"Joseph Rorke Joseph Rorke (April 26, 1832 – April 11, 1907) was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Grey Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Conservative member from 1886 to 1894. He was born in Tecumseh Township, Simcoe County, Upper Canada in 1832, the son of Richard Rorke, an immigrant from Ireland. He moved with his family to Collingwood Township in 1848. Rorke worked on his father's farm and taught school. In 1859, he was appointed a justice of the peace. From 1860 to 1864, he worked as an accountant for merchants in Clarksburg. Rorke"
"maybe not, but in the long annals of military history, it is difficult to find anything quite like Rorke's Drift, where a beleaguered force, outnumbered forty to one, survived and killed twenty men for every defender lost"". Awarded the Victoria Cross: In 1879 there was no provision for the posthumous granting of the Victoria Cross, and so it could not be awarded to anyone who had died in performing an act of bravery. In light of this, an unofficial ""twelfth VC"" may be added to those listed: Private Joseph Williams, B Coy, 2nd/24th Foot, who was killed during the fight"
"single action is seven, to the 2nd/24th Foot, for the defence of Rorke's Drift, 22–23 January 1879, during the Zulu War. The greatest number won in a single conflict is 628, being for the First World War. There are five living holders of the VC—one RAF (WW2), three British Army (Confrontation, Iraq and Afghanistan) and one Australian Army (Vietnam). Eight of the then-twelve surviving holders of the Victoria Cross attended the 150th Anniversary service of remembrance at Westminster Abbey on 26 June 2006. In the 1990s, Australia and New Zealand created their own highest award with both named in honour"
"Henry Hook (VC) Alfred Henry ""Harry"" Hook VC (6 August 1850 – 12 March 1905) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, for his actions at the Battle of Rorke's Drift. Born in Churcham, Gloucestershire, Hook originally served in the Monmouth Militia for five years before enlisting in the regular army in March 1877, aged 26. Previously serving in the 9th Xhosa War in 1877, he received a scalp injury during the battle of Rorke's Drift,"
"William Allen (VC 1879) William Wilson Allen, VC (""circa"" 1843 – 12 March 1890) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC) for his actions at the Battle of Rorke's Drift in January 1879, the highest and most prestigious award for valour in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He had joined the 24th Regiment at Aldershot in 1859. He was about 35 years old, a sergeant who had recently been reduced in rank to corporal for being drunk on duty. He was in the 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot"
"William Jones (VC) William Jones (1839 – 15 April 1913) was a British recipient of the Victoria Cross for his action at the Battle of Rorke's Drift in January 1879, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Jones attestation papers list him as being born at Evesham, Worcestershire. He may have been of the family of shoemakers by the name of Jones that lived in Cowl Street, Evesham in mid-1840s but he was actually born on 16th August 1839, at 5 Lucas Street, Castle"
"Robert Jones (VC) Robert Jones VC (19 August 1857 – 6 September 1898) was a Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross for his actions at the Battle of Rorke's Drift in January 1879, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Jones was born at Penrhos, near Clytha, between Raglan and Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, Wales. Jones was 21 years old, serving as a private in the 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot (later The South Wales Borderers), British Army din the Anglo-Zulu War. At Rorke's"
"The Defence of Rorke's Drift The Defence of Rorke's Drift is an 1880 painting by Elizabeth Thompson, Lady Butler depicting the 1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift which took place during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1877 to 1879. The battle and the men who fought in it were made famous in the 1964 film ""Zulu"". The Battle of Rorke's Drift caused a wave of patriotic fever in the United Kingdom and the surviving participants, especially the officers, were feted on their return in October 1879, first going to Windsor Castle to meet Queen Victoria before posing for Elizabeth Thompson at Portsmouth"
"decoration and even with the Coat of Arms off centre, such as the one depicted. The John Chard Decoration is an oval medallion struck in silver, 39 millimetres wide, 51 millimetres high and 3 millimetres thick. It depicts a tree, the river and the mission station at Rorke's Drift in Natal, the scene of the 1879 battle in which Lieutenant Chard and ten of his men won the Victoria Cross (VC), and is inscribed ""RORKE'S DRIFT 1879"". The scene is surrounded by the inscriptions ""JOHN CHARD"" at the top and ""DECORATION : DEKORASIE"" at the bottom. The reverse has the"
