Battle of Rorke's Drift close to defeating the much smaller garrison, but were ultimately repelled. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders, along with a number of other decorations and honours. Rorke's Drift, known as "kwaJimu" ("Jim's Land") in the Zulu language, was a mission station and the former trading post of James Rorke, an Irish merchant. It was located near a drift, or ford, on the Buffalo (Mzinyathi) River, which at the time formed the border between the British colony of Natal and the Zulu Kingdom. On 9 January 1879, the British No. 3 (Centre) Column, under Lord Chelmsford, arrived and encamped
Gordon Rorke was flown back to Australia for medical treatment. Following this illness, Rorke struggled in first-class cricket, eventually losing his place in the New South Wales Sheffield Shield squad in 1964. Since the end of his playing career he has had three knee replacements. He and his wife have four children and 11 grandchildren. Gordon Rorke Gordon Frederick Rorke (born 27 June 1938 in Mosman, New South Wales) is a former Australian cricketer who played in 4 Tests in 1959. Rorke made his Test debut in January 1959 in the Fourth Test of The Ashes series against England in Adelaide. It