The Battle of Rorke’s Drift
Rorke’s Drift is the site of the most famous battle of the Anglo-Zulu War of 1979 and lies around 30 miles southeast of Dundee. The countryside around Rorke’s Drift is unspoilt and tranquil. Irishman James Rorke had originally set up a trading station about 1 mile from the drift (crossing point) of the Buffalo River and was known to the Zulus as KwaJimu (Jim’s place). Reverard Otto Witt of the Swedish Missionary Society later establish a mission station at Rorke’s Drift. Under the shadow the the rocky mountain he named Oskarberg, he built a small church, mission house and cattle kraal.
The mission station had been ‘requisitioned’ by Lord Chelmsford. The house was used as a hospital and the chapel was used as a storehouse. During the battle it was used as a surgery. The defence of the mission station of Rorke’s Drift immediately followed the British Army’s defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana earlier that morning on 22nd January 1879. Despite an almost overwhelming onslaught by the Zulus, the British garrison at Rorke’s Drift held out and has gone down as one of the finest military defences in history. The 11 Victoria Crosses awarded for valour at Rorke’s Drift are still more than for any other military action in history.
Lord Chelmsford’s forces invaded Zululand on 11th January 1879 and his central column encamped under the mountain at Isandlwana. Three columns invaded Zululand, from the Lower Tugela, Rorke’s Drift and Utrecht respectively, their objective being Ulundi, the Royal capital of the Zulus. On 9 January 1879 the centre column under Lord Chelmsford arrived and encamped at Rorke’s Drift.
On the morning of 22nd January 1879, the main Zulu army attacked the British camp at Isandlwana. Lord Chelmsford had taken part of his force off in another direction in search of the Zulu army. Hopelessly outnumbered, the British and native forces were slaughtered by the Zulus which saw only around 50 men escape with their lives. The rest of the 1,000+ strong force were killed. After Isandlwana, Dabulamanzi led 4,500 Zulus to attack the small garrison at Rorke’s Drift. These Zulus had missed out on the action at Isandlwana and wanted to prove themselves in battle. The Buffalo River formed the border between Zululand and Natal and King Cetshwayo had ordered his warriors not to venture into Natal. Despite their King’s order, the Zulus took rilfes from the British dead and headed to Rorke’s Drift. 36 of the men at the mission station were in the hospital. There were just 97 fit solders, 14 natives, 5 officers and 2 lieutenants, one of which was new to the area. Isandlwana was a humiliating defeat for the British but just hours later at Rorke’s Drift, 139 men successfully defender the mission station against an attack by 4,500 Zulus.
Rorke’s Drift could easily have ended up in the same disastrous manner as Isandlwana. However, Rorke’s Drift was a supply depot which meant the defenders had a huge supply of ammunition. Over 20,000 rounds were fired by the British at Rorke’s Drift which meany only every 50th shot resulted in an outright kill. Knowing the Zulus were coming, the British chose to stand and fight. Wounded men would had to have been loaded onto wagons and Zulu warriors would easily have caught them in the open. They decided to fight on ground of their choosing.
On top of having numbers that crushed a force five times that size hours before, the Zulus now had the Martini-Henry rifles taken off the British dead, giving them an even larger edge against the British.
Henry Hook and five other privates were ordered on the afternoon of 22nd January to protect approximately 30 patients unable to be moved from the temporary hospital at Rorke’s Drift station. Lines of defence were built to join the store room with the hospital. An inner defensive line was built between the hospital and store room and this proved crucial as the battle of Rorke’s Drift unfolded. The hospital was the first building to be attacked by the Zulus who set fire the to roof. Private Hook and the others fought for hours, digging their way through the inner walls from room to room and eventually escaping the burning building. Wave after wave of warriors with spears and rifles crashed against the makeshift defences at Rorke’s Drift. The British defences held strong as battles raged throughout the night and by morning, the Zulus eventually withdrew.
The massacre at Isandlwana had convinced Lord Chelmsford that Rorke’s Drift had suffered a similar fate. 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded to the men who held out at Rorke’s Drift. CSM Frank Bourne was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the rare honour of a commission. However, his army pay was his only money had he felt he couldn’t not financially afford to become an officer so declined the commission. Fittingly, he was the last survivor of Rorke’s Drift to pass away on 8th May 1945 – VE Day. Lt-Col Frank Bourne OBE DCM was 91 years old.
If you plan to visit Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana, you will get the most from your visit by staying at Fugitives Drift and taking a tour with one of their team of lecturers lead by the excellent Rob Caskie. David Rattray was the pioneer of Anglo-Zulu War tourism and was the master of reciting the tales of the battles until his untimely death. Since then, Rob Caskie has stepped into his shoes and he brings the battlefields to life reciting stories of how the 11 men won their VCs at Rorke’s Drift. The accommodation at Fugitives Drift is also first class and with all the memorabilia in the lounge at the property, there is no better place to stay.
The men who tried to save the Queens Colours from Isandlwana are bured at Fugitives Drift. 2 nights would allow you to have time to see the graves of Lieutenants Melville and Coghill as well as visiting Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana in the order the battles happened.
You can book your trip to Rorke’s Drift with Explorer Travel by calling 0208 816 8789 or sending and enquiry via their website (http://www.big5.explorertravel.co.uk/BattlefieldsSouthAfrica.htm)
