One of the best movies ever.
L
Posted on 04/16/2007 12:46:53 PM PDT by mondonico
[On 21-22 January 1879, immediately after the disaster of Isandlwana, Zululand, where Britain's initial invading force was wiped out by the Zulus, aproximately 150 British soldiers, wounded and volunteers defended a supply depot and hospital against 4000 Zulu warriors at a place called Rorke's Drift.]
[snip]
.... From a position on top of the store's roof, Private Fred Hitch shouted he could see some four to six thousand Zulus advancing towards the post. One wit, Private Augustus Morris, retorted from below, "Is that all?"
Chard withdrew the infantry picquets and the Zulus came in sight. Ranged against Chard's command of scarcely one hundred and fifty men, were over four thousand warriors drawn from the amabutho-regiments of the uThulwana, the iNdlondlo and the uDloko ....
[snip]
On the rear wall the aim of the Zulu riflemen was improving, Corporal John Lyons was struck in the neck by a musket ball, (that very ball is on display at the Museum of the South Wales Borderers, Brecon.) thus wounded he encouraged his fellow corporal, William Allan, "Give it to them, Allan, I'm done; I'm dying." Allan replied, "all right Jack," before a bullet too struck him in his right arm.
[snip]
Manning this secondary line of defence was Bromhead, Private Hitch and five others, but they exposed to rifle fire from both the front and back of the post. Of this group only Bromhead remained unscathed, four of the men were killed, and Hitch and the other wounded. The slug, which struck Hitch's right shoulder, shattered the shoulder blade into thirty-nine pieces. Seeing Hitch's plight Bromhead, handed him his revolver in order to defend himself.
[snip]
Then, there began in earnest a battle within a battle, the defence of the hospital, and what must be amplified at this time a defence conducted purely by private soldiers, not one of the hospital defenders was a non-commissioned officer ....
[snip]
The Zulus launched a concerted attack on the hospital, assaulting the western end room held by Privates John and Joseph Williams. With them in this room were Private William Horrigan and two other patients. With bullet and bayonet the two aided by Horrigan held the room, which had no means of exit save for door leading to the outside and to the Zulus. John Williams seized a pick-axe and began knocking a hole in a partition wall, then the Zulus grabbed hold of Joseph Williams's rifle and manhandled him out of the room, spread-eagled him and assegaied him. With the door undefended, the warriors poured into the room, killing the two hospital cases, just in time John Williams and Horrigan escaped through the breached wall. The roof of the hospital was now ablaze, and a choking smoke filled the small confined room. Pressed by the Zulus Hook left his room, leaving behind much to his chagrin the wounded N.N.C. private, Hook heard the Zulus questioning the private before putting him to death.
Hook found himself in a room containing nine sick men, until John Williams, who informed Hook of Joseph Williams's fate, Horrigan was dead, joined him also, he had stumbled in the wrong direction after exiting the escape hole and blundered into some Zulus in the smoke and confusion. John Williams knocked a hole in the wall of this room, whilst Hook held off the Zulu challenge. A flung assegai struck Hook's helmet, the blade grazing his head, so confined was the space that only one Zulu at a time could attempt to engage Hook, who met each attack in turn. In the meantime, John Williams had succeeded in evacuating all but one of the sick, Private John Connolly, who was recovering from having dislocated his knee. Hook left his post and dragging Connolly behind him escaped through the hole, dislocating his knee again in the bargain.
[snip]
Back inside the hospital John Williams and Hook, forced their way through a side wall of a room which was resolutely defended by Privates Robert and William Jones, they too had held of a fierce onslaught of warriors. Robert Jones had been slightly wounded by an assegai that had grazed his abdomen. The remaining four soldiers of the hospital guard saw that they only option was to pass the patients out of a high window in the rear south-eastern room out into the bullet-swept yard. Seeing their plight the wounded Corporal William Allan and Private Frederick Hitch rushed to the window to render what assistance they could, whilst from the second line of defence the defenders kept the Zulus' heads down. Trooper Sidney Hunter of the Natal Mounted Police stumbled to the ground having exited the window, disorientated, he hesitated long enough for a Zulu warrior to leap the abandoned mealie bag defences and assegai him, before him too fell to the rifles of the defenders.
