Rorke's Drift Diorama

[keeper]

I hope that this is the appopriate board for this kind of thing, but this is one of the Christmas presents that I am giving this year, to my wife's Uncle, who is well into his Zulu war stuff.

It is supposed to be a section of the northen mealie bag wall at the drift which was subject to the second zulu attack of the encounter.  I've used 6mm sized figures from Baccus6mm.  Details aren't perfect - and the grass is a little on the green side, I think, but overall I'm really quite pleased with the way its come out.

Overall size of the piece is about 4" by 6" (although I've not measured it exactly).  Apologies for the slightly fuzzy photos in places, I've not yet figured out how to manually increase the f-stop on this camera.

Your comments and feedback are most welcome!

[Plynkes]

Appropriate board? Check.

Great idea for a present.

I don't think the grass is too green. Summer (which January is in) in eastern South Africa is the time when it rains the most, I believe, so the grass would be at its greenest. And it can be a very green country indeed, when it's been rained on.

The movies that show Zulus charging across sun-baked brown grass are probably the ones who are wrong, not you.

[JollyBob]

Very nice! I'm always surprised at how much detail there is on those Baccus figures.

Before you box it up and wrap it though, in the top picture, the soldier at the furthest right on the barricade appears to have a bent rifle - you might want to straighten that out before you present it.

Otherwise, I bet he'll be really pleased with that, it's a lovely little piece, plenty of drama and movement.  Well done, mate. 

[Keith]

Excellent.

And the grass is just about perfect!

[answer_is_42]

I'd paint the helmets more Kahki, they look too white in these pictures, although that may just be the camera here. The troops dyed them Kahki using tea-leaves whilst on campagin in Africa, and a Zulu War buff may notice this...
Aside from that it looks great! What are the mealie bags made out of?

"Sir, sentries report the Zulus have gone. All of them. It's a miracle."
"If it's a miracle, Colour Sergeant, it's a short chamber Boxer-Henry point-four-five caliber miracle."
"And a bayonet sir, with some guts behind it."

[Gluteus Maximus]

I'm sure your wife's uncle will love such a present.

I know I would 

[matakishi]

I'd paint the helmets more Kahki, they look too white in these pictures, although that may just be the camera here. The troops dyed them Kahki using tea-leaves whilst on campagin in Africa, and a Zulu War buff may notice this...

At Rorke's drift the British soldiers wore regulation white helmets with regimental plates as evidenced by the eyewitness reports of the defenders, one of who's plates deflected a Zulu bullet. They were on garrison duty, not campaign. At Islandwana, the day before the soldiers in the column also wore white helmets, archeological evidence has uncovered many from the battlefield,the custom of dying them didn't start until later.

Paint your hats whatever colour you want or whatever colour the recipient is expecting I am amazes by the atmosphere generated by such little chaps, very good work indeed. We need a 'thumbs up' of 'Froth' smiley for stuff like this.

[Mycenius]

At Rorke's drift the British soldiers wore regulation white helmets with regimental plates as evidenced by the eyewitness reports of the defenders, one of who's plates deflected a Zulu bullet. They were on garrison duty, not campaign. At Islandwana, the day before the soldiers in the column also wore white helmets, archeological evidence has uncovered many from the battlefield,the custom of dying them didn't start until later.

Greetings All - this is my first post to the LAF, although I have passed by occasionally in the past, and hello Paul specifically. Keeper - great little diorama! Not wanting to hi-jack or misdirect the thread but can I just say that that is quite a significant piece of information Paul (i.e. the certainty of it); although I have several books on the Zulu War (and Isandlwhana & Rorke’s Drift specifically) I hadn’t fully appreciated or 'twigged' to that fact as I don’t recall any of them ‘specifically’ stating that everyone definitely had regulation white helmets – although I do recall the accounts you mention about the helmet plate and such. The general line I’ve found in sources always being all troops in the 1879 Zulu Campaign (barring the very newest arrivals) discoloured their helmets with tea, coffee, and most commonly ox dung, and that this was a carry over from the behaviour of troops in the earlier Xhosa wars, and it's assumed the 24th all did it as they had been there long enough to have had opportunity, etc?

The reason I comment is I have about 50 x 28mm Foundry British (for a couple of TSATF units & a Command group) all finished and painted up as 24th Foot with White Helmets, and after Christmas I was planning on basing them up and staining/discolouring their helmets (with a couple of Ink Washes of different shades), only reason I haven't already is I have been busy with too many projects at once!
 
So you may have just saved me from a bit of a major blunder Paul despite having (supposedly) done a reasonable amount of research, and next time I am reading up on the Zulu War I'll have to revist those references!

So looks like you've got them spot on right Keeper!

