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| | Some more on Chard By Mrs Stuart Menzies | |
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littlehand
Posts : 7076 Join date : 2009-04-24 Age : 55 Location : Down South.
| Subject: Some more on Chard By Mrs Stuart Menzies Wed Sep 28, 2011 1:39 pm | |
| "The second son. Colonel John Chard, Royal Engineers, of whom I cannot think or write without thrills, was the hero of Rorke's Drift, on January 22nd, 1879, when he — then
Lieutenant Chard — and Lieutenant Bromhead, 24th Regiment, accomplished almost superhuman tasks in defending the hospital and the stores when taken by surprise and surrounded by three thousand Zulus.
This where we all come in to play. This is not the place to recount the magnificence of those men's bravery, for I am writing about parsons, but it is im- possible to mention the name of Chard without referring to it, and I would like to recount the story afresh every year, so that the rising generations may hear all about it, and be fired with the hero-worship so inspiring and good for any son of man.
If I were a parson I would set apart special days to preach sermons on the lives of some of these great men ; I would take them for my text ; I would point out what possibilities lie within us all of forgetting self -what it is that makes men stand out like beacons in the hours of darkness and strife.
I can remember that black January, 1879, when the news of the awful disaster at Isandula reached England, and we were dumb with grief at the thought of all our brave soldiers that perished there, marched to their death with contradictory orders and insufficient ammunition. We felt crushed as a nation, broken-hearted as individuals.
Quickly on top of this blow came the news of the attack on Rorke's Drift, held against such overwhelming numbers by a handful of England's best. It was here Lieutenant Chard, taken by surprise, without even time to cut down the bush surrounding them, which gave such excellent cover for the enemy, quickly made defences of biscuit -tins, all with him following his orders and working hard.
At the last moment the Natal native contingent, dis- heartened at the disaster at Isandula, deserted, making matters worse for this brave handful, who only had time to build up the biscuit -tins and boxes two tins high, when the enemy were on them and the hospital attacked.
Lieutenants Chard and Bromhead carried out all the sick it was possible to move, but in spite of their efforts the hospital was set on fire ; the three privates stationed at the doors to protect the helpless inside, came to the end of their ammunition and stood at their posts repulsing the enemy at the point of the bayonet. ...
It was growing dark, and, as the burning hospital fell in, the gallant defenders were forced to retire to another defence of heaped-up meal-bags, and a desultory firing was kept up at them all night by the light of the burning hospital. They were completely surrounded, but evidently the enemy had no idea how few were opposed to them, and at dawn on January 23rd moved off, giving Lieutenant Chard time to collect the arms of the fallen Zulus, and fortify themselves in case of fresh attack.
This was accomplished none too soon, for at 7 a.m. the enemy appeared in sight again ; but Lieutenant Chard succeeded in getting a message taken to Helpmakaar, a few miles away, for help, which arrived about eight o'clock, seeing which, the enemy retired, and thus ended this most gallant defence." |
| | | | Some more on Chard By Mrs Stuart Menzies | |
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