[snip]
Chard's command was now confined to the small area in front of the storehouse. Surgeon Reynolds was now treating the wounded on the veranda. Chaplain Smith went around the defenders praising the Lord and passing the ammunition, rebuking as he did so the oaths of the defenders. One retorted that, the Padre should keep to prayer whilst he busied himself in sending the Zulus to Hell.
Walter Dunne of the Commissariat Department busied himself in building a last redoubt of mealie sacks, eight feet high. The Zulus pressed the defenders from the cattle kraal, which was situated to the left front of the store. The burning thatch of the hospital illuminated the dark night, helping the soldiers to pick their targets. The insistent attacks of the warriors probed the small perimeter, but each time the Zulus were driven back. As the night wore on the attacks lessened in their ferocity.
First light on Thursday, 22nd January, 1879 brought the defenders a sight of utter devastation; hundreds of Zulu dead ringed the post, the air reeked of burnt flesh from the hospital - but the Zulus were gone. In the last few hours they had begun to slip away back across the Buffalo River, and into KwaZulu, now only the dead and wounded remained, save for one who stood up and fired at the post, before he too loped off.
[snip]
Of the one hundred and fifty, or so, of the defenders, fifteen had died outright, two others would died from their wounds, and sixteen others had been wounded.
Eleven of the defenders were awarded the Victoria Cross, and five others were nominated for the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
Queen Victoria summed up the action, when she stated, "The Defence of Rorke's Drift is Immortal."
Here's a song that captures the best of British fighting spirit, Men of Harlech, which was sung by the Royal Welsh Regiment at Rorke's Drift on the 120th anniversary of the battle. http://www.rorkesdriftvc.com/myths/menofharlech.mp3
Good job there were no Iranians on rubber rafts around to surrender to.
These men may have been useful, the current crop are a liabilty.
One of the best movies ever.
L
Yeah that!
I have a DVD of the remake. I saw it at the movies when it first came out. Amazing what can be done with a single action rifle. I’ve often wondered what a Cobra helecopter would’ve done to the attacking Zulu.
Brave and heroric battle on both sides.
This article mentions some sort of Zulu weapon used on the Brits called an assegai. Does anybody know what it is?
it’s a short thrusting spear, not to be confused with the long spears carried by the greeks.
Thanks. My knowledge of things African has broadened a bit.
I haven’t been on these boards for long, but every negative thread about Britain that appears, you can always guarantee a seemingly delighted post from one poster above all- yourself. Why the anti-British attitude? Have you ever been to the UK? It really does border on racism the amount of vitriol you pour at the UK at every opporunity. Unsurprisingly, you never post on threads that are positive about the UK and its contribution to world affairs (unless to criticise Britain). Why the double standard?
As for the contribution of Britain’s ‘current crop’ to the WOT, your criticisms border on the irrational. Can you please name me one ally of the United States that has contributed more to the WOT than the United Kingdom (and I’m talking about real blood sacrifice)? If you chide your strongest ally like this, then is your argument that the whole of the rest of the world does not bear any worth? You insult British men and women who have laid down their lives for their US friends by describing them as a liability. I personally trust the judgement of a man (American) who has seen British troops fight first hand.
See link:http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/british-forces-at-war-as-witnessed-by-an-american.htm
If you do proper academic research, you would recognise that the British army/military is recognised as one of the pound-for-pound best in the world.
I have nothing but respect for the US military and the US as a country. However, given the high profile case a couple of years back of US troops refusing convoy duty in Iraq, I feel it is the height of hypocrisy to use the Iranian hostage situation as a brush to tar the British nation. (By the way, it was the British in a rubber dingy (singular) who surrendered to eight Iranian gunboats, with 12.7mm heavy machine guns with troops wielding RPGs in this case, but don’t let facts get in the way of another cheap shot will you mate? :-)).
Doubtless I’ll be met with more meaningless words to insult the British nation, which is a shame given that I have nothing but respect for your country.
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