Martini Henry rifles were used by British Redcoats in several battles most notably Ulundi, Isandlhwana and Rorke's Drift during the Anglo Zulu War of 1879.
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| Martini Henry Mark IV |
Development of the Martini Henry
By 1867 it was clear that the obsolete Snider Enfield rifle was at the end of it's life as a front line infantry weapon. A committee formed by the British Army began the search for a replacement and opted for a design which combined a breech loading action devised by the Swiss gunsmith Friedrich Von Martini and an innovative rifled barrel developed by the Scotsman Alexander Henry. The result was the Martini Henry Mark I which was first issued in 1871. Altogether four classes of Martini Henry were produced, the last being the Mark IV plus a series of carbine models.
The original cartridges issued with the Martini Henry rifles were shoddily made rolled brass, produced by the orphans of British soldiers. The flimsy construction and poor quality standards were the cause of frequent jamming of the Martini designed action. The introduction of the much superior Boxer-Henry cartridge went a long way to resolving the problems.
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| Martini Henry rounds (centre two) compared to Snider Cartidge (left) and 303 (right) |
A well drilled British soldier could fire ten rounds per minute, with a maximum range of 1,500 yards although the weapon was at it's most effective at ranges of less than 600 yards where the heavy round proved devastating to flesh and bone.
For close quarter fighting a variety of bayonets were issued. In 1871, when the rifle first entered service, the Common Socket Bayonet 1853 model was adapted to fit. Unfortunately it was designed for use with muzzle loading rifles and the blade, which curved away from the rifle to allow loading, was regarded as too short to be effective. The Long Common Socket Bayonet was introduced in 1876 with an extended straight blade.
Martini Henry Rifle in Service
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| The Battle of Rorke's Drift |
The British Army was actively engaged in several colonial wars throughout the service lifetime of the Martini Henry. During the Anglo Zulu war of 1879 British soldiers carried the Mark I and Mark II variants which proved highly effective against the densely packed Zulu Impi formations. The renowned discipline of the British redcoat combined with the impressive firepower of their Martini Henry rifles allowed a small garrison of less than 150 men, many of them wounded or sick, to survive the repeated charges of several thousand Zulu warriors at Rorke’s Drift. The earlier disaster at Isandlhwana where over 1,200 British and colonial troops were killed is sometimes blamed on the tendency of the rifle to jam during heavy use. However by that time the battle was already lost due to poor troop deployment, inadequate ammunition supply, the blinding incompetence of the senior British commanders from Lord Chelmsford down and their tendency to underestimate the capability of the Zulu warrior.
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| British Defeat at Isandlwana |
The defeat of the British at Isandlhwana remains the heaviest loss of life ever suffered by the British Army at the hands of native forces and lead to a grudging acknowledgement of the fighting qualities of the Zulu amongst the Redcoats if not among their officers. Despite the undeniable bravery and discipline of the Zulus, the Impis were not able to repeat their earlier successes against the British. In a series of engagements leading up to their final defeat at the Royal Kraal at Ulundi, the power of the Zulu King Cetshwayo was finally broken. In just over 30 minutes on the morning of July 4th 1879, a force of between 12,000 to 15,000 Zulus was destroyed by a combined force of 4,000 British troops supported by 1,000 irregulars, 10 cannon and 2 gatling guns. The Redcoats began to fire volleys with their Martini Henry rifles at 2,000 yards, cutting down the advancing Zulus in huge numbers. No Zulu managed to survive the withering fire long enough to get close enough to use their spears. British fatalities were less than 20.
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| The Burning of the Royal Kraal at Ulundi |
The rifle saw action in the Sudan
The Martini Henry is Withdrawn
The last Martini Henrys were produced in 1889 although the rifle continued to be issued up until 1904 and was still in limited service as late as the First World War. As British troops were issued with the replacement Lee Enfield 303 riles, the now obsolete Martini Henrys were handed down to colonial troops.
The Martini Henry in Film
While the name may be absent in the credits, the Martini Henry played a starring role in the classic 1964 film “Zulu”. In one of the concluding scenes the commander of the garrison Lt John Chard, played by Stanley Baker, in conversation with the Color Sergeant of the 24th credits the miracle of their survival to the Martini Henry and the Short Chamber Boxer-Henry cartridges. Due to a shortage of Martini Henrys several of the British redcoats can be clearly seen firing bolt action Lee Enfields which were not produced until 1895, sixteen years after the events at Rorke’s Drift.
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