Battle of Rorke's Drift - Quiz
Battle of Rorke s Drift
  • 1. At what time was the cattle kraal evacuated?
A) 8:00 p.m.
B) midnight
C) 2:00 a.m.
D) 10:00 p.m.
  • 2. When did the Zulu attacks against the British positions end?
A) 2:00 a.m.
B) 10:00 p.m.
C) 4:00 a.m.
D) midnight
  • 3. How many rounds of ammunition remained from the original reserve of 20,000?
A) 900
B) 2,000
C) 500
D) 1,000
  • 4. How many British soldiers were dead by 4:00 a.m.?
A) 14
B) 17
C) 10
D) 8
  • 5. At approximately what time did an impi of Zulus appear after the battle?
A) 6:00 a.m.
B) 7:00 a.m.
C) 8:00 a.m.
D) 9:00 a.m.
  • 6. Who led the relief column that arrived at 8:00 a.m.?
A) Horace Smith-Dorrien
B) William James Clarke
C) Dalton
D) Lord Chelmsford
  • 7. How many Zulus lay dead on the battlefield at the end of the fighting?
A) 600
B) 351
C) 875
D) 500
  • 8. What was the total number of British killed during the battle?
A) 17
B) 14
C) 25
D) 20
  • 9. How many days had the Zulu force been on the move prior to the battle?
A) Four
B) Six
C) Eight
D) Two
  • 10. According to Samuel Pitt, how many Zulus did the British account for?
A) 500
B) 875
C) 351
D) 375
  • 11. Which unit suffered 9 deaths during the battle?
A) 2nd/3rd NNC
B) 2nd/24th Foot
C) 1st/24th Foot
D) Natal Mounted Police
  • 12. What did the defenders use for hanging Zulus suspected of treachery?
A) An improvised gallows
B) A cattle fence
C) The storehouse rafters
D) A tree
  • 13. What was the duration of the fight before the men were exhausted?
A) 6 hours
B) 14 hours
C) 24 hours
D) The better part of 10 hours
  • 14. Trooper William James Clarke claimed that how many Zulus were buried?
A) 600
B) 375
C) 351
D) 875
  • 15. What estimate does Laband accept for the number of Zulu deaths?
A) 351
B) 875
C) 500
D) 600
  • 16. Where did Henderson's NNH troopers head after leaving the battle?
A) Helpmekaar
B) The hospital
C) The storehouse
D) Isandlwana
  • 17. Which soldier was killed by British fire after fleeing the barricades?
A) John Williams
B) William Anderson
C) Alfred Henry Hook
D) Joseph Williams
  • 18. What material was used to build a wall through the middle of the post?
A) Biscuit boxes
B) Sandbags
C) Wooden crates
D) Stone blocks
  • 19. Who was the lookout posted atop the storehouse?
A) Frederick Hitch
B) Robert Jones
C) William Anderson
D) John Williams
  • 20. Which Zulu force formed the vanguard of the attack on the south wall?
A) iNdluyengwe
B) ngobamakhosi
C) uDloko
D) uThulwana
  • 21. At what distance did the British open fire on the Zulus?
A) 100 metres
B) 1000 metres
C) 500 metres
D) 300 metres
  • 22. What did the Zulus do when the British wall proved too high to scale?
A) Built a bridge
B) Used ladders
C) Set fire to the wall
D) Crouched under the wall
  • 23. What weapon did the defenders switch to when low on rifle ammunition?
A) Shotguns
B) Pistols
C) Muskets
D) Revolvers
  • 24. What tool did John Williams use to hack a hole through the hospital wall?
A) Axe
B) Pickaxe
C) Bayonet
D) Sword
  • 25. What item was Private Hook wearing when he was stunned by an assegai?
A) Cloak
B) Helmet
C) Tunic
D) Cap
  • 26. Where did Privates Waters and Beckett hide during the hospital attack?
A) In the wardrobe
B) Under the beds
C) Behind the door
D) In the attic
  • 27. Which illness were Sergeant Maxfield and Private Jenkins suffering from?
A) Fever
B) Dysentery
C) Malaria
D) Cholera
  • 28. Who rescued Private Conley by pulling him to safety?
A) Hook
B) John Williams
C) Robert Jones
D) William Jones
  • 29. What unit did Trooper Green belong to?
