summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
Eight soldiers from Liverpool fought the Zulus at Rorke's Drift :
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+r...+The+little-known+story+of+how...-a0111719935
The real story of Rorke's Drift; The little-known story of how Liverpool men were ready with their guns and bayonets when the Zulus charged at Rorke's Drift can now be told. David Charters reports.
Byline: David Charters
FROM the safety of their lounge chairs, millions of TV viewers have heard the thunder of Zulus beating their hide shields with assegais.
But even now, after so many showing of the film, they sense a surge of pride, when the soldiers besieged in the mission house, reply to the native war chant with their own song, Men of Harlech.
It is enough to bring tears to the eyes of any seasoned patriot.
But shouldn't those brave red-coated soldiers have been singing MaggieMay or some shanty from the Liverpool docks?
For anew book details the part played by men from Merseyside and other parts of theNorth West in the epic defence of Rorke's Drift. Our troops stood alone on January 22,1879,hours after a British force of at least 800 soldiers, supported by hundreds of native levies,had been destroyed by Zulu warriors drawn from the army of some8,000 assembled by King Cetawayo.
Liverpool's Daily Post was among those reporting events from the Transvaal with mounting concern. The Afrikaners in the area had requestedBritish help to check the Zulus and their fearless imp is (regiments).
But Cetawayoimperiously dismissed the British demand that he should disband his army and accept our sovereignty over his kingdom.
Instead, he attacked the slumbering British army ofLord Chelmsford at a place which would be remembered forever in history, Isandlwana.
Communications took much longer then, even in the mighty British Empire. But on February 12 came thedespatch that chilled the nation. ``A British Column Annihilated,'' ran the headline.
It would have been read by with foreboding by the families and friends of Liverpudlians serving with the 24th Regiment in the region. Twenty one of those who had enrolled in the city were killed. Nine men from Manchester were killed,four from Ashton-under-Lyme, four from Burnley, three from Preston and one from Wigan.
Queen Victoriaand her Government, under Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli,and ordinary men and women were shocked to learn that amodern, well-equipped army could be routed by what had regarded as a primitive people. But these Zulus had been grievously under-estimated.
A victory was needed and needed quickly to redress the balance, so the ``spin doctors'' of the day could turn disaster into triumph.
It came about eight miles away at Rorke's Drift. Flushed with success,having washed their spears in blood, theZulu's felt they could quickly rub out this missionary outpost, where there was also a supply base and a hospital.
ITWASbeing defended that day and night by 155 men, of whom 36 were sick or wounded. All were under the command of Lt John Rouse Merriott Chardof the RoyalEngineers, who had been sent there to work on points on the BuffaloRiver,and Lt Gonville Bromheadcommander of the 24th.
In the 1964 film their parts were played by Stanley Baker and MichaelCaine.
Crucially, the semen at Rorke's Drift hadMartini Henry rifles which could fire 20 rounds a minute in idealconditions, accurately up to 400 yards. The assegai,a terrible weapon in hand-to-hand combat,couldn't match that.
Among the marksmen were men from Liverpool: James Ashton; Thomas Buckley,Thomas Burke, PatrickKears,Augustus Morris, Frederick Morris,Robert Norrisand Peter Sawyer. All were to receive the SouthAfricaMedal 1877- 78 and the 1879 clasps. Most also received an address from the Mayor ofDurban,expressing``admiration and gratitude''. Eleven members of the garrison were awardedVCs,leading some modern historians to wonder whether the battlehadbeen glorified to deflect attention from the defeat at Isandlwana. Whatever the truth of that, there is no doubt that most defenders conducted themselves with bravery.
Seventeen died and many more were wounded. But our loss was tiny compared to that of the Zulus, whose bodies piled up in hundreds behind the walls and mealiebags. In a letter to his wife,Sergeant George Smith, refers toaMr James Dalton, who was parading the scene urging, the troops to ``pot the fellows''.
In the film, which was shown again on Boxing Day,emphasis is laid on the Welshness of the defenders. The list of those awarded theVC was read by RichardBurton from Pontrhydfen.
Confusion might have arisen from the fact that the 24th Regiment had moved its headquarters fromBirmingham to Brecon in 1873,but the 2nd Warwickshires (themen at Rorke's Drift) did not take the name the SouthWales Borderers until 1881.
PrivateBurke was typical of the tough, unyielding men, who built and protected a great empire. At Rorke's Drift,he did his duty,no more and no less.
