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. Rorke’s Drift lies in tranquil and unspoilt countryside. About 1 mile from the Buffalo River, Irish trader and hunter James Rorke set up a trading station which 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.

Lord Chelmsford, had ‘requisitioned’ the property during his crossing at Rorke’s Drift, and used the house as a hospital and the chapel as a storehouse. During the attack, the building was used as a makeshift 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 22^nd 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 defence of Rorke’s Drift saw 11 Victoria Crosses awarded which is more than in any other single military action in history.

Lord Chelmsford’s forces invaded Zululand on 11th January 1879 and his central column encamped under the mountain at Isandlwana. 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. On 9 January 1879 the centre column under Lord Chelmsford arrived and encamped at Rorke’s Drift.

On the morning of 22^nd January 1879, the main Zulu army attacked the British camp at Isandlwana. Lord Chelmsford split his force leaving some at Isandlwana while he led the rest in search of the Zulus. Hopelessly outnumbered, the British and native forces were slaughtered by the Zulus which saw only around 50 men escape with their lives. The remainder of the 1,000+ force were wiped out. 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. In defiance of Cetshwayo, the Zulus marched on Rorke’s Drift armed with rifles they had taken from the British dead at Isandlwana. 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. Had the British chose to abandon Rorke’s Drift, the would had to have taken the wounded away on slow moving wagons and the Zulus would easily 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.

Around 30 patients could not be moved from the temporary hospital at Rorke’s Drift and on the afternoon of the 22nd January 1879, Henry Hook and five other privates were ordered to the hospital to protect them. Defensive lines were built between the two buildings – the hospital and the store room. Inside this perimeter, an inner defensive line was built between the two buildings and this proved crucial in the battle. The roof of the hospital was set on fire by the Zulus. 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. The makeshift defences stood firm as wave after wave of warriors, spears and rifles crashed into them. The battles raged through the night and by morning the British defences still held strong and 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 defenders of 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 8^th 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.

A minimum of 1 night is recommended at Fugitives Drift although staying 2 nights would allow you to visit Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift in chronological order as well as giving you time to wander down to the river to see where Lieutenants Melville and Coghill died tried to save the Queens Colours and where they lie buried.

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)