A) Royal Artillery
B) NNH
C) Natal Mounted Police
D) NNC
  • 30. How many total men were in the garrison near the start of the battle?
A) Between 100 and 120
B) Between 200 and 220
C) Between 154 and 156
D) Exactly 180
  • 31. What was the main reason the Zulus could not easily scale the walls?
A) The British had bayonets pointed out
B) They lacked proper equipment
C) The wall was too high
D) The walls were electrified
  • 32. Which soldier was killed after running outside the hospital?
A) Private Waters
B) Private Adams
C) Private Beckett
D) Private Cole
  • 33. How many Victoria Crosses were awarded for the Battle of Rorke's Drift?
A) Six
B) Twenty-four
C) Eleven
D) Seventeen
  • 34. What was the name of the Zulu language name for Rorke's Drift?
A) kwaJimu
B) Mzinyathi
C) Oscarberg
D) Isandlwana
  • 35. Who was the overall commander of the supply depot before Major Spalding left?
A) Lieutenant John Chard
B) Brevet Major Henry Spalding
C) Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead
D) Captain William Stevenson
  • 36. What was the name of the large hill that overlooked the station?
A) Buffalo Ridge
B) Isandlwana Hill
C) Natal Heights
D) Oscarberg (Shiyane)
  • 37. Which Zulu commander led the attack on Rorke's Drift?
A) Prince Dabulamanzi kaMpande
B) Cetshwayo kaMpande
C) Inkhosi kaMapitha
D) Umkwelnantaba
  • 38. How many British and colonial troops defended the station?
A) Approximately 50
B) About 400
C) Just over 150
D) Exactly 100
  • 39. What was the primary weapon carried by the majority of Zulu warriors?
A) Pistol
B) Martini-Henry rifle
C) Assegai
D) Musket
  • 40. What is the name of the river that formed the border between Natal and the Zulu Kingdom?
A) Buffalo (Mzinyathi) River
B) Orange River
C) Thukela River
D) Helpmekaar Creek
  • 41. How many Distinguished Conduct Medals were awarded for the Battle of Rorke's Drift?
A) 4
B) 28
C) 11
D) 7
  • 42. Who famously called the defenders of Rorke's Drift 'rats' who were just fighting to save their own lives?
A) Lord Chelmsford
B) Sir Garnet Wolseley
C) Victor Davis Hanson
D) Henry Bartle Frere
  • 43. According to Victor Davis Hanson, what was the ratio of Zulu attackers to British defenders at Rorke's Drift?
A) 20 to one
B) 100 to one
C) 10 to one
D) 40 to one
  • 44. How many Victoria Crosses were awarded as a result of the Second Relief of Lucknow?
A) 16
B) 11
C) 7
D) 28
  • 45. What is another title for the book 'Carnage and Culture' by Victor Davis Hanson?
A) The Rats of Rorke's Drift
B) Why the West Has Won
C) Victorian Bravery
D) Defending the Drift
  • 46. Which officer from the 5th Field Company, Royal Engineers received the Victoria Cross for the battle?
A) James Langley Dalton
B) Lieutenant John Rouse Merriott Chard
C) Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead
D) Surgeon-Major James Henry Reynolds
  • 47. Which soldier was demoted from bombardier wheeler the day before the battle?
A) Gunner John Cantwell
B) Second Corporal Francis Attwood
C) Colour Sergeant Frank Edward Bourne
D) Private John William Roy
  • 48. Who painted 'The Defence of Rorke's Drift' in 1880?
A) Stanley Baker
B) Richard Tucker
C) H. Rider Haggard
D) Elizabeth Butler
  • 49. Which individual was notably omitted from H. Rider Haggard's 1894 account of the battle?
A) Surgeon Reynolds
B) Lieutenant Chard
C) James Langley Dalton
D) Lieutenant Bromhead
  • 50. In the 1964 film Zulu, what is the name of the regiment that the unit is referred to as?
A) Royal Horse Artillery
B) South Wales Borderers
C) Army Hospital Corps
D) 2nd Warwickshire Regiment of Foot
  • 51. According to the text, how many soldiers of the 24th Regiment at the battle were known to be Irish?
A) 1
B) 16
C) 49
D) 32
  • 52. What is the name of the Swedish power metal band that wrote a song about the battle?
A) Sabaton
B) The Edison Company
C) Northern Union
D) 24th Regiment Band
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