After that,bouts of venereal disease and dyspepsia suggested that he enjoyed the company of the bottle and women in about equal measure. Althoughhe later reached the rank of sergeant with the Liverpool King's, he was demoted at least once for drunken behaviour.
ON LEAVING the Army in 1897,Burke marriedHonora Lambert.
They had three children and moved to Wellesley Road,Toxteth. He was appointed landlord of the Crown Vaults pub in ParkRoad. He died in 1925,aged 64,leaving more than pounds 14,000,agoodly fortune then.
A rededication service was held at his gravesideat FordCemetery, Litherland, on July 7 2002,by the 1879 Group set up to commemorate Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.
Somefaredless well. Thomas Buckley was living in a hostel in Liverpool at the time of his death, having either lost of sold his medals. However, shortly before his death, replacements were issued for him to wear at a veterans' reunion in Gateshead. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Anfield Cemetery (section 19/grave923) in 1934.
Jim Bancroft, 50,afather off our from Eccles,has always been fascinated by military history and has written a series of illustrated books calledLocalHeroes,covering the Crimean War, theIndian Mutiny and the Boer War. Now he has addedRorke's Drift.
``Most of the rank and file soldiers were rough and ready lads from the coal-mining, docks and cotton-manufacturing community in an around the tough city slums,'' he says. ``Their only alternative to the highly-disciplined life in the British Army was a precarious environment and drudgery. This combination, and their staunch loyalty to their unit, made them equally formidable fighters and a rifle in their hands gave them the advantage.''
When not writing history,Jim, his wife Tracey,and daughter, Kirsty,13,are singers in a band calledTime Span.
LOCAL Heroes,by James Bancroft,is published at pounds 9.95,by The House of Heroes,at 280, Liverpool Road,Eccles,Manchester M30 ORZ.
LIVERPOOL'S ISANDLWANA CASUALTIES
Corporal William Burns,Private William Shuttleworth,Private Robert Leach, Private John Bishop,Private William Farmer,Private Robert Shaw, Private John Dyer,Corporal Nicholas Ball,LanceSergeant John Milner, Private James Lycett, Private John Lamb, Private Henry Sears, Private John Johnson, Private William Brown, Private John Dobbin, Private William Hayden,Corporal James Lawler,Private George Glass,Corporal Peter Bell,Private Thomas Walsh and Private Charles Smith.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+r...+The+little-known+story+of+how...-a0111719935
The real story of Rorke's Drift; The little-known story of how Liverpool men were ready with their guns and bayonets when the Zulus charged at Rorke's Drift can now be told. David Charters reports.
Byline: David Charters
FROM the safety of their lounge chairs, millions of TV viewers have heard the thunder of Zulus beating their hide shields with assegais.
But even now, after so many showing of the film, they sense a surge of pride, when the soldiers besieged in the mission house, reply to the native war chant with their own song, Men of Harlech.
It is enough to bring tears to the eyes of any seasoned patriot.
But shouldn't those brave red-coated soldiers have been singing MaggieMay or some shanty from the Liverpool docks?
For anew book details the part played by men from Merseyside and other parts of theNorth West in the epic defence of Rorke's Drift. Our troops stood alone on January 22,1879,hours after a British force of at least 800 soldiers, supported by hundreds of native levies,had been destroyed by Zulu warriors drawn from the army of some8,000 assembled by King Cetawayo.
Liverpool's Daily Post was among those reporting events from the Transvaal with mounting concern. The Afrikaners in the area had requestedBritish help to check the Zulus and their fearless imp is (regiments).
But Cetawayoimperiously dismissed the British demand that he should disband his army and accept our sovereignty over his kingdom.
Instead, he attacked the slumbering British army ofLord Chelmsford at a place which would be remembered forever in history, Isandlwana.
Communications took much longer then, even in the mighty British Empire. But on February 12 came thedespatch that chilled the nation. ``A British Column Annihilated,'' ran the headline.
It would have been read by with foreboding by the families and friends of Liverpudlians serving with the 24th Regiment in the region. Twenty one of those who had enrolled in the city were killed. Nine men from Manchester were killed,four from Ashton-under-Lyme, four from Burnley, three from Preston and one from Wigan.
Queen Victoriaand her Government, under Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli,and ordinary men and women were shocked to learn that amodern, well-equipped army could be routed by what had regarded as a primitive people. But these Zulus had been grievously under-estimated.
A victory was needed and needed quickly to redress the balance, so the ``spin doctors'' of the day could turn disaster into triumph.
