The Rorke's Drift VC Discussion Forum
(View Discussion Rules)

** IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL USERS **

PLEASE NOTE: This forum is now inactive and is provided for reference purposes only. The live forum is available at www.rorkesdriftvc.com/forum

(Back To Topic List)

Date	Original Topic
17th March 2005	SGT Windridge By Richard This SGT appears briefly in the film, apart from Bourne and Maxwell(or is it Maxfield?) he's the only SNCO shown in the film. What happened to him? There is nothing about him on the other defenders part of the site, did he die at the drift or did he carry on serving?
Date	Replies
17th March 2005	tony if you check out the Keynsham Light Horse site, you will see the poor chap is buried in England in an unmarked grave.A shame.
17th March 2005	Tom I know the 1879 Group do excellant re-dedications. Perhaps they could consider this one?
18th March 2005	Martin Everett Dear Richard, He was discharged at Gosport in August 1883 after 24 years 189 days service. There is his original discharge certificate in the Regimental Archives.
18th March 2005	Colin Blackler If you go to IMDB.com and search for Zulu, look at the trivia section and it states that Sgt Windridge was to have had a bigger part in the film but Joe Powell the actor who played him (he was also a stunt arranger for the film) was taken ill during filming, could have been lifting them big bags or maybe a dozy Welshman flung his bundle back at `im. Maybe sheldon Hall can throw some light on this. Colin
18th March 2005	Sheldon Hall Joe Powell was bitten on the leg by a spider or insect and spent a week in hospital, during which time several of his lines were given to Nigel Green as Col-Sgt Bourne. Further details will be made available soon, but it's fair to say that Windridge would not have played a very much bigger part - certainly no bigger than Bourne. The 'mealie' bags, incidentally, were filled with wood shavings and it's a 'bundook', not a bundle, that the dozy Welshman should have been carrying!
18th March 2005	Sheldon Hall Further to the above, at earlier stages of the script Sergeants Milne (of the Buffs) and Gallagher were also featured characters, but were eliminated in later drafts (too many sergeants...).
23rd March 2005	Graham Mason Dear Richard , Sgt Joseph Lenford Windrige died in 1902 aged 60 , i have quite a file on him including the fact he was married THREE times and he lost a large number of children within a few weeks of each other , a tragic circumstance . The 1879 Group ( www.1879Group.com ) has Sgt Windridge in the frame for a future dedication as currently lies in an unmarked grave in Birmingham and as the group has carried out such ceremonies before i don`t think it will be too long before Sgt Windridge the SENIOR Sgt at Rorke`s Drift will get his overdue marker at long last . Send me an e-mail and i will enlighten you on Sgt Windridge , thanks , Graham .