South Wales Borderers Museum: Fact sheets

Fact Sheet No. B5
The 24th Regiment's involvement in the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879

The 24th Regiment's participation in this well-known Victorian military campaign was both tragic and glorious. The events surrounding the disaster at Isandhlwana and Rorke's Drift will not be forgotten for a long time.

The 1st Battalion arrived in South Africa in January 1875 and during the period 1877 and 1878, it was engaged in the Frontier war with the natives of the Transkei , and was joined in South Africa by 2nd Battalion in March 1878. At the end of 1878 when the British Ultimatum to the Zulu King Cetshwayo expired, it became clear that a Field Force would have to be sent to bring the Zulu nation under control.

ISANDHLWANA

On 11th January 1879 , the Field Force crossed from Natal into Zululand in four columns. The Force Commander, Lieutenant General Lord Chelmsford, accompanied No 3 (or central) column, which was commanded by Colonel Richard Glyn, 24th Regiment, and comprised 1/24th and 2/24th, a field battery of Artillery, some mounted infantry and two battalions of the Natal Native Contingent. This column crossed the Buffalo River at Rorke's Drift, although there was a minor skirmish at Sihayo's kraal the following day progress was slow due to the weather and the difficult terrain. B Company 2/24th under the command of Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead was left to guard the drift, the stores and a hospital, which had been established there. Two companies of 1/24th who had made their way independently from Pietermaritzburg were instructed to guard the stores at Helpmakaar.

By 20th January the column had advanced to Isandhlwana Hill, ten miles east of Rorke's Drift. Next day a reconnaissance party to the south-east came into contact with the Zulus and at 4 a.m. on the 22nd January, Lord Chelmsford with 2/24th less one company, the artillery and some of the Natal Native Contingent moved out to bring them to battle. Left in camp at Isandhlwana were the headquarters and five companies of 1/24th under Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Pulleine and G Company of 2/24th. Although there had been reports of Zulus to the northeast the previous day, Lord Chelmsford had taken no steps to verify this nor had the camp been put into a state of defence.

At 7 a.m. Zulus were seen collecting in the hills to the northeast of the camp. The alarm was sounded, the troops stood-to, and a message was sent off to Lord Chelmsford, who apparently thought the news of no consequence, as he took no action when he received it.

At 10 a.m. Colonel Durnford of the Royal Engineers, commanding No. 2 column, arrived in camp from Rorke's Drift with a rocket battery, 250 mounted Basutos and four companies of the Natal Native Contingent. He was senior to brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Pulleine, and promptly took his men out to attack the Zulus, telling Pulleine to send a company to support him; this he did, the company moving to a ridge 1,500 yards from camp. About mid-day Durnford's force was heavily attacked and he demanded more support. Pulleine reluctantly sent out a further company, leaving himself with only three companies of 1/24th, one of 2/24th and the Natal Native Contingent.

Masses of the enemy were now advancing directly upon the camp itself, Durnford's men were retiring and all the companies of the 24th were in action and hotly engaged. Vigorously as the attack was pressed, the 24th were standing their ground well, shooting steadily and confidently and making every round tell. The Zulus, though their main body had worked to within 200 yards of the 24th's line, were finding the fire too hot and were on the verge of retreat. Indeed had the ammunition supply been maintained the attack might have been beaten off.

Suddenly at about 1.15 p.m. the fire slackened, the Zulus seized their chance and dashed in with loud shouts, the Natal Native Contingent fled and the Zulus poured through the gap. In a short time all was over. The men of the 24th were found afterwards lying in groups back to back where they had stood to fight it out. Rings of dead Zulus all about them showed how they had held out till their ammunition failed. The casualty roll for the 24th at Isandhlwana totalled 21 officers and 575 men. Only six men of the Regiment escaped.

THE SAVING OF THE COLOUR

When Colonel Pulleine saw that all was lost he ordered Lieutenant and Adjutant Teignmouth Melvill and Lieutenant Nevill Coghill, who had a severely injured knee, to save the Queen's Colour of the lst Battalion. They mounted and rode off, Melvill carrying the Colour, and succeeded in reaching the Buffalo River which was in flood, about 40 yards wide and with steep banks. They plunged their horses into the stream. Coghill reached the far bank but Melvill, impeded by the Colour, was washed off his horse and carried downstream into deep water in which he lost his hold on the Colour.

Many Zulus had now reached the bank and were firing at Melvill struggling in the water. Seeing his plight Coghill, though himself in comparative safety, courageously turned back to help him. Hardly had he plunged back into the river before his horse was shot and he had to save himself by swimming. Eventually both reached the Natal bank but Coghill's knee prevented him from climbing the steep bank, exhausted as he was, and Melvill gallantly stayed with him. When the two officers were only 30 yards from the top of the crest of the river valley and safety where there were some Basutos with spare ponies, they were attacked and hacked down by previously friendly natives and not by Cetshwayo's Zulus.

