Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #rorkesdrift

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The battle of #RorkesDrift ended 144 years ago today. A distant battle in a long gone war, its place in popular history relies as much on a film as it does the gallantry rewarded with 11 VCs.

But there's more to the story of the #VictoriaCross and cinema. A thread.

THREAD 1/14
The idea for ZULU (1964) came when Cy Endfield picked up a copy of Lilliput. John Prebble's article "Slaughter in the Sun" became #Zulu a few years later - recounting an underdog action which yielded 11 VCs and launched the career of a cinema great along the way.

THREAD 2/14
ZULU DAWN (1979) sought to cash in on the success of its predecessor by depicting the Battle of #Isandlwana. Some big names make up a strong ensemble cast, share the story of two more VCs (Melvill and Coghill), and put the events at #RorkesDrift into wider context.

THREAD 3/14
Read 16 tweets
29th January ...
Thread for yr commute to work ⏩ thanks to our #armedforces keeping us safe.
On this day 29/1/1856 Queen Victoria instituted Britain’s highest military decoration, the #VictoriaCross #VC.
Awarded for outstanding bravery ‘on the field of battle’.
#NeverForget 1/ Image
The metal from which the medals are struck is either from Russian cannon captured at the Siege of Sevastopol or other cannons.
Only 1355 #VCs have been awarded since 1856.
11 were awarded for the defence of #RorkesDrift in the Zulu wars on 23/1/1879 - 141 yrs ago this week 2/ Image
Bravery comes in many forms. Locally in #Northumberland I commemorate Private Fred Dobson of #Ovingham.
A 27-year-old private, with the #ColdstreamGuards he twice volunteered to go out under heavy fire to bring in two wounded men at Chavonne in France on 28 September 1914. 3/ Image
Read 4 tweets

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