Last week saw the 140th anniversary of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift. It was a battle that saw around 150 British and colonial troops successfully defend a small British mission station against a combined Zulu army of between 3,200 and 4,000 warriors.
The battle began on the afternoon of Jan. 22, 1879, when forces under the command of Zulu royal Dabulamanzi kaMpande closed on Rorke’s Drift, located in what is now South Africa. Earlier that day, those forces had supported a larger Zulu attack in destroying a British formation of around 1,800 soldiers at nearby Isandlwana. At Rorke’s Drift, the British force centered around the 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment infantry regiment (later, South Wales Borderers) under Lt. Gonville Bromhead. The overall officer commanding (ranked by service time over Bromhead), however, was Royal Engineer Lt. John Chard.
Fighting commenced in late afternoon after the garrison established a crude defensive line on the mission’s perimeter. Things began badly for the British with an unsuccessful skirmishing attack on the Zulus by an allied Natal Native cavalry contingent. Outmatched and fearful of the vast Zulu army they faced, the Natal cavalry promptly abandoned the battlefield. Chard’s position now seemed impossible.
Then came the main attack.
The Zulus deployed hundreds of warriors in a frontal attack against Rorke’s Drift north wall. Originally driven back by heavy British fire and hand-to-hand engagement, successive Zulu attacks forced Chard to abandon the north wall and its hospital linchpin. It was in this evening fight to evacuate the hospital’s wounded patients and re-establish a new defensive line that some of the battle’s greatest heroism emerged. A number of the hospital defenders would later receive Britain’s Medal of Honor equivalent, the Victoria Cross. Their citations, as below, evidence their courage.
.png)
But the battle was not done. Throughout the night until the early hours of Jan. 23, the Zulus launched ferocious attacks attempting to surprise the British and break through weakening positions. But thanks to the remarkable leadership of the officers and senior noncommissioned officers, the line held. Chard and Bromhead reconcentrated their forces as weak points became vulnerable, and their disciplined soldiers eventually repelled the Zulu warriors.
By daylight, drained of morale and supplies, and exhausted by days of movement, the Zulus withdrew. Britain had won.
To this day, the Battle of Rorke’s Drift is remembered as a testament to British Army professionalism. While the 1964 epic movie “Zulu” is not entirely accurate, two scenes accurately illustrate the instrumental components of the British victory: effective command joined to professional skill.
In the first scene below, we see the leadership of the senior noncommissioned officer, Colour Sgt. Frank Bourne, in focusing the men on their work rather than their impending death. Bourne would receive Britain’s second-highest ranking medal for gallantry in battle as a result of his service at Rorke’s Drift. He would live to 91, dying on May 8, 1945, the day Nazi Germany surrendered to the allies.
Then there’s the concluding scene which sums up Chard’s extraordinary leadership in concert with his executive officer, Bromhead. Chard, who had no combat experience before the battle, received a Victoria’s Cross for saving his men and station. His citation, below the video, is also worth a read.
.png)
Don’t get me wrong. The British campaign was wholly imperialist in nature, designed to seize and govern territory for the benefit of the British Empire. But that does not dilute the heroism of Rorke’s Drift. If you don’t like books or movies, Alphonse de Neuville’s beautiful painting (made the following year) encapsulates the war, brutality, chaos, and courage of those two days 140 years ago.
