⚔️ 22–23 January 1879
Defence of Rorke's Drift
What happened
A small British garrison held the mission station against a Zulu reserve force.
What is uncertain
Popular retellings overstate some details; check primary despatches.
See the ground today
Pages about the Defence of Rorke's Drift
Each link opens a specific page about this event on the holder's own site. The material stays with them.
- Wikipedia — Battle of Rorke's Drift ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Article on the battle with order of battle, casualties and published references to follow.
WikipediaCommunity contribution - Wikimedia Commons — images: Battle of Rorke's Drift ↗ (opens in a new tab)
A curated collection of portraits, photographs, illustrations and documents. Check each file's licence.
Wikimedia CommonsDigitised copy
Search further in the archives
Archive searches for the Defence of Rorke's Drift
Each link opens the holder's own search, already filled in. The records stay with them.
- UK National Archives — colonial records for “Battle of Rorke's Drift” ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Catalogue entries for Colonial Office and War Office files — despatches, reports and correspondence.
The National Archives (Kew)Archive catalogue - Internet Archive — period books and reports mentioning “Battle of Rorke's Drift” ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Full-text search of digitised 19th- and 20th-century books, Blue Books and travel accounts.
Internet ArchiveDigitised copy - Wikimedia Commons — photographs and maps of “Battle of Rorke's Drift” ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Openly licensed photographs, historic maps and illustrations. Check each file's licence.
Wikimedia CommonsDigitised copy - South African History Online — articles on “Battle of Rorke's Drift” ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Published histories and biographies. A secondary source — follow its references.
SAHOCommunity contribution - Wikipedia — overview of “Battle of Rorke's Drift” ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Community-written overview with references. Use it as a starting point, not as evidence.
WikipediaCommunity contribution