| Date | Original Topic |
| 11th December 2001 | Rorkes Drift Half Marathon
By Harry Sedgwick
Did you know there's a half marathon that takes place in January of each year to commemorate the battle. The run begins at Isandlwana. navigates the battlefield and then carries on along the dirt road to Rorkes Drift. The first eleven runners are awarded a gold medal to celebrate the 11 VC's awarded to the defenders. The following 139 runners get silver. Commemorating the total number of defenders, and the other finishers receive a bronze medal. The medal is an attractive design and a nice keepsake/momento of Rorkes. It's a different way to view the battle area with a friendly get-together and prize giving following the finish. There's always interesting folk to meet,..I was lucky enough to make the aquaintance of Ian Knight (Listed in this web site) who took the trouble to chat to me for a while and autograph a couple of his publications that I'd bought. It's well worth giving it a go. |
| Date | Replies |
| 12th December 2001 | Roger Clifton
...and STILL fight a battle at the end of it? |
| 12th December 2001 | John Young
Harry,
Tell the organisers to invest in of the more recent books on the subject, they'll have to up the number of silver medals.
The mythical "139" has long since been disproved.
John Young
Anglo-Zulu War Research Society |
| 12th December 2001 | Ian Woodason
But if you add the 11 gold medals to the 139 silver ones you get much closer to the more recent total, John .....
Ian Woodason
Keynsham Light Horse - checkout the 'Links' on the left |
| 12th December 2001 | John Young
Woody,
"Be a nice gentleman".
Harry does say,'The following 139 runners get silver. Commemorating the total number of defenders,...'
But the figure of 150 +/-, is now more accepted than 139.
John |
| 13th December 2001 | Ian Woodason
Alexandria! |
| 13th December 2001 | John Young
Ask the Staffordshires! |
| 14th December 2001 | Harry
Whoops!
Steady on lads, I didn't mean to start another war. 'twas a slip of the proverbial pen on my part. From the various publications that I've read for myself there were + - 150 defenders at Rorkes Drift. 139 + 11 medals for the commemorative race = 150 defenders. Let's not knock the organisors for being one or two out.
|
| 15th December 2001 | Alan Critchley
John,
isn't it 'there's a good gentleman'? |
