A DREAM came true for a pensioner in Brecon when he got to meet one of the Zulu queens.

Kim Crimmens, 79, from Coelbren, had wanted to meet a descendant of the Zulu warriors ever since learning about his great uncle who fought in the Anglo-Zulu wars.

Kim’s dream moment occured on Wednesday, August 23 when he attended the reception before the gala performance of King Cetshwayo, the musical written by Jerry Pooe, at Theatr Brycheiniog.

Mr Crimmins said: “One thing I really wanted to do was meet one of the Zulu Royal Family. It’s been a bridge of nearly 150 years. We didn’t want to fight the Zulus and they didn’t want to fight us. My great uncle John had a great respect for the Zulu military. I just thought it would be a nice thing to do (to meet a descendant).”

Along with his wife, Barbara, he shared the room with an official who spoke on behalf of the king of the Zulu Nation, Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzul, some of the royal princes and princess, and other Zulus who were participating in events involved in the Sibanye celebration. He also met Queen Mantfombi, who he spoke to about the war and his great uncle, John Fielding, who fought at the Battle of Rorke’s Drift and is thought to be the youngest Private awarded with the Victoria Cross in his regiment.

Mr Crimmins said: “I had quite a long chat with the Queen and she was a very genuine person. She had heard there was a very young soldier at Rorke’s Drift, although she didn’t know who he was, but I was able to tell her the whole story. It was a truly wonderful night and I really enjoyed it.”

With the help of a variety of sources, including the late leading South African historian David Rattray and Lady Baker who is thought to have researched for the 1964 film Zulu, Mr Crimmens became increasingly fascinated with the life and history of his great uncle. John, who was in the 24th Regiment of Foot later called the South Wales Borderers, is believed to have been awarded the Victoria Cross at the age of 19 in Gibraltar.

Mr Crimmins said: “He called himself John Williams while he was in the regiment, but his actual name is John Fielding. Even my father didn’t really know why he changed his name. I think it was pretty common at the time because a lot of people ran away so they could join the military.”

John Fielding, who was originally from Pontnewydd, was a long-serving soldier who re-enlisted and went to fight in India unlike a lot of his peers who went home following their time in South Africa.

Mr Crimmins said that John only wrote letters once or twice while he was away and, ironically, was nearly killed by his great grandmother when he returned to Pontnewydd.

Speaking about his great grandmother, Mr Crimmins said: “When John came home, there had been a murder near where they lived, I believe at the time it was called the ‘Cuckoo Clock Murder’. My great grandmother, his sister, was making the bed the night he came home.

“He burst through the door and made her jump so badly she threw the pitchfork from the fireplace at him. Luckily it just missed him and went into the door. As a family, we’ve always thought it would have been a really funny way for him to go – surviving all those battles to be killed by his sister!”

As well as photos of his great uncle, Mr Crimmins has a collection of John’s medals. He also owns a book on his great uncle’s time in the regiment by the author Michael Glover.

John left the regiment to become a teacher in Coventry. However he left that soon afterwards to return to his home in Pontnewydd as he did not enjoy teaching. John Fielding and his family were originally from Ireland but spread out over Pontnewydd, Pontypool and Cwmbran.

And asked what he thought about the 1964 film Zulu, which starred Michael Caine, Mr Crimmins said: “I enjoyed the film, the only problem is how they show Private Hook. Hook was a true soldier, not the person you see causing trouble in the film, however I guess that’s just film writing, isn’t it?”