"Private Thomas Collins Private Thomas Collins of Pelcomb, Camrose in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales was a participant in the battle of Rorke's Drift which took place 22-23 January 1879. During this battle, the 24th regiment of foot fought and resisted a force of at least 4,500 Zulu warriors leaving 17 British dead and 10 wounded, along with 450 dead Zulu warriors. Private Collins was born 13 February 1861, Pelcomb, Camrose, near the county town of Haverfordwest, son of Thomas Collins of Roch, Pembrokeshire and Dorothy Lewis of Camrose. His great grandparents were William Collins and Martha Smith of Roch,"
"Zulu Army had withdrawn. Lord Chelmsford and a column of British troops arrived soon afterwards. The garrison had suffered 15 killed during the battle (two died later) and 11 defenders were awarded the Victoria Cross for their distinguished defence of the post, 7 going to soldiers of the 24th Foot. The stand at Rorke's Drift was immortalised in the 1964 movie ""Zulu"". The regiment was not fundamentally affected by the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, which gave it a depot at The Barracks, Brecon from 1873, or by the Childers reforms of 1881 – as it already possessed two battalions,"
"reverse and with the suspender struck as an integral part of the medal, such as the one depicted. The John Chard Medal is an oval medallion struck in bronze, 39 millimetres wide, 51 millimetres high and 3 millimetres thick. It depicts a tree, the river and the mission station at Rorke's Drift in Natal, the scene of the 1879 battle in which Lieutenant Chard and ten of his men won the Victoria Cross, and is inscribed ""RORKE'S DRIFT 1879"". The scene is surrounded by the inscriptions ""JOHN CHARD"" at the top and ""MEDALJE : MEDAL"" at the bottom. The reverse"
"matinée performance on 22 January (the anniversary of the battle) towards a fund for a fitting memorial to Frederick Hitch. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh, Brecon, Powys, Wales. Hitch was portrayed by David Kernan in the 1964 film ""Zulu"". Frederick Hitch Frederick Hitch, VC (29 November 1856 – 6 January 1913) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross for his actions at the Battle of Rorke's Drift, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Born in Southgate, in"
"pinnacles of each corner cluster. On the stonework are hunky punks of dogs. The chrcuh was Victorian restoration|restored]] in the 19th century with extra bays being added to the north and south aisles by George Gilbert Scott in 1867. The church includes a window dedicated to the memory of Colonel John Rouse Merriott Chard (1847–1897) who was an English soldier who won the Victoria Cross for his role in the defence of Rorke's Drift in 1879. It is a church within the Seven Sowers benefice which includes Curry Mallet, Beercrocombe, Orchard Portman, Staple Fitzpaine, Stoke St Mary (with Thurlbear) and"
"having fought in the battle from Lady Butler's sketch of him taken at Portsmouth among the other survivors; his name has subsequently been added to the roll of those who fought at Rorke's Drift. The Defence of Rorke's Drift The Defence of Rorke's Drift is an 1880 painting by Elizabeth Thompson, Lady Butler depicting the 1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift which took place during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1877 to 1879. The battle and the men who fought in it were made famous in the 1964 film ""Zulu"". The Battle of Rorke's Drift caused a wave of patriotic fever in"
"Frederick Hitch Frederick Hitch, VC (29 November 1856 – 6 January 1913) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross for his actions at the Battle of Rorke's Drift, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Born in Southgate, in Middlesex, he joined the British Army and served as a private in the 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot (later The South Wales Borderers). Frederick Hitch was illiterate, and when he joined the army he signed the official enlistment forms with a cross [X]. During the Anglo-Zulu"
"more partitions - and they were then able to bring eight patients into the inner line of defence"". The 1881 census shows Henry Hook V.C. as a servant in the household of George Owen Willis, a doctor in Monmouth, Monmouthshire. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the South Wales Borderers Museum, Brecon, Powys, Wales. A poem describing Hook's part in the battle of Rorke's Drift was written by William McGonagall in 1899. In the film ""Zulu"", Hook is depicted as an insubordinate malingerer placed under arrest in the hospital, only to come good during the battle. However, Saul David writes"
