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
Joseph Rorke his first wife. He died at Collingwood, Ontario in 1907. Joseph Rorke Joseph Rorke (April 26, 1832 – April 11, 1907) was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Grey Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Conservative member from 1886 to 1894. He was born in Tecumseh Township, Simcoe County, Upper Canada in 1832, the son of Richard Rorke, an immigrant from Ireland. He moved with his family to Collingwood Township in 1848. Rorke worked on his father's farm and taught school. In 1859, he was appointed a justice of the peace. From 1860 to 1864,