Rorke's Drift: New stories by the men who were there

Today I am joined by Ian Knight and Lee Stevenson - authors of a new book series about the Battle of Rorke's Drift.

If you are interested in the Zulu War, then please sign up for my mailing list to receive my free book on the subject:

[Cinema-Del-Rey]

For those of us unable to attend, these videos are fantastic...thank you❤ much respect to you and all Historians/researchers who do their best to give both sides of the story.

[fatmanfaffing]

Finishing off the wounded Zulus makes sense. They were not able to provide first aid for so many and it would be cruel to leave them to suffer a slow, agonizing death in the sun. Keep in mind the Zulu disembowelled their enemies so as to release the spirit so it wouldn;t haunt them. They didn;t usually take prisoners. We also need to think of this in terms of men of the 1870s, not 2020s.

[alexnorris]

Chris, I’d just like to add to my previous comment, that all the work and effort you put into your interviews etc. Is much appreciated by like minded followers of military history.👍

[janlindtner]

As far as I'm concerned, it's the "common man's story" that sparks the interest of historey. The general story is so well thought out, that nerds like me crave details. Well done, more of that please!

[jeffbruin]

Not lame at all Chris. Everybody has their likes and hobbies. We just happen to like military history. It's harmless fun!

[eric]

The defence at Rorkes Drift was nothing short of outstanding . Having made improvised barricades undoubtedly helped the soldiers .

[TwoBassed]

The truth of history should be open good and bad, all should be taught!

[fleshen]

I'm not sure why killing the Zulu wounded would be controversial back then, I'm not sure the Zulu took many prisoners at Isandlwana!

[davepangolin]

Much respect for all your efforts … keep it up.

[reality-cheque]

Thanks for the video.
I had the privilege of visiting Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift when David Rattray was alive and walked the Fugitive's Trail with him. The Isandlwana battlefield and trail was littered with white painted cairns beneath which, still lay the remains of British soldiers, also pursued and killed by the Zulus - wounded included.
Rattray had many Zulu accounts and I remember him saying that the Zulu would remove most of their dead and wounded - dragging them away on their shields, with only the severely wounded left behind. Perhaps despatching these unfortunate men after Rorke's Drift was a mercy?
Having seen what a .450 bullet, fired from a Martini Henry, does to a dead cow, most hits to the body, would not have been survivable in 1879.

[alexnorris]

Hi Chris, another fascinating interview to finish your week on. It was great to meet you and see you at work, early on Wednesday morning. To hear the first hand accounts, is fascinating. Keep up the excellent work.👍 Cheers. Alex.

[kiwifruit]

Congrats on 40k subs, well deserved 😊

[robertlockwood]

Loved the Clash of Empires exhibition, but your videos fleshed out aspects that have made it more interesting, thanks

[peterrooke]

To quote Wilbur Smith " war makes monsters of us all " nice work Chris 👍

[tobytaylor]

The military history people are inflicted, I'm glad I'm a fellow inflicted person. I listen to we have ways with Al Murray who visited the battlefield recently. ✌️

[andyeveritt]

met you briefly at the exhibition
and we thank you Chris learnt so much from you and you videos
all the best mate

[covertcounsellor]

More great content, Chris. Keep going. As for the “mockers”, these are people who have no understanding of that forgotten word, “honour”. Ignore them, mate. They have no understanding of the integral role the British armed forces played in establishing the empire that brought immeasurable gifts to the “colonies” and the world (e.g. rule of law). It makes me very angry to hear of idiots mocking the memory of heroes who built our current world (with all of its flaws) and fought off the tyranny of the Hohenzollerns, Nazis, and Soviet Communists.

[JoeyArmstrong]

I'd love to have a pint with Ian Knight and talk the Anglo-Zulu War.

[andrewgreenham]

Hi Chris. Just wanted to say thanks for letting me know about the exhibition via your channel. I think I would have missed it otherwise. I went along on Friday and it was superb. Thanks again. Brilliant channel!

[AngusMacKinnon-xmko]

Thank you for sharing this. As a former soldier I cherish the truth of the circumstances, and I do feel dejected that the film of the circumstances leading up to, and during the battle was changed for being sensational. I believe a great injustice was done to Pte. Henry HOOK and Otto WITT. Enough said.