"in the hospital and for whom it was mentioned in despatches that ""had he lived he would have been recommended for the Victoria Cross"". Awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal: On 15 January 1880, a submission for a DCM was also made for Private Michael McMahon (Army Hospital Corps). The submission was cancelled on 29 January 1880 for absence without leave and theft. The events surrounding the assault on Rorke's Drift were first dramatised by military painters, notably Elizabeth Butler and Alphonse de Neuville. Their work was vastly popular in their day among the citizens of the British empire. In 1914,"
"Royal Welsh, Brecon, Powys, Wales. ""Bearing the Cross"" was a Ken Blakeson play which looked into the lives of three soldiers who fought at Rorke's Drift. It was broadcast in 2008 and 2009 on BBC Radio 4 with Nigel Anthony as William Jones VC, Sebastian Harcombe as Robert Jones VC and Jon Strickland as Henry Hook VC. The play starts in 1887 at Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in London, where the battle against the Zulus was restaged with Private William Jones VC as presenter. William Jones (VC) William Jones (1839 – 15 April 1913) was a British recipient of"
"War, aged 22, he fought at the Battle of Rorke's Drift (22–23 January 1879), and was awarded the VC for his actions. The citation was published in the ""London Gazette"": The soldiers were assisted in passing out ammunition by Padre George Smith. Hitch was severely wounded during the action, and was still in the Royal Victoria Military Hospital, Netley, Southampton when he received his medal from Queen Victoria. He was one of the eleven recipients of the VC awarded for their part in the battle. Hitch's wounds were so severe that they led to his discharge from service. He then"
"Battle of Rorke's Drift The Battle of Rorke's Drift, also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was a battle in the Anglo-Zulu War. The defence of the mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenants John Chard of the Royal Engineers and Gonville Bromhead, immediately followed the British Army's defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879, and continued into the following day. Just over 150 British and colonial troops successfully defended the garrison against an intense assault by 3,000 to 4,000 Zulu warriors. The massive but piecemeal Zulu attacks on Rorke's Drift came very"
"won Victoria Crosses during the action. Padre Smith is depicted in the centre of Alphonse de Neuville's famous 1880 painting 'The Defence of Rorke's Drift' distributing ammunition to the defenders. His collection of artefacts (including many photographs) and his archives from his Victoria Cross and Light Brigade research were deposited with the Imperial War Museum and the National Army Museum. When the Royal Mail produced a series of stamps in 2006 commemorating the Victoria Cross, they featured photographs and artifacts from the Lummis archive at the National Army Museum. His tape-recorded memoirs, covering the period 1904-1919, are in the Imperial"
"John Chard Colonel John Rouse Merriott Chard (21 December 1847 – 1 November 1897) was a British Army officer who received the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour ""in the face of the enemy"" that can be awarded to members of the British armed forces. He earned the decoration for his role in the defence of Rorke's Drift in January 1879 where he commanded a small British garrison of 139 soldiers that successfully repulsed an assault by some 3,000 to 4,000 Zulu warriors. The battle was recreated in the film ""Zulu"" in which Chard was portrayed by Stanley"
"Gonville Bromhead Major Gonville Bromhead VC (29 August 1845 – 9 February 1891) was a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to members of the British armed forces. He received the medal for his part in the defence of Rorke's Drift in January 1879 where a small British garrison of 139 soldiers successfully repulsed an assault by some 4,000 Zulu warriors. Bromhead was portrayed by Michael Caine in the film ""Zulu"", which depicted the battle. Born into a notable military family, Bromhead"
"over 3,000 patients died at the hospital. A memorial plaque for the deceased has now been placed at the site. After closure in the 1990s, its buildings and grounds were redeveloped as a luxury housing development comprising houses as well as apartments. Some psychiatric services are now administered from Maindiff Court Hospital on the outskirts of the town, close to the foot of the Skirrid mountain. The hospital is housed in historic buildings, and is known for Rudolf Hess who was incarcerated here during WW2. One of the eleven Victoria Cross medals won at Rorke's Drift was awarded to John"
