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Post by Soutpeel on Feb 26, 2017 9:48:32 GMT 7
War hero's £40k medal from 'Zulu' Battle of Rorke's Drift up for auction A MEDAL honouring the bravery of a young soldier at the Battle of Rorke’s Drift is expected to fetch up to £40,000 at auction. It was awarded to Driver Charles Robson, the right hand man of commanding officer Lieutenant John Chard, who was played by Stanley Baker in the classic 1964 movie Zulu. Robson received the South Africa Medal – also known as the Zulu War Medal – for his courage in helping defend a small Army garrison against 4,000 tribal warriors Londoner Robson was one of just 150 British troops who somehow held out against overwhelming odds in the battle during the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. The heroic defence of the Rorke’s Drift outpost, located in what is now South Africa, has passed into legend as one of Britain’s greatest military moments. www.express.co.uk/news/uk/772041/war-hero-medal-auction-zulu-film-rorke-s-drift |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2017 14:50:54 GMT 7
I remember seeing this movie at the cinema at Brunswick Heads, NSW, must have been about 1969. It was a classic war movie with lots of tense moments. I think Michael Caine won an Oscar for his performance. But according to The Guardian there was more to it than just the battle depicted in the movie. Rorke's Drift battle was war crime scenewww.theguardian.com/world/2003/apr/29/schools.southafrica................"In the hours after the battle senior officers and enlisted men of a force sent to relieve the garrison are said to have killed hundreds of wounded Zulu prisoners. Some were bayoneted, some hanged and others buried alive in mass graves. More Zulus are estimated to have died in this way than in combat, but the executions were hushed up to preserve Rorke's Drift's image as a bloody but clean fight between two forces which saluted the other's courage. Damning testimonies from British soldiers are published in a new book, Zulu Victory, written by two retired British officers, Ron Lock and Peter Quantrill, and published in Britain by Greenhill"................ Also, from "The Telegraph" - 'Wrong men' given VCs at Rorke's Driftwww.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1444554/Wrong-men-given-VCs-at-Rorkes-Drift.html.............."The wrong soldiers were awarded Victoria Cross medals after the British Army's battle with the Zulus at Rorke's Drift, while the true heroes went unrecognised, a new BBC documentary will claim this week"........................ |
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rubl
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Post by rubl on Feb 26, 2017 15:48:25 GMT 7
In most battles who gets the medal depends on who was there to see and tell afterwards and sometimes on politics.
Most heroics will go untold, with the men not even expecting a special award for what at that time they saw as 'doing one's duty' or just saving one's own skin by saving the squad around one.
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Post by Soutpeel on Feb 27, 2017 13:53:43 GMT 7
I remember seeing this movie at the cinema at Brunswick Heads, NSW, must have been about 1969. It was a classic war movie with lots of tense moments. I think Michael Caine won an Oscar for his performance. But according to The Guardian there was more to it than just the battle depicted in the movie. Rorke's Drift battle was war crime scenewww.theguardian.com/world/2003/apr/29/schools.southafrica................"In the hours after the battle senior officers and enlisted men of a force sent to relieve the garrison are said to have killed hundreds of wounded Zulu prisoners. Some were bayoneted, some hanged and others buried alive in mass graves. More Zulus are estimated to have died in this way than in combat, but the executions were hushed up to preserve Rorke's Drift's image as a bloody but clean fight between two forces which saluted the other's courage. Damning testimonies from British soldiers are published in a new book, Zulu Victory, written by two retired British officers, Ron Lock and Peter Quantrill, and published in Britain by Greenhill"................ Also, from "The Telegraph" - 'Wrong men' given VCs at Rorke's Driftwww.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1444554/Wrong-men-given-VCs-at-Rorkes-Drift.html.............."The wrong soldiers were awarded Victoria Cross medals after the British Army's battle with the Zulus at Rorke's Drift, while the true heroes went unrecognised, a new BBC documentary will claim this week"........................ Interesting factoid about the movie The future Prime Minister of Zululand Mangosuthu Buthelezi, played his great grand father King Cetshwayo kaMpande, who was the Zulu King who ordered the attack at Rorkes Drift in the movie |
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Post by Soutpeel on Feb 27, 2017 14:03:43 GMT 7
I remember seeing this movie at the cinema at Brunswick Heads, NSW, must have been about 1969. It was a classic war movie with lots of tense moments. I think Michael Caine won an Oscar for his performance. But according to The Guardian there was more to it than just the battle depicted in the movie. Rorke's Drift battle was war crime scenewww.theguardian.com/world/2003/apr/29/schools.southafrica................"In the hours after the battle senior officers and enlisted men of a force sent to relieve the garrison are said to have killed hundreds of wounded Zulu prisoners. Some were bayoneted, some hanged and others buried alive in mass graves. More Zulus are estimated to have died in this way than in combat, but the executions were hushed up to preserve Rorke's Drift's image as a bloody but clean fight between two forces which saluted the other's courage. Damning testimonies from British soldiers are published in a new book, Zulu Victory, written by two retired British officers, Ron Lock and Peter Quantrill, and published in Britain by Greenhill"................ Also, from "The Telegraph" - 'Wrong men' given VCs at Rorke's Driftwww.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1444554/Wrong-men-given-VCs-at-Rorkes-Drift.html.............."The wrong soldiers were awarded Victoria Cross medals after the British Army's battle with the Zulus at Rorke's Drift, while the true heroes went unrecognised, a new BBC documentary will claim this week"........................ If Rorkes Drift is considered a war crime scene, then the likes of Shaka Zulu, Dingane kaSenzangakhona and Mpande kaSenzangakhona must also be guilty of crimes against humanity and genocide against their own people, the Boers and the British then |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 14:17:52 GMT 7
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 14:22:19 GMT 7
^^ If we start listing crimes against humanity and genocide, country by country, we will be here all day. Not going there, as there are much happier things to whine about.  |
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