#ThursdayDoors – The Battle of Rorke’s Drift

Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

During our recent trip to Fugitive’s Drift Lodge in Kwa-Zulu Natal, one of the battle sites we visited was Rorke’s Drift. This site is better know it seems than Isandlwana although the battle occurred on the same day, 22 January 1879. May this is because of the movie, Zulu, featuring Michael Caine which presents a [slightly inaccurate] version of this battle.

Rorke’s Drift was a Swedish mission station that was commandeered by the British Army prior to its invasion of Zululand. The rectory was in use as a hospital and the church as a store room for ammunition and supplies.

On the afternoon of 22 January 1879, after the successful Battle of Isandlwana, a force of approximately 4,500 Zulu warriors, crossed the Buffalo River into Natal and attacked Rorke’s Drift. The station was defended by just over 100 British troops and there were 29 men recovering in the hospital. 300 Basuto troops assisted with building the fortifications of the station, but fled when the attack began.

Here are some of my photographs from the day:

The British troops built a makeshift fortress out of sacks of mielies and biscuit boxes as part of their defence.

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2021/01/28/trinity-church-et-al-thursday-doors/

If you are interested in South African history, my new historical paranormal book about the Great South Africa War is now available here: https://tslbooks.uk/product/a-ghost-and-his-gold-roberta-eaton-cheadle/

34 thoughts on “#ThursdayDoors – The Battle of Rorke’s Drift

  1. What a wonderful and enlightening post. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Thank you, Robbie, for taking the time to load all your photos and compose the article.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Your visit to this battlefield has produced several interesting posts and some very nice photos. Thank you for sharing your experience with us at Thursday Doors. I love reading about history, but it is often so sad. I’m glad sites like this get preserved. Maybe, if we learn enough from history, we can avoid battles in the future.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. This history is knew to me too, Jacqui. I have investigated further and discovered a fascinating place linked with Zululand and this war called Ghost Mountain. It is calling me to write about it, but I have to do mom’s book first.

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  3. A profound moment, Robbie. I remember the Michael Caine movie. There are so many stories that are easily forgotten. Your commitment to historical writing is essential if we are to remember…. Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Wow–I knew nothing about this–and I quite like Michael Caine’s work. I always like it when I learn a forgotten bit of history. It must have been very intense for the poor British soldiers, holed up behind biscuit boxes of all things. I’ve read a great deal about our American Civil War, though, and the courage required to face down a larger foe is the same. Thanks for sharing this. : )

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Thank you for sharing your journey, Robbie. I learned a lot through the accounts and the photos. Congratulations on your new book. I look forward to ordering it once it’s on Amazon. 💗

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I remember reading my own accounts of the America (US Native Peoples)… I’ve been told that current history books do a severe disservice by condensing that time into paragraphs instead of devoted chapters and giving the Native Peoples their due respect. It is after all those now in charge that make those decisions on what history is taught.

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