Rorke’s Drift: A New Perspective, Neil Thornton, Fonthill Media Limited, 2016, 192pp., £20 hard, ISBN 978-1-78155-553-8.

The battle of Rorke’s Drift on 22-23 January 1879 is established in history as one of Britain’s most incredible actions, where approximately 155 defenders held off a Zulu force of over 4,000 warriors in a savage, bloody conflict with no quarter given by either side. The battle led to a display of incredible fortitude, courage and tenacity resulting in mutual respect between British red coat and Zulu warrior.

Using a vast array of primary accounts, including lesser-known and previously unpublished examples, the author describes the battle in vivid detail. The actions of each of the 11 Victoria Cross recipients are looked at in detail, together with those men who were awarded the DCM.

Thornton puts forward a new narrative based upon detailed analysis of the available documentation and reasoned conjecture on some aspects of the defense of Rorke’s Drift. In so doing, he points to the conduct of John Chard VC, 5th Company Royal Engineers as one of the most important factors in the successful defense of the station during the brief but ferocious fighting between the Zulu army and the British Soldiers. Thornton relies heavily on the first-hand accounts of the fight for the Hospital and the Storehouse Compound reaching conclusions about some of the fighting different from previous accounts of the battle.

Illustrated with previously unpublished artwork, Rorke’s Drift: A New Perspective is a gripping account that provides an alternative interpretation of the hospital fighting. A truly compelling read, packed with numerous footnotes and sources, appealing to both the casual reader and the serious historian.