It came about eight miles away at Rorke's Drift. Flushed with success,having washed their spears in blood, theZulu's felt they could quickly rub out this missionary outpost, where there was also a supply base and a hospital.
ITWASbeing defended that day and night by 155 men, of whom 36 were sick or wounded. All were under the command of Lt John Rouse Merriott Chardof the RoyalEngineers, who had been sent there to work on points on the BuffaloRiver,and Lt Gonville Bromheadcommander of the 24th.
In the 1964 film their parts were played by Stanley Baker and MichaelCaine.
Crucially, the semen at Rorke's Drift hadMartini Henry rifles which could fire 20 rounds a minute in idealconditions, accurately up to 400 yards. The assegai,a terrible weapon in hand-to-hand combat,couldn't match that.
Among the marksmen were men from Liverpool: James Ashton; Thomas Buckley,Thomas Burke, PatrickKears,Augustus Morris, Frederick Morris,Robert Norrisand Peter Sawyer. All were to receive the SouthAfricaMedal 1877- 78 and the 1879 clasps. Most also received an address from the Mayor ofDurban,expressing``admiration and gratitude''. Eleven members of the garrison were awardedVCs,leading some modern historians to wonder whether the battlehadbeen glorified to deflect attention from the defeat at Isandlwana. Whatever the truth of that, there is no doubt that most defenders conducted themselves with bravery.
Seventeen died and many more were wounded. But our loss was tiny compared to that of the Zulus, whose bodies piled up in hundreds behind the walls and mealiebags. In a letter to his wife,Sergeant George Smith, refers toaMr James Dalton, who was parading the scene urging, the troops to ``pot the fellows''.
In the film, which was shown again on Boxing Day,emphasis is laid on the Welshness of the defenders. The list of those awarded theVC was read by RichardBurton from Pontrhydfen.
Confusion might have arisen from the fact that the 24th Regiment had moved its headquarters fromBirmingham to Brecon in 1873,but the 2nd Warwickshires (themen at Rorke's Drift) did not take the name the SouthWales Borderers until 1881.
PrivateBurke was typical of the tough, unyielding men, who built and protected a great empire. At Rorke's Drift,he did his duty,no more and no less.
After that,bouts of venereal disease and dyspepsia suggested that he enjoyed the company of the bottle and women in about equal measure. Althoughhe later reached the rank of sergeant with the Liverpool King's, he was demoted at least once for drunken behaviour.
ON LEAVING the Army in 1897,Burke marriedHonora Lambert.
They had three children and moved to Wellesley Road,Toxteth. He was appointed landlord of the Crown Vaults pub in ParkRoad. He died in 1925,aged 64,leaving more than pounds 14,000,agoodly fortune then.
A rededication service was held at his gravesideat FordCemetery, Litherland, on July 7 2002,by the 1879 Group set up to commemorate Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.
Somefaredless well. Thomas Buckley was living in a hostel in Liverpool at the time of his death, having either lost of sold his medals. However, shortly before his death, replacements were issued for him to wear at a veterans' reunion in Gateshead. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Anfield Cemetery (section 19/grave923) in 1934.
Jim Bancroft, 50,afather off our from Eccles,has always been fascinated by military history and has written a series of illustrated books calledLocalHeroes,covering the Crimean War, theIndian Mutiny and the Boer War. Now he has addedRorke's Drift.
``Most of the rank and file soldiers were rough and ready lads from the coal-mining, docks and cotton-manufacturing community in an around the tough city slums,'' he says. ``Their only alternative to the highly-disciplined life in the British Army was a precarious environment and drudgery. This combination, and their staunch loyalty to their unit, made them equally formidable fighters and a rifle in their hands gave them the advantage.''
When not writing history,Jim, his wife Tracey,and daughter, Kirsty,13,are singers in a band calledTime Span.
LOCAL Heroes,by James Bancroft,is published at pounds 9.95,by The House of Heroes,at 280, Liverpool Road,Eccles,Manchester M30 ORZ.
LIVERPOOL'S ISANDLWANA CASUALTIES
Corporal William Burns,Private William Shuttleworth,Private Robert Leach, Private John Bishop,Private William Farmer,Private Robert Shaw, Private John Dyer,Corporal Nicholas Ball,LanceSergeant John Milner, Private James Lycett, Private John Lamb, Private Henry Sears, Private John Johnson, Private William Brown, Private John Dobbin, Private William Hayden,Corporal James Lawler,Private George Glass,Corporal Peter Bell,Private Thomas Walsh and Private Charles Smith.
