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This is a repost of a story I shared back in 2019, well worth the re-share on this 143th anniversary of Rourke's Drift:
Some speak of themselves as being "salty". But few will ever be as salty as Sergeant Evan Jones of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
He was born Patrick Cosgrove in 1859 in the small parish of Bedwellty, Wales. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the British Army under the name "Evan Jones", perhaps to escape the wrath of an angry father of a pretty daughter.
2 years later, he found himself in Natal with the "B" Company, 24th Foot in a little mission station called Rourke's Drift. What would happen to him and 150 comrades on 22 January 1879 would be forever remembered in military history. Through sheer grit and discipline, the malnourished, sick and understrength garrison of soldiers fended off a force of almost 4,000 Zulu warriors armed with spears and captured British rifles.
The action is remembered as one of the greatest last stands in military history, and the 20-year-old Evan Jones' name was forever immortalized for having been one of the warriors at Rourke's Drift.
Like many of his comrades at Rourke's Drift, Jones remained in the British Army and served in India. Many of his comrades, including those several of the 11 who had been awarded the Victoria Cross met untimely demises serving there. Disease and hard living took their toll on these veterans. Through it all, Jones stayed alive, fighting through another campaign against Burmese rebels in 1887 until 1889.
By the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, Jones was one of the very few original Rourke's Drift survivors. He was still in the army serving with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and deployed Western Front. Likely due to his advanced age, he was a regimental drummer as indicated by the white sash in this 1918 photograph. Like many other bandsmen in infantry regiments, he would be pressed into service regularly at the front lines to serve a stretcher bearer and orderly.
Jones was discharged in 1920 after 43 years of service. He spent his last years with his wife Alice and 4 adopted children, before his passing away in 1930.
150 vs 4,000.... and they say we are arrogant to be called Great Britain.... understated if anything
Brave men..
Amazing story, God bless him.
Looks a hard man in that photo.
It's worth mentioning that the Scots and Irish have also been well represented in the British army too.
yes mate i was brought up with tunes of glory, but Zulu hit a chord with me, the four countries, have wall to walls hero's, my regiment won the last VC of the first WW then won the First VC of the second, i have met a VC holder, and lots of guys who played football for Scotland and a few who Boxed for my country, i loved all our history, but none surpassed the true story of Zulu... in my opinion...
I've heard of the place (Rourke's Drift) but never read up on the story of it. I'll rectify that.
It's also one of those films you can watch over and over again. When they start to sing Men of Harlech I can't hold back the tears !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQrE8vOM0ss
He may have got the VC, but not made a Sir like some low life recipients who start illegal wars.
Men like him don't exist any more, can you imagine modern day snowflakes seeing off all those Zulus' he is worth 100+ of any of them. Even the the Zulu's saluted the brave men of Rourkes Drift.
Great post crabbyob.
My Dad was half Welsh as my gran was a Taff. He claimed full Welshness on two occasions, the singing of Bread of Heaven at Cardiff Arms Park and anything involving rugby, and the film Zulu. Always made him have 'something in his eye' by the time they sang Harlech.
I have a Welsh name but no known Welsh ancestry. Mind you I've never really dug into it.
my family Dug into my name, [1070] and we are Scots as far as it was possible to check
our earliest record was a Grandfather in Kingsbarn near St Andrews in the early years of the 1700's
sadly thats only on my mothers side, my father was born the wrong side of the blanket, so theres a brick wall there, i still might try the DNA route.... have any of you tried this?
I've done the DNA test crabbyob. Scots, English and Irish, as well as a tiny bit from somewhere else in Europe.
I've traced my father's line back to the 1700s in Kinross. That's where the English and Irish comes in. I've given up with my mum's, all these Macs marrying each other North of Aberdeen. 😁
oops i hope Raven isnt reading this...lol... at least they got married, my granny didnt....
I've found a bigamist in my OH's family. Sshh. 😉
Quote from: Alex on January 27, 2022, 07:59:07 PM
It's also one of those films you can watch over and over again. When they start to sing Men of Harlech I can't hold back the tears !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQrE8vOM0ss
Brilliant film - but don't fact check it too closely - there are an awful lot of liberties taken.
Mike
I'm not the type to fact check films Mike - news either sometimes, hadn't you noticed :grin: :grin: