Rorke's Drift
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| Battle of Rorke's Drift | |||||||||||||||||
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| Conflict | Zulu War | ||||||||||||||||
| Date | January 22 - January 23, 1879 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place | Rorke's Drift, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||
| Result | Decisive British victory | ||||||||||||||||
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Rorke's Drift was a mission station in Natal, South Africa. The defense of Rorke's Drift (January 22 - January 23, 1879) during the Anglo-Zulu War, immediately followed the British Army's humiliating defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana earlier in the day. At Rorke's Drift approximately 150 British soldiers defended their garrison against an intense assault by roughly 5000 Zulu warriors. In the ensuing action, eleven Victoria Crosses were won, the largest number of VCs awarded during a single action in British military history.
The events surrounding the assault on Rorke's Drift were dramatised in the film Zulu in 1964. In 1979 the battle at Isandhlwana was dramatised in the film Zulu Dawn 1979.
The Victoria Crosses
The following 11 recipients were awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) for the defence of Rorke's Drift.
- William Wilson Allen
- Gonville Bromhead
- John Rouse Merriott Chard
- James Langley Dalton
- Frederick Hitch
- Alfred Henry Hook
- Robert Jones
- William Jones
- James Henry Reynolds
- Ferdnand Christian Schiess
- John Williams
See the list of Zulu War Victoria Cross recipients for a full list of VCs awarded during the war, and also list of Victoria Cross recipients by Campaign
External links
- Extensive information about the action at Rorke's Drift. (http://www.rorkesdriftvc.com/)
- Excellent minute by minute detail. (http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/19thcentury/rorkesdrift/default.aspx/)