Rorke's Drift By Those Who Were There: Volume I: 1

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You can question whether his unquestioning defence of the qualities of Chard and Bromhead is wholly justified but that is a small quibble On 22 January 1879, during the final hour of the Battle of iSandlwana - one of the greatest disasters ever to befall British troops during the Victorian era - a very different story was about to unfold a few miles away at the mission station of Rorke's Drift. When a Zulu force of more than 3,000 warriors turned their attention to the small outpost, defended by around 150 British and Imperial troops, the odds of the British surviving were staggeringly low. The British victory that ensued, therefore, would go down as one of the most heroic actions of all time, and has enraptured military history enthusiasts for decades. Think of Rorke’s Drift, and what comes to mind? A brutal battle, singing Welshmen (as if war isn’t bad enough already) Redcoats and Michael Caine. The truth is a little different and this book covers the whole battle, in the words of those who were there (because they were there).

when found. At roughly 7:00a.m., an impi of Zulus suddenly appeared, and the British manned their positions again. Yes you have beaten us; you had the best guns, but we have the best men . . . But we’ll fight again in two or three years’ time."– Prince Dabulamanzi kaMpande (who led the Zulu at Rorke’s Drift)Morris, Donald R. The Washing of the Spears: A History of the Rise of the Zulu Nation under Shaka and Its Fall in the Zulu War of 1879. Da Capo Press, 1998, ISBN 0-306-80866-8.

The bottom line is this. The film made it appear that the 24th was Welsh, it was not, it also made it appear that the regiment contained more Welshmen than the few 'forigners from England', it did not, it gave the impression that the 24th was very much a Welsh regiment by singing 'Men of Harlech', which was not the regimental song of the 24th at the time, and this never happened anyway, it made it appear that most V.C's went to Welshmen, they did not, it did state that the regiment was called the SWB, even if it was Richard Burton saying it at the end of the film, the name of the regiment was given has being the SWB, which it was not.The book includes all the citations for the 11 (yes eleven) Victoria Crosses earned over the 12 hours of fighting. The fighting was hand-to-hand at times, with bayonets being used against spears in the night time. Featuring a wide range of first-hand accounts and testimonies from those present during the Battle of Rorke's Drift, Rorke's Drift By Those Who Were There is a remarkable work of Anglo-Zulu military history by those who know the topic best, Lee Stevenson and Ian Knight. This updated edition of the classic work of the same name includes even more first-person accounts from the combatants on both the British and Zulu sides. Also, as mentioned, one member of Stevenson's 2nd/3rd NNC, Corporal William Anderson, was killed by British fire while fleeing the station just prior to the arrival of the Zulus. Ever since first seeing Zulu as a child it has been my favourite film, and I have found the story of the defence of Rorkes Drift fascinating. In reading more extensively on the subject in recent years, I have found the reality to be even more compelling (even if they didn't really sing Men of Harlech).

In the aftermath of the battle, modesty and graciousness were two other attributes displayed by both officers, as demonstrated in this quote from Chard: Wood, M.J. (2009). Leaders and Battles: The Art of Military Leadership. Random House Digital, Inc. p.138. ISBN 9780307537034.Of the principle characters only 5 (Owen, Thomas, Williams 612, and the two Jones’) are portrayed as Welsh. The Royal Regiment of Wales". Rrw.org.uk. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012 . Retrieved 9 November 2012. Nice to see some ‘new’ photographs that I had not seen before, but there was one photograph that I had seen before, which in my opinion is incorrectly identified. That is the photograph identified as Prince Dabulamanzi kaMpande listed as No. 34. The photograph has previously appeared in Ian Knight’s Nothing Remains But to Fight. As some of the forum might be aware I have something of a close affinity with the descendant family of Prince Dabulamanzi. I vividly recall showing my late, great friend Prince V. A. Shange the photograph in Nothing Remains But to Fight, and his response he refuted it then with the words “That is not my grandfather! That is my Great Uncle his half-brother, Prince Ndabuko.”