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

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SANDBAG” WINCANTON and DISTRICT ROYAL BRITISH LEGION NEWSLETTER Editor Tony Goddard 01963-824193 “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 John Chard of the Royal Engineers, and Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead of the 24th Regiment of Foot immediately followed the British Army'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 South Wales Borderers 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. Anthony Durnford. 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 Frederick Hitch, 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.
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