Last Stand in Africa - The Shangani Patrol 1893

Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that bring British History to life.

The Shangani Patrol: Major Wilson’s Last Stand Against Impossible Odds (1893)

(This is a re-issued video, previously released on 6 September 2025).

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On December 4th, 1893, near the banks of the Shangani River in what is now Zimbabwe, fewer than 30 British soldiers under Major Allan Wilson made their final stand against over 3,000 Matabele warriors.

Surrounded, outnumbered, and cut off from reinforcements by a raging river, these men fought until their ammunition ran out.

Legend says that as the enemy made their final charge, the survivors stood and sang "God Save the Queen" before meeting their fate.

This dramatic last stand became the stuff of British imperial legend, shaping white Rhodesian identity for eight decades. But what brought these men to this desperate moment in the African wilderness?

The story begins with Cecil Rhodes and his British South Africa Company's expansion into Mashonaland in 1890.

To the west lay the powerful Matabele kingdom under King Lobengula, who continued traditional raids against the Shona people - now living on white settler farms.

When Dr. Leander Starr Jameson declared war in October 1893, two columns advanced into Matabele territory, devastating the kingdom's forces with modern rifles and Maxim guns.

After capturing the burning capital of Bulawayo, Major Patrick Forbes led a flying column in pursuit of the fleeing king., Lobengula. The force included the ambitious Major Allan Wilson, experienced Boer frontiersman Piet Raaff, and American scout Frederick Burnham.

Wilson's led a small patrol across the Shangani river on December 3rd in pursuit of the king.. During the night, he found himself surrounded by thousands of warriors.

The 29 men formed a defensive ring using their horses as cover and fought for hours against overwhelming odds. Matabele accounts describe Wilson being shot six times but continuing to fight, and wounded men passing ammunition with their teeth.

In the end, seven men remained standing. They removed their hats, shook hands, and sang a hymn, legend has it that it was "God Save The Queen"

The legend of the Shangani Patrol became embedded in Rhodesian mythology until Zimbabwe's independence in 1980.

Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:48 The Scramble for Africa
1:26 Matabeleland
2:28 First Matabele War
4:16 Patrick Forbes
4:59 Allan Wilson
6:14 Commandant Raaff
7:15 Flying Column
8:18 Frederick Burnham
9:06 War and Peace
10:46 Matabele Trap
11:47 A Fatal Decision
13:03 Shangani Patrol
14:41 Surrounded
15:55 Reinforcements (sort of)
18:08 Battle Begins
19:34 Trapped
20:13 Burnham Escapes
20:59 Last Stand
23:28 Matabele Casualties
24:13 Forbes' Retreat
25:03 Aftermath
27:23 Birth of a Legend

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My name is Chris Green and I love to share stories from British history. Not just because they are interesting but because, good or bad, they have shaped the world we live in today.

History should not be stuffy or a long list of dates or kings & queens.
So rather than lectures or Youtube animations, I tell stories that bring the past to life.

My aim is to be chat as if I were having a coffee or meal with you. Jean in Maryland, USA recently wrote: "Chris, is the history teacher I wish I had at school!"

Just for the record, I do have a history degree in Medieval & Modern history from the University of Birmingham and am a member of the Royal Historical Society.
I am also a member of the Victorian Military Society, the Anglo Zulu War Society and the Military Historical Society.

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