Anglo Zulu Wars Talk with Rob Caskie
Anglo Zulu Wars Talk with Rob Caskie
Tuesday 18th September 2012
At Steppes we pride ourselves on our expertise and the experts that we work with. Rob Caskie is one such specialist and we are delighted that he has agreed to talk for us on the South African Anglo Zulu wars at the Royal Institution, London.
The Battle of Rorke's Drift, 22nd January 1879, is a well-known story of epic defence against impossible odds: just 139 British soldiers holding out against a force of several thousand Zulus resulting in the largest number of Victoria Crosses being awarded for a single action in history. The remarkable story is enhanced by Rob’s equally engaging and extraordinary telling of this account.
Tuesday 18th September 2012
The Royal Institution
21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BS
Doors open at 6.30pm. Talk begins at 7:15pm
Tickets cost £20 - available on the door payable by cheque or cash. For more information please call 01285 880 980.
Notes on the Anglo Zulu Wars of 1879
The Anglo Zulu of 1879 is a justly famous chapter in British history. A campaign created by British officials in Natal, without the sanction of Britain, largely on account of the supposed military threat posed by the Zulu army to Carnarvon’s Confederation plan for South Africa. Leaders in Natal believed the war would be over in 3 weeks – how wrong they would be!
Scarcely 10 days after the invasion of Zululand began, disaster struck at Isandlwana. Whilst Lord Chelmsford was away with 60% of the force in search of the main Zulu Army, the remaining force of 1,800 British soldiers was overwhelmed by 25,000 Zulu Warriors. In less than 2 hours more than 1,300 British soldiers lay dead in what some view as the greatest military defeat the British suffered at the hand of a native army in their entire colonial history. Strange too, that the Sphinx-shaped Isandlwana mountain look just like the Sphinx on the regimental insignia of the 24th Regiment of Foot.
Who would ever have conceived that a force of roughly 4,000 Zulu warriors would run on from Isandlwana to attack Rorke’s Drift immediately some 10 miles away? At Rorke’s Drift, comprising of little more than a makeshift hospital and a store, the desperate British soldiers prepared a barricade 4 feet high, built of mielie bags and awaited the Zulu onslaught. A fierce battle then waged for almost 10 hours; 139 British soldiers (35 of who were hospital patients) held out against the 4,000 Zulus. This remarkable battle saw the award of 11 Victoria Crosses and 5 Distinguished Conduct medals, immortalised by the classic movie “Zulu”. It is the largest number of VC’s awarded for a single action in history.
David Rattray started lecturing on these famous battlefields in 1989, becoming world famous as an orator and raconteur. Rob Caskie joined David in April 2001 at Fugitives’ Drift Lodge in KwaZulu Natal. Since David’s tragic death in January 2007, Rob has taken the responsibility of lecturing locally and abroad on these famous battles.
Passionate about this history and this country, Rob insists on delivering balanced accounts attempting to transport audiences via a story well told in the theatres of their imagination.