Fugitives Drift was established by David Rattray along with his wife Nicky and built an excellent lodge for travellers and tourists to indulge in this fantastic story. Sadly, in January 2007, David was murdered by an intruder but Fugitives Drift is a fantastic legacy to something he founded with his wife Nicky and it still continues today. Rob Caskie has taken over as the lead guide. Like David, Rob speaks fluent Zulu, understands the history inside out and is perhaps the best orator I've ever heard.
The 2 battles I was interested by were the battle at Isandlwana where the Zulu army wiped out around 1,300 British troops on 22nd January 1879. Later on that day, a lesser force of Zulus who had missed out on the action at Isandlwana, sought their opportunity and so against orders, they assaulted Rorke's Drift. This defensive action went down in the history of the British Army as one of its most remarkable battles which saw eleven Victoria Crosses awarded. Less than 140 British troops battled with approximately 4,000 Zulus in a battle that raged all night.
My stop at Fugitives Drift started out with the afternoon tour of the Rorke's Drift site. It is a couple of miles from the Lodge and we started looking round the museum that was hospital building at the time of the battle. As with most battlefield museums, there are different artefacts from the battle (rifles, bullets, buckles, spears etc) yet the most eye-catching item I found was a model of the battlefield. It showed the latter stages of the battle after the hospital had been evacuated and the soldiers were defending the store behind their stacks of mealie bags. The model revealed a few red coated troops surrounded on all sides by Zulu warriors several deep and this was the 1st occasion I'd really had the opportunity to visualise the battle properly. All of the movies and images I've seen in the past were in most cases close ups with a few people yet this model provided an overall impression that was quite frankly, astonishing.
To help holidaymakers and visitors picture the layout, there are lines of stones marking where the defensive lines were. Rob started the tale explaining what Rorke's Drift was and the reasons why it was assaulted. He made you understand there was so much more to the battle than just a fight between black and white, British redcoat against Zulu warrior. In all, the tour was around 3 hours and all of us merely sat enjoying this wonderful story teller recounting the events of 22nd January 1879.
Back at the lodge, I freshened up in my stunning room. It truly was a pity I couldn't spend more time there because it was so comfy but it was time for refreshments just before supper so I made my way to the dining area. This room is much like a museum with pictures, flags, notes, weapons and a great deal more covering the walls. The dinner itself was very good. Everyone staying at the Lodge sat around the same table. It was a very pleasant evening but an early start the next day meant it wouldn't be a late night.
My 6:30am alarm call was a nice hot pot of tea being delivered to my room (its nice to see some British customs still live on). We'd a nice hot breakfast just before heading off for our early morning excursion of Isandlwana. This battlefield is across the Buffalo river and our historian was a Zulu called Joseph. Isandlwana is a very different battlefield to Rorke's Drift. It occurred on a massive plain in the shadow of a mountain so the orientation took a lot longer as we first visited the museum ahead of moving on to the hilltop where the Zulu commanders were standing 129 years ago. We moved on to the battlefield itself and parked up. Now the talk was going to be a few hours hence we got deck chairs which we carried up the mountain to a vantage point that gave us a terrific view of the battleground. However, the elevation was about a mile above sea level therefore it wasn't the easiest climb I'd ever tried.
Joseph, like Rob gave us a compelling lecture and really helped us picture the scene. He also said that though he was a Zulu, he wasn't there to offer 'their side of the story', he wanted to provide us with the facts of what happened, occasionally in really graphic detail. At the right times, he would echo the Zulu cries which were made way back in 1879 and as his voice echoed all around us, it helped bring a lot more realism to the setting. The story was captivating. I listened to Joseph recited what was happening and my eyes wandered around the surroundings which was full of heaps of white stones. These heaps of stones mark the resting places of the British troopers who were buried where the died. Each pile of stones represented 6-8 men except for 2 sizeable heaps that were for as many as forty men. The hard African earth meant it had been tough to dig anything but shallow graves for the soldiers and heap stones on them.
Immediately after the talk was over, we had time to walk round many of the graves and memorials at Isandlwana before heading back for lunch. It was a fabulous destination and I almost certainly could have done with spending another day as there is a Zulu village to drop by and see as well as the walk down to the Buffalo river where Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill died saving the Queen's Colour of their regiment and years later became the very first men to be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
There was a time that when a white man in car was seen in this region, it generally meant they were lost. Today, there is an industry based on the work David and Nicky Rattray started which means there's a huge desire for those battles between the army of the biggest Empire the planet has ever seen and the best warriors Africa has ever produced.
