Rorkes Drift Hospital

Dear Gentlemen

As some of you may be aware I am atempting to model Rorkes drift for a future wargame, and I am now in the position of researching the size, layout, and the positions that each of the defenders and patients took in the defence and evacuation of the hospital on that fatefull day.

Initually I have taken the step of modeling the hospital in software while I try to work out the dimentions of the rooms and who should be where at the start of the attack,

so far I have two models both WIP
one based on D . Morris acount in "the washing of the spears"
the other a combination of online and data from the books I currently have.

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as per D. Morris Discription
can be viewed online at:
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and

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combination of my notes from diferent souces
online at:
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Given that the evidence as to the size and position of the defenders etc is limited due to a number of factors, most notably the distruction of the hospital by fire and the robbing of the stone to build the fort. Plus the number of years that had pased between the action and the recording of the acounts from the defenders as to what happened inside the hospital on that day. It is imposable to be 100% correct but I would like to have a good shot at making it right

Which should I go with ? and can anyone add any more Info ?

Terry

Teld. Just wanted to say very impressive, is this going to a computer war game or model.

John wrote:

Teld. Just wanted to say very impressive, is this going to a computer war game or model.

John It will be a physical model, Im just using the floorplan software for the initial planning and ideas stage, then I will draw it out in the correct scale on paper and use that as a cutting plan for the model.

Of the two which one looks more correct to you? IE which would you go with ?
any obvious errors / omissions ?

Hi Teld .
I agree certainly most impressive . I would go with the more detailed second one .
cheers 90th.

Chard composed a sketch for Queen Victoria, he indicates an opening between Maxells room and the large front room you show with a table on the carpet. Looking Good.

Regards

Teld here's a copy of the of the Mission Station provided by Lt. Chard from his original drawing and a redone copy. You'll note they were only three doors and not 4 on the front of the the hospital as you enter it from the veranda..........The1stLt


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Don't forget the famous wooded Chair that was in the Hospital at Rorkes Drift.

Quote :

"Don't forget the famous wooded Chair"

Don't know this one..

Mr G. A wooden chair that was in the Hospital at Rorkes Drift during the battle was brought back to England. And in November 1929 100 + Victoria Cross holders attended a dinner hosted by the British Legion. Among Guests was Private John Williams V.C Rorkes Drift defender. The organisers of the event had arranged for that chair to delivered to the event and John Williams V.C spend the evening in that chair.

Thanks for that, a nice story.

Firstly thank you for your Input gentlemen, sorry for not replying sooner but it has been a busy weekend.

There seem to be a couple of queries ref: chards sketch.
I used this for reference as it is a primary source but one has to accept that it is a small sketch dealing with the whole compound not just the hospital and as such certain allowances have to be made with regard to the way it was drawn.

springbok9 wrote:

Chard composed a sketch for Queen Victoria, he indicates an opening between Maxells room and the large front room you show with a table on the carpet. Looking Good.

Regards

Looking at the blown up version as posted by The1stLt there does apear to be a small "gap" at the corner.

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Image copyright Royal Regiment of Wales Museum, Brecon.

You will see in the version of the drawing above signed by Lt Chard in 1879, that who ever drew it up used gaps in the walls to indicate openings both windows and doors in both the Hospital and the storehouse. In the image above the “gap” is not present between Sgt Maxwells room and the front room with a door. All the articles I have read speak only of one internal door giving access from the front to the rear, the one next to the corner room that Pte Hook was defending which he describes in his account as having a door.


"From the very first the enemy tried to rush the hospital, and at last they managed to set fire to the thick grass which formed the roof. This put us in a terrible plight, because it meant that we were either to be massacred or burned alive, or get out of the building. To get out seemed impossible; for if we left the hospital by the only door which had been left open, we should instantly fall into the midst of the Zulus. Besides, there were the helpless sick and wounded, and we could not leave them. My own little room communicated with another by means of a frail door like a bedroom door. Fire and dense choking smoke forced me to get out and go into the other room. It was impossible to take the native patient with me, and I had to leave him to an awful fate. But his death was, at any rate, a merciful one. I heard the Zulus asking him questions, and he tried to tear off his bandages and escape.
"In the room where I now was there were nine sick men, and J was alone to look after them for some time, still firing away, with the hospital burning. Suddenly in the thick smoke I saw John Williams, and above the din of battle and the cries of the wounded I heard him shout, 'The Zulus are swarming all over the place. They've dragged Joseph Williams out and killed him.' John Williams had held the other room with Private William Horrigan for more than an hour, until they had not a cartridge left. The Zulus then burst in and dragged out Joseph Williams and two of the patients, and assegaied them. It was only because they were so busy with this slaughtering that John Williams and two of the patients were able to knock a hole in the partition and get into the room where I was posted. Horrigan was killed. What were we to do? We were pinned like rats in a hole. Already the Zulus were fiercely trying to burst in through the doorway. The only way of escape was the wall itself by making a hole big enough for a man to crawl through into an adjoining room, and so on until we got to our inmost entrenchment outside. Williams worked desperately at the wall with the navvy's pick, which I had been using to make some of the loopholes with.
"All this time the Zulus were trying to get into the room. Their assegais kept whizzing towards us, and one struck me in front of the helmet. We were wearing the white tropical helmets then. But the helmet tilted back under the blow and made the spear lose its power, so that I escaped with a scalp wound which did not trouble me much then, although it has often caused me illness since. Only one man at a time could get in at the door."
Alfred Henry "Harry" Hook VC
online source : [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]


"the rear corner room had a door to the back and connected with the next room along along the back, which in turn opened to the interior of the building - the only one of the outside rooms to do so."
Donald.R. Morris the washing of the spears.

which leads me to the conclusion that posably a misprinting in the image has been transcribed as a opening in the later drawing as posted by The1stLt. ?But that requires takeing the dangerous asumption that the Chard drawing with the "gap" was used as a guide for the later drawing?.

The1stLt. Any details / source for the second "redone copy" so I can look into it further ?

Secondly the 3 door issue with the same Lt chard drawing.
I think this was proberly down to the scale and size of the origional drawing as the door from Pte Hooks room to the room next door is also ommited from the sketch, But I have not seen the origional or have any details as to its size so im only asuming that it was small and Lt Chard was intrested in recording the main features of the whole compound and as such certain details were ommited notably the 4th door.

My grounds for this asumption is thus :

there are no acounts describing another door to the outside on the side of the building or another internal conecting door to this room . So the door must have been to the front or the veranda as on the other side. or if we are to take the drawing literally there is no door or window to this room ?

Admin
interesting about the wooden chair I take it this was rescued from the remains of the hospital after the fire? hopfully if space and time allows I plan to put some scenic furniture in the model

All the best Terry

Admin wrote:

Mr G. A wooden chair that was in the Hospital at Rorkes Drift during the battle was brought back to England. And in November 1929 100 + Victoria Cross holders attended a dinner hosted by the British Legion. Among Guests was Private John Williams V.C Rorkes Drift defender. The organisers of the event had arranged for that chair to delivered to the event and John Williams V.C spend the evening in that chair.

How did the chair survive the fire??


Cheers

Might originally been in th hospital, but taken out perhaps to form part of the defence.

Congratulations TERRY

Super helpful your research ...

Cheers

Pascal

Hi
It's been a while, but it is highly likely the chair came from Spaldings command tent or maybe Mabin's, having taken it from the church, or even the storemans chair, hence no burn marks.