[1] As part of preparations for this war the British military commander Frederic Thesiger (later and more commonly known as Lord Chelmsford) began gathering forces in the Colony of Natal for an invasion of Zululand.

It had originally been intended that each company would be commanded by a regular British Army officer of the Royal Engineers, but there were too few to spare, and Durnford had to turn to the Natal government to supply suitable men.

The Natal Colony also supplied the equipment for the troops: each man was provided with a pickaxe, shovel or crowbar and the non-commissioned officers were issued with a rifle.

The Natal Pioneers were also issued knee-length white canvas trousers, a blue pillbox hat with a yellow band and a British Army greatcoat.

[2] Durnford had intended that the entire NNC would be similarly uniformed but a lack of supply left them to make do with only a red rag tied around the head as an identifying badge.

[10][12] The unit was assigned to Chelmsford's Centre Column for the invasion and were put to use almost immediately after the initial crossing of the Buffalo River into Zululand at Rorke's Drift on 11 January.

The marshy ground around the Bashee River proved impassable to Chelmsford's wagon train and Nolan's Pioneers were called into action to construct a corduroy road.

[14] Chelmsford left the camp with around half his troops on the morning of 22 January 1879 to conduct a recognisance in force around the Mangeni Falls, where elements of the Zulu army had been spotted.

[15][16] A small detail of one officer and ten men was left behind at the camp where it was caught up in the disastrous British defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana later the same day.

[18] The company, was positioned in the centre of the British square at Ulundi and suffered no losses bar Lieutenants Hickley and Andrews who were wounded in action.

[22] During this time Lieutenant Main commanded the unit and was mentioned in dispatches to the British House of Commons for the role he played in repairing the tracks ahead of the column.