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Friday 22 January 2021

One hundred and forty-two years ago today ...

... Zulu forces attacked and destroyed most of the troops forming Nos. 2 and 3 Columns of the British army that was invading King Cetswayo’s Zulu domain. The fighting took place in the shadow of Isandlwana, an isolated 1.284m /4,213ft-high hill. 

Of the approximately 1,800 British-led troops who took part in the battle, 1,300 were killed, the majority being drawn from the 1st Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot, the Natal Native Contingent, and other native auxilliary troops. There were a total of fifty-seven British officers in command of the troops at Isandlwana, of whom only five survived.

Later that day, Zulu troops who had not taken part in the battle attacked the British outpost at Rorke’s Drift ... where just over 150 soldiers of the regular army (mainly drawn from B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot) held them off until the next day. During the fighting, at least 500 Zulus were killed at a cost of seventeen dea and fifteen wounded British casualties. Eleven Victoria Crosses and four Distinguished Conduct Medals were awarded to the defenders.


The films ZULU DAWN and ZULU tell the story of the fighting at Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift, and with a bit of luck I hope to be able to watch them later today or at some point over the weekend. The former is a worthy and fairly accurate depiction of what happened at Isandlwana, and the latter tells a somewhat fictionalised version of the fighting at Rorke's Drift. That said, it is an outstanding film in its own right, and never ceases to entertain me whenever I watch it.

22 comments:

  1. Totally agree Bob. Maybe I will start one of the DVDs now.
    And should I start working on the wargames?
    20mm: I have no zulus.
    6mm. i gave away ny zulus.
    3mm. I have WW1 Germans for Brits and Barbarian warriors for Zulus...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whiskers,

      Watching the DVDs sounds like a great place to start ...

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  2. By complete coincidence I have watched both films recently. My old vhs copy of Zulu Dawn is failing but the complete movie has been posted by someone on youtube (shhh).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ross Mac,

      I regularly watch ZULU, especially when I’m feeling a bit glum. I have yet to find another film that succeeds in improving my mood every time I watch it.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  3. David Manley tells a story that someone of his acquaintance insisted that during Zulu, Michael Cain has the line "Oh you, don't you throw your bl**dy spears at me!"
    It ended up with a viewing where the person concerned kept muttering "it's just after this bit...."
    Of course, as he plays an upper class officer and not his cheery cockney, the line is completely apocryphal.
    DM has named his blog after the anecdote.
    Neil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Neil Patterson,

      I am told that Michael Caine is aware of this urban myth (a good friend of mine was Sir Michael’s driver and assistant for some time) and assures people that he never, ever said it!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  4. Enjoy the movies Bob. How did the vaccination go?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maudlin Jack Tar,

      I know that I’ll enjoy whichever of the two films I watch first.

      To date, I’ve had no side effects from the vaccination. Once I’ve had the second dose, I’ll be even better protected than I will be in a fortnight or so.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  5. For a real Zulu Fest, watch the 1980s Shaka Zulu mini series on Netflix as a prequel!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ian Drury,

      I don’t have a Netflix subscription ... yet! This information means that it might be something worth acquiring.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  6. I hate to be the party pooper, but wasn't it 142 years ago..?
    ( No need to publish this comment if you just want to quietly correct the title! )
    I like the bit where Michael Caine says "you're only supposed to..." oh hang on, no, it's not that.... :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David in Suffolk,

      You are absolutely correct! My mind is still stuck in 2020, and hasn’t yet properly moved into 2021! I’ve corrected the title of this blog post accordingly.

      If anyone would have shouted at the Zulus about throwing their spears at him, it would have been Henry Hook ... the role that I believe Michael Caine was originally going to be cast as until he was seem by Cy Endfield.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  7. So, for the UK, are the battles of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift kind of analogous to the Alamo for the US?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mr. Pavone,

      A better analogy would be the Battle of the Little Big Horn and the subsequent attack on the troops commanded by Reno and Benteen.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
    2. Yeah, that makes a lot more sense now that I think about it. Thanks.

      Delete
    3. Mr. Pavone,

      Coincidentally, Chard and Reno both died from cancer of the tongue.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  8. I have visited Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift 3 times. Of the many, many battlefields I have visited around the world, Isandlwana is by far the most emotive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jeremy Ramsey,

      I am very envious, as I would have loved the opportunity to visit the two battle sites.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  9. Years ago, I was in a relationship with a lady from Shropshire, whose father was from southern Wales. She was amazed that I had any knowledge at all about Harlech Castle's history (she had lived near its grounds as a child) I never did tell her that my research was inspired by ZULU and its largely contrived, but highly entertaining "history."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Justin Penwith,

      You never know when knowledge acquired through ones hobbies will pay dividends!

      Some years ago I was in a party being shown round the Artillery Museum in St Petersburg, Russia. Our museum guide was one of the curators, and what he said was being translated by our tour guide. She kept trying to translate things using non-technical terms (e.g. ‘stick for lighting gun’), and I would then ask if she meant, for example, a linstock. The curator realised that I knew the correct technical terms, and the proceeded to talk directly to me and not her, and I then explained what he was pointing at to the rest of the group. The tour guide looked decidedly annoyed ... and my wife told me off afterwards for showing off. However, I later found out that the curator had shown us items that were not included on the normal tour because he had an audience that knew something about artillery!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
    2. I had a chuckle at that story. People are very willing to go above and beyond when they have a truly appreciative audience.

      Delete
    3. Justin Penwith,

      He was incredibly knowledgeable, and the collection is vast. The courtyard outside was full of examples of what looked like every Russia/Soviet artillery piece used during the twentieth century. If you ever get the chance to pay the museum a visit, I thoroughly recommend it.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete

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