A Handful of Heroes, Rorke's Drift: Facts, Myths and Legends by Katie Stossel

Author:Katie Stossel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Modern / 19th Century
ISBN: 9781473864115
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2015-06-29T16:00:00+00:00

The four soldiers mentioned in the two extracts above had also been detailed to defend the hospital, together with most of the patients who were fit enough to handle their weapons. On being forced to withdraw to the inner defence line, Chard had had no choice but to abandon the occupants of the hospital to fend for themselves.

The defence of the hospital was a battle within a battle. The defenders were mostly isolated from each other by walls and partitions so the initial fighting was done by individual soldiers, fighting for their lives and unsupported by their colleagues. Initially and for a brief moment their firing through the loopholes was effective, but the Zulus soon managed to gather on either side of the holes and could tug at the rifle barrels, making firing by the defenders impossible. In the din of the battle, the thatch began to smoulder and then part of it caught fire, probably from an oil lamp that had somehow overturned in the chaos. The choking smoke from the smouldering thatch soon forced some of the defenders to smash through the thin inner walls and retreat to safer rooms. Privates Williams and Hook then found themselves in a room occupied with patients, just as the Zulus began breaking down the very door they intended to use for their escape. Now trapped, and with minutes left before the Zulus would have broken through, Private Williams took a pickaxe and knocked a hole in the far wall while Hook stabbed with his bayonet at the Zulus trying to get into the room. As the last patient was pushed through the escape hole, Hook jumped through and joined them in the next room. With Hook now defending this hole, Williams smashed a fresh hole in the far wall which gave access into a small room occupied by Privates William and Robert Jones. They had been defending this room for some time, taking turns in preventing the Zulus entering, and they defended the post to the last, until six out of the seven patients had been removed. The seventh, Sergeant Maxfield, 2/24th, was delirious with fever. Although they had previously dressed him, they were unable to induce him to move. When Private Robert Jones returned to endeavour to carry him away, he found him being speared to death by the Zulus as he lay on his bed.

By this time the rest of the defenders had retreated to the final inner perimeter, leaving defenders and patients with 30 yards of exposed yard to cross under wild musket fire and the more serious threat of being speared by the Zulus. Seeing the plight of the hospital defenders, their colleagues put down covering fire. Even so, it was a miracle that so many did escape. Although wounded, both Hook and Robert Jones joined the rest of the Company in continuing their desperate defence. With nightfall, the fire from the hospital illuminated the scene and helped the defenders spot any enemy approaching. The attacks became more sporadic and the last serious attempt by the Zulus to rush the barricades was at about 9.

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