A Very Fine Studded Knobkerrie Club
A Very Fine Studded Knobkerrie Club
Zulu / Nguni or surrounding neighbors
Zulu Kingdom - Transvaal Republic - Colony of Natal (South Africa)
Late 19th century (ca. 1880 - 1902)
Wood, brass, iron
Knob Diameter: 10,8cm
Overall Length: 79,4cm
Collection Date: 2023
Collection Number: 364
An outstanding example of the Zulu knobkerrie from the Boer War period. Carved from hardwood with a ball head studded in brass conicals. Engraved on all four sides in the time period. On one face is the name "W. Worby", "Boer War", and the years of the Second Boer War, "1899, 1900, 1901". The following engravings are names of various battles, "Tugela Heights" (2nd BW). Another, "Relief at Ladysmith" (2nd BW), and "Langs Nek" (1st BW). The last, "Bergendal" (2nd BW). Hardwood handle with five sections of fine wirework with brass and iron intertwined wire.
A fine knobkerrie with provenance to Mr. W. Worby displaying his participated battles and their according years. The studs are all still present, with the wire work in great shape. The battles span nearly 20 years, suggesting that Mr. W. Worby was a lifelong soldier. Trophies like this have surfaced from both Zulu and Boer Wars, collected during the soldier's time in South Africa; and later, sometimes after his return to England, inscribed with his achievements. The club is likely from the 1880s, possibly from the First Anglo- Boer War, and engraved at a later time around the end of the Second Boer War.
Nickel, Helmut. “Arms and Armor in Africa”. 1971. Page 45