I think all we can say for certainty is that, because the 24th’s Regimental Depot had been in Brecon since 1873,.and the fact that the Regiment had been given the counties of Cardigan, Radnor, Brecon, and Monmouth for recruiting, then the 24th Regiment would have contained a higher proportion of Welshmen than most other British Regiments (excepting of course the 23rd and 41st Regiments). 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.

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] Note the word "some" in the third line down. A little further research tells us these "some" were English mineral and coal exploiters! A few very different ethnic groups met at Rorke's Drift in 1879, and the film gave all but one an equitable treatment. The English in the film are represented most prominently in the film by Bromhead's swaggering aristocratic character, and not by the bravery of the mostly English troops that he historically commanded. The fact that the defenders at Rorke's Drift were mostly English was glossed over by the film: "This is a Welsh regiment man, although there are a few foreigners from England in it." In fact, the composition of 'B' company, 24th Regiment, although later based out of Wales, actually contained only a small minority of Welsh defenders in 1879. The most genuinely kind character in the film also happens to be Welsh, a private named Tommy who constantly worries about the fate of a calf whose mother had died [1] (Morris, 1994: 99). Additionally, at the real battle, a missionary stood watch on a nearby hill as a sentry to warn of the Zulu's approach. However, once again the film makes a slight, yet telling departure from reality, by replacing the religious figure with two Welsh sentries. In one fell swoop, religion finds itself marginalized and the Welsh are lionized as the outpost's first line of defense. Baker was Welsh by birth and Prebble had been stationed in North Wales during much of the Second World War (to say nothing of the suffering of Baker's Welsh ancestors at the hands of the English) and so it seems fair to attribute the film's pro-Welsh tone largely to its producers (Prebble, 1993: 47).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). It was the thought of that implacable church and its obvious disgust for me … I had learnt this day that God was…a cut above the class to which we belonged. That day, I think, the painter was loosed from its mooring and my faith began a slow drift into non-belief (Prebble 1993: 96). Swedish power metal band Sabaton wrote the song "Rorke's Drift" about the battle for their 2016 album The Last Stand. [62] 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). 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.

Let us just take a look at just one of a multitude of online biographies that anyone can find just by googling "robert jones vc." The force was sufficient, in Chard's estimation, to fend off the Zulus. Chard posted the British soldiers around the perimeter, adding some of the more able patients, the 'casuals' and civilians, and those of the NNC who possessed firearms along the barricade. The rest of the NNC, armed only with spears, were posted outside the mealie bag and biscuit box barricade within the stone-walled cattle kraal. [18] 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". 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. The alphabetical list of descriptions is so easily to follow, Volume 1 covers from Adendorff to Jobbins, so it is easy to realise what at least some of Volume 2 will have in store.

Defeat at Isandlwana

In regards to RD and iSandlwana, the nationalities of the men of the 24th involved, really is irrelevent. 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. Most Zulu warriors were armed with an assegai (short spear) and a nguni shield made of cowhide. [20] The Zulu army drilled in the personal and tactical use and coordination of this weapon. Some Zulus also had old muskets, antiquated rifles, and some captured Martini-Henrys as used by the defenders, though their marksmanship training was poor, and the supply of powder and shot was low, and of poor quality. [21]

Sir Garnet Wolseley, taking over as commander-in-chief from Lord Chelmsford later that year, was unimpressed with the awards made to the defenders of Rorke's Drift, saying "it is monstrous making heroes of those who, shut up in buildings at Rorke's Drift, could not bolt and fought like rats for their lives, which they could not otherwise save". [49] The Royal Regiment of Wales". Rrw.org.uk. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012 . Retrieved 9 November 2012. It isn't 'just' their stories, it's Dispatches, newspaper articles, obituaries, casualty lists, honours and awards, court circulars, photos, drawings, letters and don't think the Zulus are left out, oh no they have included statements from some of the Zulu too.

RORKE'S DRIFT BY THOSE WHO WERE THERE: VOLUME 1.

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. This small outpost was defended by a garrison of around 150 British and Imperial troops. So, when a Zulu force of more than 3,000 warriors turned their attention to it, the odds of the British surviving were staggeringly low. 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.

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.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. 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. 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. 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)