On 3rd February, a search party found the bodies of Melvill and Coghill covered with assegai wounds and with several dead Zulus around them. Next day, the flood having subsided, the Colour on its pike was recovered further downstream.

For their gallantry in the saving of the Colour, Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill were recommended for the Victoria Cross, but these awards were not presented to their families until twenty eight years after the event.

RORKE'S DRIFT

At about 3 p.m. on 22nd January news of the disaster at Isandhlwana reached Rorke's Drift, where Lieutenant John Chard, Royal Engineers had under his command B Company 2/24th about 70 strong, led by Lieutenant Bromhead, together with 100 men of the Natal Native Contingent and some men of 1/24th and the Commissariat. The post consisted of two stone buildings about 40 yards apart, one used as a storehouse and the other as a hospital. When the enemy appeared the Natal Native Contingent fled, leaving a garrison of about 140, of whom 36 were patients in the hospital.

The garrison immediately set to work to loophole and barricade the buildings and build makeshift defences, using mealie bags to make walls connecting the two buildings.

At about 4.30 p.m. the Zulus led by Prince Dablamanzi, a half-brother of the Zulu King, appeared to the southeast. The advance party, headed by Dablamanzi on a white horse, halted for a moment and then advanced at a run, as if they expected to surprise the camp. At 500 yards the 24th opened fire with telling effect. Numbers dropped but the Zulus pressed on, taking full advantage of the broken ground, and established themselves in the garden and some uncleared bush near the buildings.

Only a minority had rifles and these mostly took post on a ridge in the rear, from which they maintained a heavy but fortunately inaccurate fire. The majority, armed with stabbing assegais, crept forward till close to the defences and then tried a rush. However, the garrison kept their heads, despite odds of about forty to one, and shot steadily and effectively.

Time and again the Zulus swarmed up to the barricades. Their courage was extraordinary and they cared nothing for losses as they tried to get over the barricade and into the end room of the hospital. Many times Lieutenant Bromhead, collecting a few men, had to drive them off with a bayonet charge. Some, especially daring, seized the defenders' rifles and tried to pull the bayonets off. No flanking fire was possible along the defences and only by tremendous exertions were the Zulus kept at bay, especially as the fire from the hill in rear, though inaccurate, took the defenders from behind and caused several casualties.

At about 6 p.m. the Zulus succeeded in setting fire to the thatched roof of the hospital. This made the building untenable and the problem was to keep off the Zulus while the sick, many of whom were too ill to walk, were evacuated to the comparative safety of the storehouse. There were gallant deeds done at Rorke's Drift that day, but for courage and devotion to duty nothing can exceed the conduct of the half dozen privates of the 24th who formed the garrison of the doomed building. They fell back room by room, fighting fiercely with bullet and bayonet to cover the escape of the sick, nearly all of whom reached safety.

With the evacuation of the hospital the defenders could concentrate round the storehouse, where an inner line of defences, made of biscuit boxes, had been built. But the attacks continued; again and again the Zulus rushed the defences and each time they were repulsed by the defenders, who after nightfall were helped by the light from the burning hospital. As the night wore on so the attacks lost their sting and as dawn broke the last of the enemy withdrew.

Soon after 8 a.m. Lord Chelmsford's column appeared. The losses of the garrison were 17 killed and 10 wounded, while 450 dead Zulus were found.

For their gallantry at the defence of Rorke's Drift, Lieutenants Chard and Bromhead, Surgeon-Major Reynolds, Assistant-Commissary Dalton, Corporal Schiess of the Natal Native Contingent and Corporal Allen, Privates Hitch, Hook, Robert Jones, William Jones and John (Fielding) Williams, all of the 2/24th were each awarded the Victoria Cross. Colour Sergeant Bourne of 1/24th, Private Roy of 2/24th, Second Corporal Francis Attwood of the Army Service Corps, Gunner John Cantwell of the Royal Artillery, and Second Corporal Michael McMahon of the Army Hospital Corps were each awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for their part in the action.

THE WREATH OF IMMORTELLES

On the return of the 1st Battalion to England, Queen Victoria expressed a wish to see the Isandhlwana Colour, and with her own hands placed upon it a wreath of immortelles (a wreath of dried flowers), directing that a silver replica should always be borne round the pike of the Queen's Colour of both battalions, to commemorate the devotion of Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill and the noble defence of Rorke's Drift by B Company of the 2nd Battalion. This silver wreath design with the Sphinx won in Egypt was adopted in 1898 as the cap badge of the Regiment. It also appeared as the centre badge of the Regimental Colour, encircling the Roman numeral XXIV.

This Queen's Colour was carried by the 1st Battalion until 1933, and now hangs in the Regimental Chapel in Brecon Cathedral. Beneath it, in an oaken case, is Queen Victoria 's original wreath .

Back