“SANDBAG” WINCANTON AND DISTRICT ROYAL BRITISH LEGION NEWSLETTER Editor Tony Goddard 01963-824193

NEWS FROM THE BRANCH April Branch secretary Arthur Pickup 01963-32952 Volume 12 Issue 2 2015 Next branch meeting 18th May at 7 p.m. followed by skittles at the Millers Inn

The future

The committee is hoping to attract a new generation of members in the hope that the branch will thrive, like it has done in the past, for a long time yet. We do have a good branch and we hope to keep it that way, whilst moving forward. We do not believe it is enough just to have a monthly committee meeting with members invited, we feel that we must offer something to make people want to come to a regular get together. As you know on 13th April we are holding a social event at the Millers Inn to which members of the military and veterans living in the area were invited to a “get to know your local Legion” event. Obviously as this is happening at the same time as this Sandbag is published we cannot comment on its success or other- Memorial Wildflower Meadow at wise but we are all very hopeful it is the right way to Wincanton Recreation Ground go. In future from the May meeting onwards we will be holding our monthly get together at the Millers Inn Local voluntary community group C.A.T.C.H. skittles room. At 7 p.m. we will briefly discuss any (Community Action to Transform Cale Habitat), in matters that need attention then the remainder of the conjunction with the town's recreation ground evening will be for socialising. We will arrange some working group are holding an event on Saturday special events to take place after the meeting and on 25th April from 10am at the town's recreation 18th May we will have a skittles night, members can ground to sow seeds for a Memorial Wildlife either join in with teams or simply watch. It should be Meadow. The meadow is being created to serve as fun as skittles does tend to “get people going”. Then an area for all to visit, enjoy nature and also to throughout the summer we will have other evenings remember all those who played a part in two World with music or a social event. Our quarterly Coffee Wars. Included in the wildflower seed mix will be Mornings will continue to take place in the Memorial Flanders poppies. The whole community is invited to Hall sun lounge and our monthly summer trips will this event, final soil preparation will commence at also continue. Regular events like our Armed Forces 10am and it is planned that the seeds will be sown Day family event will also continue and we will be from 12 noon with as many participating as possible. thinking on other ideas to socialise. People attending Light refreshments will also be served. need only to be “supporters” and not necessarily For more information please contact Steve Lee members. All branch business will (as is now) appear Wincanton RBL Branch Vice President on in Sandbag and will continue with ten issues every 01963 34374. year. As I mentioned last year, we will also involve the youth and as well as our affiliated cadet units, we know we also have the support of King Arthur’s School. Please support our events.

Safeguarding the welfare, interests and memory of those who have served in the Armed Forces. A Registered Charity. Charity No. 219279 www.britishlegion.org.uk Page 1

Peter Cox visits Rorke’s Drift, South Africa.

