after a moment, he finally gave Thomas his name; Anele; shaking his head at Thomas, he spoke with broken English “Why.., help me?” he said “We are enemies”
“We as a species may spend so much time fighting and hating one another; but…” Thomas looked at him carefully, he maintained a steady voice, there was a determination behind his eyes “We are no different from one another; you’re a man just like me, you fight for what you believe in”
Anele’s eyes softened and he muttered something in his native language; Thomas didn’t understand, but he could feel the weight of Anele’s words, and they would have a lasting impact on Thomas that would change how he saw things.
As days turned to weeks; the Rebellion would eventually be put down, but it would be put down harshly by the British; the treatment of the native Zulu that was observed by Thomas angered him, with his evolving beliefs conflicting with a duty to his King and Country, what he learned that fateful day when he encountered Adele, more often-than-not, Thomas would spend time listening to Wilson, who tried to help him with the anger and sadness that Thomas seemed to be developing.
Of all the encounters with death Thomas had faced, a simple encounter with a dying man from the opposing side and the harsh treatments of innocent people created a resentment within Thomas.
One quiet evening as Thomas and Miquel sat by a campfire, sharing a meagre meal, Miquel noticed the sombre expression on Thomas’ face “What’s wrong?” he queried, tilting his head a little to the right
Looking towards Miquel he thought for a moment; before shifting his eyes back to the fire “Do you ever wonder if what we are doing, is right?” he shifted his attention back to Miquel “In a world of so called ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ are we really ‘Good’ as we see ourselves, or are we the monsters that bare down on people”
Miquel thought for a moment “But, isn’t it our duty?” he queries “We pledge our loyalty to our King and Country” he says
“People are dying in camps; families are suffering” Thomas retorts, his eyes return back to the fire as he thought; the more he thought about things, the angrier it would make him, he wasn’t sure what the future held but he was certain he wanted to change things if he could
Written By: Westley H.
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