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

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The 1st battalion, 24th regiment, spent much of the 1870's in Mediterranean garrisons - Malta and Gibraltar - before being despatched directly to South Africa in November 1874. The 2nd battalion was based in Aldershot in 1874, Dover from August 1875 and Chatham from 1877 prior to its departure for the Cape in February 1878. Throughout that time both battalions continued to receive recruits through the efforts of recruiting sergeants ACCROSS THE COUNTRY, although there had been a SLIGHT increase in recruits from the area covered by the district depot as a result of its association with the local malitia. A more uninteresting or more stupid-looking fellow I never saw. Wood (a subordinate of Wolseley) tells me he is a most useless officer, fit for nothing." 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. This book is extensive and it makes it difficult to think that there is a second volume, which I'm going to buy once this is posted.

Carroll, Rory. Legendary Battle of Anglo-Zulu War marred by brutal aftermath, The Guardian 29 April 2003 There are many details missing from the film, well there is only so much you can fit in, and some things were outright untrue. Hook wasn't a criminal and drunk, he was a teetotaller and his reason for being in the hospital to defend it so gallantly? He was the hospital cook, and not a malingerer. C/Sgt Bourne was in his 20's and known as 'the kid' being the youngest man of that rank in the entire army. The title of the regiment would have been a trivial irrelevence to the men in it, who served the Queen in it both before and after 1879. Whatever their nationality, they would have lived, laughed, ate, slept, fought and died with each other and for each other. In this classic work, Anglo-Zulu War experts Lee Stevenson, Alan Baynham-Jones and Ian Knight examine a wide range of personal testimonies from those present at Rorke’s Drift, while also presenting a clear overview of the battle in its entirety. By reading this account, readers will gain an impressive, unique breadth of knowledge about one of the most epic battles in British history. This updated edition includes even more first-person accounts from the combatants on both the British and Zulu sides. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( October 2010) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)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. 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) Whybra (2004) gives the most up-to-date analysis of the numbers present at the Battle of Rorke's Drift. He counts 154 definite participants, with 2 others listed as "possibles". Of the principle characters only 5 (Owen, Thomas, Williams 612, and the two Jones’) are portrayed as Welsh. What defines a nationality ? Is it where a person is born; is it where the person’s father was born ?; is it where he lives ?; is it where he works ?; is it where he “feels” he is from?; is it where the soldier enlists ?; etc, etc. To get a definitive answer you would have to apply the same criteria to EACH individual, and quite frankly the information to do that is just not available. So, just because a soldier says he’s from Merthyr Tydfil, is not proof that he was Welsh !! Nor because he’s called Jones, or Evans, etc. And how accurate are the enlistment records ? The documentation may well have been done by someone who was not a Welsh speaker, and it is much easier for a “Sais” (Englishman) to write down and spell, for example, “Monmouth” rather than “Pontllanfraith”

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. 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. 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. hours prior to Rorke's Drift, the Zulus had massacred 1300 British soldiers at iSandlwana, about 6 miles away. Survivors from this massacre passed by Rorke's Drift as they were fleeing, telling the men there what was coming their way.With the defences nearing completion and battle approaching, Chard had several hundred men available to him: Bromhead's B Company, Stevenson's large NNC company, Henderson's NNH troop, and various others (most of them hospital patients, but 'walking wounded') drawn from various British and colonial units. Adendorff also stayed, while the trooper who had ridden in with him galloped on to warn the garrison at Helpmekaar. [18] Join Zulu War expert Ian Knight as he draws on first-hand accounts from the Battle of Rorke’s Drift to offer fresh insights into the experiences of those involved. 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. A Zulu force of more than 3,000 warriors had 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 fascinated military history enthusiasts for decades. Officially there were NO English regiments and NO Welsh regiments – as Julian has just said – they were BRITISH regiments. As to affiliations, certainly where a regiment was located would affect the perception of belonging. I can see no problem with the public associating a regiment with its depot in Wales as being “Welsh”. Again, as I’ve said before, this is how the Welsh press were reporting it in 1879. This might not be palatable to you – but hey, you can’t please everyone !