Rorke’s Drift is situated 46 km southeast of Dundee and is the site of one of the most famous battles of the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879. 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. He built a small church, mission house and cattle kraal at the foot of a rocky mountain which he named Oskarberg.
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. The garrison at Rorke’s Drift was almost overwhelmed by the Zulu onslaught but they held out and the British success is held as one of history’s finest defences. The 11 Victoria Crosses awarded for valour at Rorke’s Drift are still more than for any other military action in history.
When Lord Chelmsford, the commander-in-chief of British Forces in Natal, invaded Zululand on 11th January 1879, he encamped on the other side of the river, 16km to the east, under the mountain at Isandhlwana. The objective of the invasion was the Royal capital of Ulundi. The three columns crossed into Zululand from Lower Tugela, Rorke’s Drift and Utrecht. The centre column under Lord Chelmsford arrived and encamped at Rorke’s Drift on 9th January 1879.
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. Later that day, 4,500 zulus led by Dabulamanzi attacked a small garrison of the 24th Regiment 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. In spite of this order, the Zulu took the rifles from the bodies of the British dead and marched on Rorke’s Drift. The mission station was manned by 97 ready soldiers, housed 36 wounded, 14 helpful natives five officers and two lieutenants, one of which was new to the area. The Battle of Isandlwana was arguably the most humiliating defeat in British colonial history and just hours later, at Rorke’s Drift, 139 British soldiers successfully defended their garrison against an intense assault by 4,500 Zulu warriors.
What is often overlooked is that the Battle at Rorke’s Drift could very well have ended in the same disastrous manner as Isandlawana, but for one key factor: Rorke’s Drift was a supply depot, so the British soldiers who defended it were able to rely on a nearly-unlimited source 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. The British knew the Zulus were coming but they 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. The British decided to stay and fight at Rorke’s Drift.
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. Defensive lines were built between the hospital and the store room. 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 Zulus attacked the hospital setting fire to the 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.
After witnessing the aftermath of Isandlwana, Chelmsford was convinced that Rorke’s Drift had fallen and only the sound of cheering from the mission station convinced him otherwise. 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded to the men who held out at Rorke’s Drift. Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne was one of five men to be 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. Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Bourne OBE DCM was 91 years old.
The ideal place to stay when visiting the Zulu Battlefields of Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana is Fugitives Drift where you can take a tour with Rob Caskie or one of the other excellent lecturers. 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)
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