Cheers,

John

[matakishi]

There are no absolutes
I have no doubt some soldiers at Islandwana had stained helmets, some would have had non regulation kit of all forms, that's the nature of being posted overseas, even with the army's customary enforcement of uniformity (for obvious reasons)

At Rorke's Drift I'm not so sure. Bromhead was there to keep him away from the front, the powers that be were well aware of his deafness and the problems this might cause. There was no reason for him to let the standards of his men 'slip', especially with another officer, Chard, visiting. Everybody writes reports on everything in the army 

Personally I like smart British soldiers and so prefer white helmets for all things.
My guiding principle is, as always, 'my toys, my choice' and recommend that others do the same.

[Gluteus Maximus]

Hello Mycenius!

I had also assumed that they all wore tea-stained helmets until several years ago, when I got to visit the South Wales Borderers' Museum. Paul has it spot-on [was there ever any doubt]. Remarkably the makers of "Zulu" actually got it right    .

Hopefully you will be able to post pics of your figures soon! If they are as good as your Egyptian avatar pic, they will be worth seeing.

[Mycenius]

Paul Indeed, Indeed. And Smart is Good.  

GM - Yes, Yes, and by god man, I do love that Movie! 

(Although having my mother go on about Stanley Baker being her No.2 Heartthrob - after Charleton Heston - is, well, you get the picture...)!

P.S. Absolutely Love the Firefly Avatar! 

[answer_is_42]

I had also assumed that they all wore tea-stained helmets until several years ago, when I got to visit the South Wales Borderers' Museum. Paul has it spot-on [was there ever any doubt]. Remarkably the makers of "Zulu" actually got it right    .

Awfully sorry old boy, but here you are incorrect.
The defenders of Rorke’s Drift were 'B' coy, 2nd battalion of the 24th regiment (2nd Warwickshires) (plus various soldiers from other units, such as the RE and Natal Police). They were only renamed the South Wales Borderers later, after the war. 

2nd Bttn had arrived later than the 1st, having been in South Africa since 1878. Whilst many in 1st Bttn had damaged or even lost their helmets, and stood in heavily patched up clothes, the 2nd was slightly smarter in appearance.
However, to quote Osprey’s 'The Zulu War 1879' (Ian Knight);

"...they were issued with a white 'foreign service helmet', which in South Africa was usually worn without the brass regimental badge on the front, and dulled with tea or coffee to offer a less obvious target."

Now, whilst some soldiers did wear the white helmet, and I'm sure some also wore the brass plate (In fact I’ve just discovered a rather nifty photo of the 99th crossing into Zululand, many of which have the plate worn), these were a minority during the war.
This practice of staining was rarely followed by officers, however.
I do hope this clears up the (rather minor) point...

[Mycenius]

...these were a minority during the war.

But do you mean that as a general statement covering the (whole Zulu) war, or specifically to the 2nd Btn/24th Foot at Rorkes Drift & Isandlwhana at the start? As noted I'm working on modelling a representation of part of the latter specifically, and was working under that impression (from the book you quote among others) until comments as noted above regarding preponderance of white helmets, etc... To me it's not a 'minor' issue in that it has a significant impact on the appearance of my troops and I would like to at least be confident whether I should just stain a handful for variety, or the majority (barring Officers & Senior NCOs)... so appreciate any further clarification on whether we are talking general or specifc or direction to definitive sources (if there are such things)...
 

Cheers!

[matakishi]

Quoting an Osprey puts one on very shaky ground, particularly when it contradicts a regimental museum and photographs from the time 

[Gluteus Maximus]

I had also assumed that they all wore tea-stained helmets until several years ago, when I got to visit the South Wales Borderers' Museum. Paul has it spot-on [was there ever any doubt]. Remarkably the makers of "Zulu" actually got it right    .

Awfully sorry old boy, but here you are incorrect.
The defenders of Rorke’s Drift were 'B' coy, 2nd battalion of the 24th regiment (2nd Warwickshires) (plus various soldiers from other units, such as the RE and Natal Police). They were only renamed the South Wales Borderers later, after the war. 

Well........they were certainly the 2nd Warwicks in 1879 - every history book says so and I've read most of them concerning the Zulu War. I've been fascinated by the Zulus ever since my Dad took me to see Zulu at the local pictures in the late 60's. Being an old fart, I can't recall the exact year, as I tend to forget dates more recent than 1901 

They became the South Wales Borderers after the Zulu War of course [in the Cardwell Reforms, IIRC] and were subsequently amalgamated into the Royal Regiment of Wales. Their Regimental museum is located at Brecon, these days:

http://www.rrw.org.uk/museums/index.htm

and there is also another in Cardiff, dealing with the other former regiments:

http://www.rrw.org.uk/museums/cardiff/about.htm

There are some very good html factsheets available from the first URL.

Here is the one on south Africa:

http://www.rrw.org.uk/museums/brecon/fact_sheets/5.htm

So, I wasn't incorrect as such, I was just mentioning their museum, which by the way, is excellent and well worth a visit 

I may well be a fool, but I can remember some basic historical facts