Of the 11 patients, nine survived the trip to the barricade, as did all the able-bodied men. According to James Henry Reynolds, four defenders were killed in the hospital: one was a member of the Natal Native Contingent with a broken leg; Sergeant Maxfield and Private Jenkins, who were ill with fever and refused to be moved were also killed. Reportedly, Jenkins was killed after being seized and stabbed, together with Private Adams who also refused to move. Private Cole, assigned to the hospital, was killed when he ran outside. Another hospital patient killed was Trooper Hunter of the Natal Mounted Police. [34] Among the hospital patients who escaped were a Corporal Mayer of the NNC; Bombardier Lewis of the Royal Artillery, and Trooper Green of the Natal Mounted Police, who was wounded in the thigh by a bullet. Private Conley, with a broken leg, was pulled to safety by Hook, although Conley's leg was broken again in the process. [35] Cattle kraal and bastion [ edit ]

In the aftermath of the battle, modesty and graciousness were two other attributes displayed by both officers, as demonstrated in this quote from Chard: Let us just take a look at just one of a multitude of online biographies that anyone can find just by googling "robert jones vc."

It was the thought of that implacable church and its obvious disgust for me … I had learnt this day that God was…a cut above the class to which we belonged. That day, I think, the painter was loosed from its mooring and my faith began a slow drift into non-belief (Prebble 1993: 96). hours prior to Rorke's Drift, the Zulus had massacred 1300 British soldiers at iSandlwana, about 6 miles away. Survivors from this massacre passed by Rorke's Drift as they were fleeing, telling the men there what was coming their way. At this point, we would do well to examine the personalities of those involved in Zulu's creation. John Prebble was a Scottish historian with over twenty books to his credit, his most famous works being Culloden (1964) and The Highland Clearances (1963). Prebble's leftist political leanings are made quite clear in his own autobiography: "The passion we felt made me, like others, members of the British Communist Party" (Prebble, 1993: 14). In The Highland Clearances, Prebble sheds more light on his own particular leftist ideological philosophy, clearly influenced by English imperialism in his beloved Scotland (Prebble, 1969: 323). The title of the regiment would have been a trivial irrelevence to the men in it, who served the Queen in it both before and after 1879. Whatever their nationality, they would have lived, laughed, ate, slept, fought and died with each other and for each other. Whybra, Julian (2004). England's Sons: a casualty and survivors' roll of British combatants for the battle of ... Isandhlwana. One Slice Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-908901-94-1.

In regards to RD and iSandlwana, the nationalities of the men of the 24th involved, really is irrelevent. The statistics I quoted were as a result of the point you raised about long service men. YOU stated “both battalions consisted of long term service men, meaning that it would have been well after Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift before newly trained recruits would have started to filter through to the ranks” (and Ian Knight does NOT say this, you have misinterpreted what he has written !). Do you not agree that the statistic of 75% of B Company having been trained at Brecon tends to disprove your statement ? The book includes all the citations for the 11 (yes eleven) Victoria Crosses earned over the 12 hours of fighting. The fighting was hand-to-hand at times, with bayonets being used against spears in the night time. Knight, Ian, Rorke's Drift 1879, "Pinned Like Rats in a Hole"; Osprey Campaign Series #41, Osprey Publishing 1996, ISBN 1-85532-506-3.

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As the figures suggest, both battalions of the 24th LARGELY reflected the general pattern of regional origins within the British Army at the time; the MAJORITY of them were English, many of them were Irish, and SOME were Scottish and Welsh.

David, Dr. Saul. Zulu: The True Story. BBC . Retrieved 29 September 2011. {{ cite book}}: |work= ignored ( help) I think all we can say for certainty is that, because the 24th’s Regimental Depot had been in Brecon since 1873,.and the fact that the Regiment had been given the counties of Cardigan, Radnor, Brecon, and Monmouth for recruiting, then the 24th Regiment would have contained a higher proportion of Welshmen than most other British Regiments (excepting of course the 23rd and 41st Regiments). Ever since first seeing Zulu as a child it has been my favourite film, and I have found the story of the defence of Rorkes Drift fascinating. In reading more extensively on the subject in recent years, I have found the reality to be even more compelling (even if they didn't really sing Men of Harlech). I've read a few books about Rorke's Drift and this is one I will be keeping in my library. The book covers aspects of the battle not previously covered in anything else I've read, such as the defence and the withdrawal from the hospital and who was where and when during this time.

The Zulus

The statistics were not related to any attempt to prove who was “Welsh” and who was not. As I’ve said a number of times, even with a good definition of what you class as “Welsh”, with the information available, it is IMPOSSIBLE to calculate the exact number of Welshmen (or indeed Irish) with any degree of certainty in the 24th All we can say is that in 1879 the 24th contained a higher proportion of Welshmen than regiments whose depots were not located in Wales. Wood, M.J. (2009). Leaders and Battles: The Art of Military Leadership. Random House Digital, Inc. p.138. ISBN 9780307537034.

You can question whether his unquestioning defence of the qualities of Chard and Bromhead is wholly justified but that is a small quibble Following the destruction of the1/24trh at Isandlwana replacements were hurried out from drafts appointed from no fewer then eleven line battalions of very mixed origins. The 24th's lasting associations with Wales TRULY DATE FROM a new wave of army reorganisation instituted in APRIL 1881 when the old regimental numbers were discontinued and new local titles allocated. (Source Ian Knight) Hanson, V. D. (2001). Why the West Has Won: Carnage and Culture from Salamis to Vietnam. London: Faber. p. 333. ISBN 978-0-571-20417-5.The point is well worth remembering when reading this "New Pespective" on the renowned battle of Rorke's Drift based only on primary sources of the survivors. I had mild concerns about this book simply becasue the title suggests a revisionist approach that this book makes no effort to atttempt. Laband, John (1992). Kingdom in Crisis: The Zulu Response to the British Invasion of 1879. Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-3582-1.