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

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On 22 January 1879, as one of the greatest disasters to befall British troops of the Victorian era was nearing its conclusion at Isandlwana, a very different story was about to unfold a few miles away at the mission station of Rorke’s Drift. Edward M. Spiers, The Scottish Soldier and Empire, 1854–1902, Edinburgh University Press, 2006, p. 41. ISBN 978-0-7486-2354-9 Also: Ian Knight, Zulu War, Osprey, 2004, p. 9, "By late 1878 Frere had manipulated a diplomatic crisis with the Zulus..." Colenso 1880, pp. 261–262, "the terms... are evidently such as he (Cetshwayo) may not improbably refuse, even at the risk of war... to preclude you from incurring the delay... involved in consulting Her Majesty's Government upon a subject of so much importance as the terms..." Also: Ian Knight, Zulu War, Osprey, 2004, p. 11, "...an ultimatum with which, Frere knew, they could not possibly comply." After the battle, 351 Zulu bodies were counted, but it has been estimated that at least 500 wounded and captured Zulus might have been massacred as well. [37] [40] Having witnessed the carnage at Isandlwana, the members of Chelmsford's relief force had no mercy for the captured, wounded Zulus they came across, [41] nor did the station's defenders. Trooper William James Clarke of the Natal Mounted Police described in his diary that "altogether we buried 375 Zulus and some wounded were thrown into the grave. Seeing the manner in which our wounded had been mutilated after being dragged from the hospital... we were very bitter and did not spare wounded Zulus". [42] Laband, in his book The Zulu Response to the British Invasion of 1879, accepts the estimate of 600 that Shepstone had from the Zulus. [43] 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. I have not got Sheldon Halls book, so I cannot read it for reference, however, I do note that you say that Sheldon said, "The film is faithful ONLY to the broad general outlines and BASIC sequence of events of the battle of Rorke's Dift. MANY details, including ALL the characterisations, were wholly INVENTED and MANY incidents EMBELLISHED and FICTIONALISED for dramitic effect. You also said that the draft script called for the men to sing an "old Welsh march", One could ask WHY???? Was this not to give the impression that the 24th regiment was Welsh?

H. Rider Haggard's true account, "The Tale of Isandhlwana and Rorke's Drift", published in Andrew Lang's True Story Book (1894), [55] names many important figures but omits Surgeon Reynolds, who played a crucial role in the defence. [56] Haggard, H. Rider; Kerr, C. H. M. (ill.) (1893). "The Tale of Isandhlwana and Rorke's Drift". In Lang (ed.). The true story book. London; New York: Longmans, Green. pp.132–152.

Fight or flight?

Gunner John Cantwell; N Batt, 5th Brig Royal Horse Artillery (demoted from bombardier wheeler the day before the battle)

Wood, M.J. (2009). Leaders and Battles: The Art of Military Leadership. Random House Digital, Inc. p.138. ISBN 9780307537034. Swedish power metal band Sabaton wrote the song "Rorke's Drift" about the battle for their 2016 album The Last Stand. [62] Knight, Ian, Rorke's Drift 1879, "Pinned Like Rats in a Hole"; Osprey Campaign Series #41, Osprey Publishing 1996, ISBN 1-85532-506-3.

Legacy

Porter 1889, p. 33, "17 killed and 10 wounded" (including one killed by 'friendly fire' while fleeing the garrison at start of the battle)

Hanson, V. D. (2001). Why the West Has Won: Carnage and Culture from Salamis to Vietnam. London: Faber. p. 333. ISBN 978-0-571-20417-5.Yes, the 24th's depot had been moved to Brecon by the government in 1873, but both battalions of the regiment had never been there when the Zulu war started in 1879, and both battalions consisted of long term service men, meaning that it would have been well after Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift before newly trained recruits would have started to filter through to the ranks. Of the 122 soldiers of the 24th Regiment present at the Battle of Rorke's Drift, 49 are known to have been of English nationality, 32 were Welsh, 16 were Irish, 1 was a Scot, and 3 were born overseas. The nationalities of the remaining 21 are unknown." Estimates vary: Thompson 2006, p. 65, gives 100. Knight 1996, p. 27, gives 100 to 300. Knight, Ian. Greaves, Adrian, (ed.). Redcoats and Zulus, 2004, p. 116. when found. At roughly 7:00a.m., an impi of Zulus suddenly appeared, and the British manned their positions again.

As I've read more about Rorkes Drift, I've come to admire both Chard and Bromhead, who displayed and provided exceptional confidence, inspiration, guidance and courage throughout the defence: "The success of the defence can be attributed to a number of aspects. A main factor was the exceptional leadership displayed throughout the battle. The key men involved provided a fine mix of experience, fearlessness, foresight, and influence. These key players operated in a smooth and mutually supportive manner, enabling the garrison to adapt to any situation or predicament that was thrown at them."At the end of the fighting, 400 Zulus lay dead on the battlefield. Only 17 British were killed, but almost every man in the garrison had sustained some kind of wound. [16] Kable wrote: Wasn't part of the discussion on the forum to do with the wrong naming of the 24th at these battles ? Quoting from the Queen's Regs was just to clarify this matter. I'm just an outsider looking on. The statistics were not related to any attempt to prove who was “Welsh” and who was not. As I’ve said a number of times, even with a good definition of what you class as “Welsh”, with the information available, it is IMPOSSIBLE to calculate the exact number of Welshmen (or indeed Irish) with any degree of certainty in the 24th All we can say is that in 1879 the 24th contained a higher proportion of Welshmen than regiments whose depots were not located in Wales. By the beginning of the Anglo-Zulu campaign in January 1879 NEITHER battalion had spent time in Brecon. The 1st battalion, moreover, still contained a high proportion of older, experienced men woh had joined under the 'long service' system that had prevailed BEFORE the establishment of the Brecon depot. The recent time spent at home by the 2nd battalion was reflected in a higher proportion of young recruits who had joined under the 'short service' system. Since the 1st battalion had been at the Cape, a number of men had left it on the expiry of their term of enlistment, and had been replaced by drafts from home; despite this, any MARGINAL increase in the Welsh character of the regiment had fallen rather to the 2nd battalion. In fact, however, where records are available - and they are not always complete or reliable - they suggest there were VERY FEW Welshmen in either battalion during the war. Of the men of the 2/24 who defended Rorke's Drift (B company, together with a handful of patients in the hospital) whose regional origins are known with any certainty, 62 were from England (including 5 from Monmouthshire), 25 were from Ireland and 17 from Wales.