Peter Cox had been a long time planning a trip to South Africa which had been delayed recently by Jenny’s health issues. This winter Peter and Jenny achieved their ambition and as part of the visit whilst near Cape Town decided to go up into Zululand and visit Rorke’s Drift. They stayed at a place called Isandlwana Lodge which over looked the site of the battle which took place the day before the defence of Rorke’s Drift. A guide based at the Lodge named is Robert Gerrard, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, gave them a day and a half’s tuition during the tour of both battle sites. I can only say from personal experience how atmospheric and mystic the area is and I can imagine how they must have felt, one could almost feel the spirits of those that had been there before - especially at the mountain of Ishandhwlana. Tony For many of us the name of Rorke’s Drift is relatively well known, probably from seeing the classic 1960s film directed by Welsh born Stanley Baker entitled Zulu. The defence of the mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenant of the , and Lieutenant of the 24th Regiment of Foot immediately followed the 's defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879, and continued into the following day, 23 January. Just over 150 British and colonial troops successfully defended the garrison against an intense assault by 3,000 to 4,000 Zulu warriors. The defence of Rorke’s Drift resulted in the awarding of 11 Victoria Crosses to the defenders from the 24th Regiment of Foot has gone into folklore and whilst the film was relatively accurate Stanley Baker created quite a few “myths” and “inaccuracies”, which when one investigates further does raise some eyebrows in Wales ! Although the regiment had been based in Wales for six years by time of the battle of Rorke's Drift, they were still titled as the 24th Regiment of Foot (2nd Warwickshire Regiment). For generations the Regiment had recruited from the big strong farmhands working in the fields of Warwickshire and neighbouring counties. But in the wake of the rapid industrialisation of Wales, and the south Wales valleys in particular, the Army had moved the regiment's base to Brecon to recruit from unskilled industrial labourers. Yet even then no more than a third of the men in the regiment at that time would have considered themselves Welsh. It would appear Stanley Baker just wanted to put some Welshness into it. He played the regiment as being the where- as it was still the 2nd Warwickshire Regiment at the time of Rorke’s Drift. It was nine years later and two years after the end of the Zulu Wars that the 24th Regiment was renamed The South Wales Borderers reflecting the location of the Regiment’s base. The Isandhlwana events at Rorke’s Drift came about as a result of some ill judged military decisions and mistakes - in part by Lord Chelmsford, commanding the British No. 3 Column. The column entered Zululand on 9th January and encamped at the base of mountain named locally as Isandhlwana. After a few days Lord Chelmsford headed out of the camp with a large part of his command and went in pursuit of the main Zulu force, who were known to be in the area. He left behind a depleted force under the command of Bvt. Col. . The troops at Isandhlwana were badly deployed and the wagons had not been deployed in a defensive positions as well as the troops having their backs to the rocky slopes of the mountain. Instead of the main Zulu force being in the area Lord Chelmsford had anticipated they were extremely close the to Durnsford’s camp. Over 4000 Zulus attacked Durnford, armed mainly with spears and obsolete rifles, overwhelming and killing 1800 British and Colonial troops on 22nd January. One of the “legends” of Isandhlwana was that although having more than enough ammunition to hand, they could not get the ammunition boxes opened because they were screwed down and there were little or no screwdrivers to open the wooden boxes !!! Some of the survivors from Isandhlwana escaped and joined those who had by then fortified the perimeter of the nearby mission station at Rorke’s Drift with bags of grain, biscuit tins and supplies held at there.

Safeguarding the welfare, interests and memory of those who have served in the Armed Forces. A Registered Charity. Charity No. 219279 www.britishlegion.org.uk Page 2 Peter’s photo of Rorke’s Drift as it is today With the Zulus nearly at the station, the garrison now numbered around 156 men. Of these, only Bromhead's company could be considered a cohesive unit. Additionally, up to 39 of his company were at the station as hospital patients, although only a handful of these were unable to take up arms. With fewer men, Chard (who was senior to Bromhead by service) realised the need to modify the defences, and assuming command gave orders for the construction of a biscuit- box wall through the middle of the post in order to make possible the abandonment of the hospital side of the station if the need arose. At 4:30 pm the Zulus approached the south wall. Private , posted as lookout atop the storehouse, reported a large column of Zulus approaching. The Zulu vanguard of 600 men, attacked the south wall, which joined the hospital and the storehouse. The British opened fire at 500 yards.The majority of the attacking Zulu force swept around to attack the north wall, while a few took cover and were either pinned down by continuing British fire or retreated. There they began a harassing fire of their own. As this occurred, another Zulu force swept onto the hospital and north west wall. Those British on the barricades were soon engaged in fierce hand-to-hand fighting. The British wall was too high for the Zulus to scale, so they resorted to crouching under the wall, trying to get hold of the defenders' Martini-Henry rifles, slashing at British soldiers with spears or firing their weapons through the wall. At places, they clambered over each other's bodies to drive the British off the walls but were driven back. Zulu fire inflicted a few casualties, and five of the 17 defenders who were killed or mortally wounded in the action were struck while at the north wall. Chard realised that the north wall, under almost constant Zulu attack, could not be held and, at 6:00 pm, he pulled his men back into the yard, abandoning the front two rooms of the hospital in the process. The hospital was becoming untenable; the loopholes had become a liability, as rifles poking out were grabbed at by the Zulus but, if the holes were left empty, the Zulu warriors stuck their own weapons through to fire into the rooms. Soldiers assigned to the hospital tried to hold the hospital entrance with rifles and fixed bayonets but it was clear that the Zulus were gaining ground and Memorial at Rorke’s Drift they had to make their escape by breaking holes into the walls and dragging as many of the patients with them as they could. Of the eleven patients, nine survived the trip, as did all the able-bodied men. The evacuation of the burning hospital completed the shortening of the perimeter. As night fell, the Zulu attacks grew stronger. The cattle kraal came under renewed assault and was evacuated by 10:00 pm, leaving the remaining men in a small bastion around the storehouse. Throughout the night, the Zulus kept up a constant assault against the British positions; Zulu attacks only began to slacken after mid- night, and they finally ended by 2:00 am, being replaced by a constant harassing fire from Zulu firearms until 4:00 am. By that time, the garrison had lost 14 dead.

Safeguarding the welfare, interests and memory of those who have served in the Armed Forces. A Registered Charity. Charity No. 219279 www.britishlegion.org.uk Page 3 Continued from page 3 Annual Dinner 9th October Two others were mortally wounded and 8 more were seriously wounded. Virtually every man had I mentioned in the last Sandbag that although we had set some kind of wound. They were all exhausted, the date of the branch annual dinner as 9th October but having fought for the better part of ten hours and we had not set the venue. Well I am very pleased to say that we will now be returning to the Memorial Hall for were running low on ammunition. Of 20,000 the Annual Dinner. We all liked to hold the event there rounds in reserve at the mission, only 900 in the past but were inhibited by catering arrangements remained. and that of engaging a proven caterer. Unknown to me As dawn broke, the British could see that the Zulus was the fact that the Olive Bowl at Gillingham has undergone a major change within the management of the were gone; all that remained were the dead and company and has split into two new companies one severely wounded. At roughly 7:00 am Zulus handling events at their premises and the other operating suddenly appeared, and the British manned their independently as outside caterers. It would appear that positions again. No attack materialised however, as several of the people who handled our dinners in the past few years are involved with the outside caterers side, the Zulus had been on the move for six days prior they have mobile ovens and have already held several to the battle and had not eaten properly for two. In wedding receptions in the Memorial Hall. I think this their ranks were hundreds of wounded, and they will be a forward move as we can all get to the Memorial were several days' march from any supplies. Soon Hall easier, it would be possible to get local taxis home if required. after their appearance, the Zulus left the way they I have held the price of the Annual Dinner in the past but had come. this year it is necessary to have a very slight increase and Around 8:00 am, another force appeared, and charge £20. Full details will be out in the summer. the redcoats left their breakfast to man their positions again. However, the force turned out to be the vanguard of Lord Chelmsford's relief Ron & Eileen Peet column. It was all over! Thus was briefly the legend of Rorke’s Drift. I have recently heard from Ron & Eileen and I am pleased to tell you they are well and settled in their new home and send their kind regards to everyone. May trip

Our trip in May is to Dawlish and is set for VE DAY 30th May departing from the Memorial Hall at 8.30 a.m. The cost is £12 for adults and £6 for Horsington village are holding an event at the Half juniors. Moon Inn on Saturday 9th May to celebrate the 70th There are still tickets available for the April trip anniversary of VE Day, tickets cost £8 when purchased which is to Weston Super Mare on 25th April this in advance from the Half Moon Inn or £10 on the door. trip will depart at 9 a.m. same costs. It starts at 5 p.m. and there will be “Berties Big Swing Band” playing during the evening. The organisers are encouraging everyone to dress in 1940s costume. Coffee Morning 18th April

Don’t forget it is Coffee Morning on 18th April Weymouth veterans parade 2015 from 10 a.m. at the Memorial Hall. We shall be planting the oak tree sapling from This year the annual veterans parade at Weymouth will Passchendaele in the Memorial Hall grounds at be on 21st June. Assembly is between 10 and 10.30 a.m. around 11.30 a.m. too at the Esplanade with march off at 10.45 a.m. There is a shuttle bus from Lodmoor to the Esplanade from 9 a.m.

Safeguarding the welfare, interests and memory of those who have served in the Armed Forces. A Registered Charity. Charity No. 219279 www.britishlegion.org.uk Page 4