"were killed. At this time the Victoria Cross (VC) was not awarded posthumously. This changed in the early 1900s when both Lieutenants were awarded posthumous Victoria Crosses for their bravery. The Battle of Isandlwana was dramatized in the 1979 movie ""Zulu Dawn"". After the battle, some 4,000 to 5,000 Zulus headed for Rorke's Drift, a small missionary post garrisoned by a company of the 2/24th Foot, native levies and others under the command of Lieutenant Chard, Royal Engineers, the most senior officer of the 24th present being Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead. Two Boer cavalry officers, Lieutenants Adendorff and Vane, arrived to"
"in South Africa to command ""Howard's Canadian Scouts."" Gat Howard and was captured and murdered while a prisoner. During the regiment’s service in South Africa every junior officer, except for one, was killed in action, died of disease or was wounded, the regiment marched more than 2700 kilometers (1700 miles) and had been in action on 41 separate days. Three Dragoons were awarded the Victoria Cross for the gallant stand at Leliefontein on 7 November 1900, a feat of arms never surpassed by Canadians and only exceeded by the British 79th Regiment of Foot at Rorke’s Drift in South Africa"
"was prepared. At Rorke's Drift (22–23 January 1879) 139 British soldiers successfully defended the station against an intense assault by four to five thousand Zulu warriors. The Battle of Intombe was fought on 12 March 1879, between British and Zulu forces. The Siege of Eshowe took place during a three-pronged attack on the Impis of Cetshwayo at Ulundi. The Battle of Gingindlovu (uMgungundlovu) was fought between a British relief column sent to break the Siege of Eshowe and the Impis of Cetshwayo on 2 April 1879. The battle restored the British commanders' confidence in their army and their ability to"
"in May 1902, and left for the United Kingdom on the ""SS Briton"" two months later. Shortly after his return, he was killed in a horse riding accident whilst riding with the North Cotswold Hunt, near Charingworth, Gloucestershire, England, on 13 November 1902. His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Queen's Royal Lancers and Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum, Thoresby Park, Nottinghamshire, England. Frederic Brooks Dugdale Lieutenant Frederic Brooks Dugdale VC (21 October 1877 – 13 November 1902) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can"
"1997 collection ""The Ugliest House in the World"". Gonville Bromhead Major Gonville Bromhead VC (29 August 1845 – 9 February 1891) was a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to members of the British armed forces. He received the medal for his part in the defence of Rorke's Drift in January 1879 where a small British garrison of 139 soldiers successfully repulsed an assault by some 4,000 Zulu warriors. Bromhead was portrayed by Michael Caine in the film ""Zulu"", which depicted the"
"James Henry Reynolds Lieutenant-Colonel James Henry Reynolds VC (3 February 1844 – 4 March 1932), born Kingstown (Dún Laoghaire), County Dublin, was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross for his actions at the Battle of Rorke's Drift, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was educated at Castleknock College and Trinity College, Dublin. Reynolds was 34 years old, and a Surgeon in the Army Medical Department (later Royal Army Medical Corps), British Army during the Zulu War when the following deed took"
"James Langley Dalton James Langley Dalton VC (1833 – 7 January 1887) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces for service at the Battle of Rorke's Drift during the Anglo-Zulu War. Born in London in 1833, Dalton enlisted in 85th Regiment of Foot in November 1849 at the age of 17. In 1862 he transferred to the Commissariat Corps at the rank of corporal, and was promoted to sergeant in 1863, and clerk and staff sergeant"
"the eleven defenders who received the Victoria Cross for the defence of Rorke's Drift, the most awarded to a regiment in a single action up to that time. Cy Endfield was inspired to make the film after reading an article on the Battle of Rorke's Drift by John Prebble. He took it to actor Stanley Baker with whom he had made several films and who was interested in moving into production. Endfield and Prebble drafted a script, which Baker then showed to Joseph E. Levine while making ""Sodom and Gomorrah"" (1962) in Italy. Levine agreed to fund the movie, which"