Pte. Alfred Henry HOOK V.C. - poor treatment in "Zulu" film (General)

by Roger Griffiths , Sunday, December 28, 2014, 18:56 (3458 days ago) @ Roger Griffiths

For those interested the main site is worth looking at.

www.rorkesdriftvc.com. Biographies and photographs.

I hope people have read Bourne's BBC interview 30th December 1936. It's a very revealing insight.

Bourne said, and he was there, he reckoned there were 600 to 700 Zulu's at Rorkes Drift, not the 3,500 (Lord Chelmsford) put in his report. Lt. Chard's report of the action is on the internet somewhere.

Bourne was portrayed as an older sergeant major type of the best type for gravitas. Bourne was only 24, but must have been highly thought of by his superiors and was effectively company sergeant major. He spoke of his sergeants.

Hook as mentioned had good conduct record and no doubt got his job at the British Museum because of it.

The Martini Henry rifle was a man stopper. Weighing less than a Lee Enfield, the whole thing with sword bayonet only weighed 9lbs 4.75 ounces. 0.45 calibre. Rate of fire was 12 rounds a minute. Velocity 1,250 feet per second. Ideal firing range 400 yards, but could go out to 1,900 yards. Americans captured examples in Afghanistan as late as 2011.