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

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Tuesday, December 30, 2014, 00:39 (3457 days ago) @ Roger Griffiths

Hi Roger, thanks for your input, always interesting to me altho I fear we maybe beginning to bore the rest of the forum, so one last query if I may ?
I'm afraid your last post has confused me, ie
"Rorkes Drift. No soldiers were killed by assegai's. All gunshot wounds. Zulu's must have come back from Isandalwana with captured Martini Henry's."

Sorry, are you saying this is a statement of fact, if so very surprising to me.
Or is this what was officially reported at the time, to save embarrassment perhaps ?
Certainly the official British losses I've seen appear low compared to the impresson given by the film (of course). Altho these figures seem reasonable to me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rorke%27s_Drift#Aftermath

Clearly I'm not as well-read as you are, but I thought many were wounded by assegai's and presumed some must have died ?. Or have I just assumed too much from the film (which is notably blood-free...) ?
Since typing the above I've read much of the following speciallist thread, such as the fact an assegai wound was "clean" so treatable, but haven't yet seen any clear statement regarding casue of deaths. http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php/5652-Rorke-s-Drift

So on reflection I conclude your comment is indeed factual, as you presumably intended it to be. That thread suggests abt 1000 M-H rifles were taken at Isandlhwana, so if only 100 went-on to Rorke's Drift then still enough to gain a few "lucky" hits, and as you said it fired a beast of a bullet. However it always seemed rather ridiculous that the film's long-range sharpshooting by the Zulus rather put the redcoats to shame, contrary to the actual accounts and all common sense.
Still a top film tho, superb use of scenery, light etc; a great spectacle particularly as NO digital electrickery involved.

Thanks for helping me learn the facts behind the film.
Today I watched "Dambusters" yet again, so back on much more familiar ground again !