The Defence of Rorke's Drift having fought in the battle from Lady Butler's sketch of him taken at Portsmouth among the other survivors; his name has subsequently been added to the roll of those who fought at Rorke's Drift. The Defence of Rorke's Drift The Defence of Rorke's Drift is an 1880 painting by Elizabeth Thompson, Lady Butler depicting the 1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift which took place during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1877 to 1879. The battle and the men who fought in it were made famous in the 1964 film "Zulu". The Battle of Rorke's Drift caused a wave of patriotic fever in
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