Rorke's Drift Battlefield

About Rorke's Drift Battlefield

The Rorke's Drift Battlefield is a historical site in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, located approximately 46 kilometres southeast of Dundee along the Battlefields Route. It marks the location of an 11-hour military engagement from 22 to 23 January 1879 during the Anglo-Zulu War, which took place hours after a major British defeat at the nearby Isandlwana Battlefield. During the encounter, a British garrison of approximately 140 soldiers successfully defended a Swedish mission station against an onslaught of roughly 4,000 Zulu warriors. The defenders hastily fortified the station using barricades made of biscuit boxes and mealie bags to hold off the attacks. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders for their actions during the battle, which represents the highest number of these medals ever awarded for a single action in British military history. Today, the site features an orientation centre and museum housed on the original hospital foundations, preserved defensive stone lines, a British military cemetery, and a Zulu memorial erected in 2005.