The 2 battles I was interested by were the battle at Isandlwana where the Zulu army wiped out around 1,300 British troops on 22nd January 1879. Later on that day, a lesser force of Zulus who had missed out on the action at Isandlwana, sought their opportunity and so against orders, they assaulted Rorke's Drift. This defensive action went down in the history of the British Army as one of its most remarkable battles which saw eleven Victoria Crosses awarded. Less than 140 British troops battled with approximately 4,000 Zulus in a battle that raged all night.
My stop at Fugitives Drift started out with the afternoon tour of the Rorke's Drift site. It is a couple of miles from the Lodge and we started looking round the museum that was hospital building at the time of the battle. As with most battlefield museums, there are different artefacts from the battle (rifles, bullets, buckles, spears etc) yet the most eye-catching item I found was a model of the battlefield. It showed the latter stages of the battle after the hospital had been evacuated and the soldiers were defending the store behind their stacks of mealie bags. The model revealed a few red coated troops surrounded on all sides by Zulu warriors several deep and this was the 1st occasion I'd really had the opportunity to visualise the battle properly. All of the movies and images I've seen in the past were in most cases close ups with a few people yet this model provided an overall impression that was quite frankly, astonishing.
To help holidaymakers and visitors picture the layout, there are lines of stones marking where the defensive lines were. Rob started the tale explaining what Rorke's Drift was and the reasons why it was assaulted. He made you understand there was so much more to the battle than just a fight between black and white, British redcoat against Zulu warrior. In all, the tour was around 3 hours and all of us merely sat enjoying this wonderful story teller recounting the events of 22nd January 1879.
Back at the lodge, I freshened up in my stunning room. It truly was a pity I couldn't spend more time there because it was so comfy but it was time for refreshments just before supper so I made my way to the dining area. This room is much like a museum with pictures, flags, notes, weapons and a great deal more covering the walls. The dinner itself was very good. Everyone staying at the Lodge sat around the same table. It was a very pleasant evening but an early start the next day meant it wouldn't be a late night.
My 6:30am alarm call was a nice hot pot of tea being delivered to my room (its nice to see some British customs still live on). We'd a nice hot breakfast just before heading off for our early morning excursion of Isandlwana. This battlefield is across the Buffalo river and our historian was a Zulu called Joseph. Isandlwana is a very different battlefield to Rorke's Drift. It occurred on a massive plain in the shadow of a mountain so the orientation took a lot longer as we first visited the museum ahead of moving on to the hilltop where the Zulu commanders were standing 129 years ago. We moved on to the battlefield itself and parked up. Now the talk was going to be a few hours hence we got deck chairs which we carried up the mountain to a vantage point that gave us a terrific view of the battleground. However, the elevation was about a mile above sea level therefore it wasn't the easiest climb I'd ever tried.
Joseph, like Rob gave us a compelling lecture and really helped us picture the scene. He also said that though he was a Zulu, he wasn't there to offer 'their side of the story', he wanted to provide us with the facts of what happened, occasionally in really graphic detail. At the right times, he would echo the Zulu cries which were made way back in 1879 and as his voice echoed all around us, it helped bring a lot more realism to the setting. The story was captivating. I listened to Joseph recited what was happening and my eyes wandered around the surroundings which was full of heaps of white stones. These heaps of stones mark the resting places of the British troopers who were buried where the died. Each pile of stones represented 6-8 men except for 2 sizeable heaps that were for as many as forty men. The hard African earth meant it had been tough to dig anything but shallow graves for the soldiers and heap stones on them.
Immediately after the talk was over, we had time to walk round many of the graves and memorials at Isandlwana before heading back for lunch. It was a fabulous destination and I almost certainly could have done with spending another day as there is a Zulu village to drop by and see as well as the walk down to the Buffalo river where Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill died saving the Queen's Colour of their regiment and years later became the very first men to be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
There was a time that when a white man in car was seen in this region, it generally meant they were lost. Today, there is an industry based on the work David and Nicky Rattray started which means there's a huge desire for those battles between the army of the biggest Empire the planet has ever seen and the best warriors Africa has ever produced.
About the Author:
The Anglo Zulu War of 1879 last only six months but had a significant impact on the Zulu Kingdom and the Disraeli government.. Check here for free reprint license: Fugitives Drift Lodge Offering The Ultimate Zulu Battlefield Experience.