In the hundred years since the Victoria Cross was created for valour and extreme courage beyond that normally expected of the British soldier in face of the enemy only 1344 have been awarded. Eleven of these were won by the defenders of the mission station at Rorke's Drift, Natal, January 22nd to the 23rd 1879.
Fredrick Schiess, Corporal, Natal Native Contingent.
William Allen, Corporal, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Foot.
Fred Hitch, Private B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Foot.
James Langley Dalton, Acting Assistant Commissary, Army Commissariat Department.
612 John Williams, Private, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Foot.
726 Robert Jones, 593 William Jones, Privates, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Foot.
Henry Hook, Private, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Foot.
James Henry Reynolds, Surgeon Major, Army Hospital Corps.
Gonville Bromhead, Lieutenant, B Company, 2nd Battalion of the 24th Regiment of Foot, South Wales Borderers.
John Rouse Merriott Chard, Lieutenant, Royal Engineers, Officer Commanding - Rorke's Drift.
Most scenes together: Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead & Lt. Chard (5)
Zulu quotes
Page 1 of 2They'll know my voice when they hear it, sir.
Witt Let them hear it now, in praise of the Lord. Call upon Him - call upon Him, man, for your salvation!
Well, as far as I can remember, sir, it goes something like this: "He maketh wars to cease in all the world. He breaketh the bow and snappeth the spear in sunder." Do you know it, sir?
Witt "I shall be exalted among the heathen, I shall be exalted in the earth. The Lord of Hosts is with us."
That's it, sir. [to troops in work detail] All right, nobody told you to stop working! You lead back-sided-- get sweatin'!
Sir, sentries report the Zulus have gone. All of them! It's a miracle.
If it's a miracle, Colour Sergeant, it's a short chamber Boxer-Henry point-four-five caliber miracle.
And a bayonet, sir, with some guts behind it.
Cpl. William Allen Heave! Put a bit more weight on that rope, you men!
He's even got a voice like a corporal!
Yeah, sort of like a female hippopotamus in labor.
The entire column? It's damned impossible! Eight hundred men?
Adendorff Twelve hundred men. There were four hundred native levies, also.
Damn the levies, man, more cowardly blacks!
Adendorff What the hell do you mean, "cowardly blacks"? They died on your side, didn't they? And who the hell do you think is coming to wipe out your little command? The Grenadier Guards? [Adendorff begins to walk away]
Adendorff, are you staying?
Adendorff Is there anywhere else to go?
Talk to our levies, will you? Tell them whose side they're on.
Thank you, for what you said.
Hm? Oh, you mean about our needing you? Don't bother, old boy, it's true.
The Army doesn't like more than one defeat in a day.
Looks bad in the newspapers and upsets civilians at their breakfast.
Maxfield Pick up the rifle, Hook. And get to it! I'll make a soldier of you yet.
And what for? Did I ever see a Zulu walk down the City Road? No! So what am I doing here?
Maxfield You're here because you were a liar, a coward, and a thief. Now you can be a soldier- like what they pay you for.
Mr. Witt Oh, Lord in heaven...
Margareta Witt What is it, father?
Mr. Witt A thousand British soldiers have been massacred. While I stood here talking peace, a war has started.
Reynolds You've got a fine handsome boil, my friend. There's one glistening boil for every soldier in Africa. You may not win any medals on this campaign, but you'll certainly get more boils. For every gunshot wound I probe, I expect to lance three boils.
Uh, a spot of medicinal brandy would set me up, sir.
Reynolds Brandy's for heroes, Mr. Hook. The rest of you will make do with boils in your skin, flies in your meat, and dysentery in your bellies. Now - this will hurt you a lot more than it will me, I'm happy to say.
Sgt. Robert Maxfield You're no good to anyone, except the Queen and Sergeant Maxfield!
Well thank you very much, the both of you!
Adendorff Damn you... God damn you!
Adendorff, what are they doing? Answer me!
Adendorff Haven't you had enough? Both of you?! Can't you see your damned egos don't matter anymore? We're dead.
Well, what are you waiting for? Come on! Come on!
Adendorff No, you couldn't be more wrong! They're saluting you. They're saluting fellow braves!
Narrator (Richard Burton)[edit]
I don't know.
They had names, they had faces, they were our men. What do you mean you don't know?
Chard!
All right. Well, you've fought your first action.
Does everyone feel like this afterward?
How do you feel?
I feel... sick.
Well, you have to be alive to feel sick.
You asked me, I told you. There's... something else. I feel ashamed. Was that how it was for you? The first time?
The first time? You think I could stand this butcher's yard more than once?
I didn't know.
I told you. I came up here to build a bridge.
Keep driving with the sun at your back. Should make it safely.
Mr. Witt Sergeant!
Margareta Witt Father!
Mr. Witt Leave me alone!
Try to understand him, Miss Witt.
Mr. Witt Death awaits you! You have made a covenant with death and with Hell you are in agreement! You're all going to die! Don't you realize? Can't you see? You're all going to die! [Chard whips one of the horses. They start, pulling the Witts and their carriage away.] DIE! Death awaits you all! Die! Die!
He's right. Why is it us? Why us?
Because we're here, lad. Nobody else. Just us.
Colour Sergeant.
Right. Now, get back to your posts! On the double!
A prayer's as good as a bayonet on a day like this.