Fugitives Drift Lodge Offering The Perfect Zulu Battlefield Encounter

Fugitives Drift was set up by David Rattray together with his wife Nicky and built an award winning lodge for holidaymakers to enjoy this renowned tale. Sadly, in January 2007, David was murdered by an intruder but Fugitives Drift is a fantastic legacy to something he founded with his wife Nicky and it still remains today. Rob Caskie has taken over as the lead historian. Like David, Rob speaks fluent Zulu, understands the history back to front and is most probably the finest orator I've ever heard.

The 2 battles that I was focused on were the battle at Isandlwana when the Zulu army destroyed around 1,300 British troopers on 22nd January 1879. Later that day, a smaller force of Zulu warriors who had missed the fighting at Isandlwana, sought their opportunity and against instructions, they attacked Rorke's Drift. This defensive action is now down in the history of the British Army as amongst it's most amazing battles which saw 11 Victoria Crosses awarded. Less than 140 British troops struggled with about 4,000 Zulu warriors in a battle that continued for hours.

My stop at Fugitives Drift started with the afternoon trip to the Rorke's Drift site. It is a few miles from the Lodge and we began looking round the museum which was hospital building at the time of the battle. As with most battleground museums, there are many different artefacts from the battle (rifles, bullets, buckles, spears etc) and yet the most eye-catching thing I found was a model of the battleground. It showed the later stages of the fight when the hospital had been evacuated and the British were defending the store behind their piles of mealie sacks. The model proved a handful of red coated troopers surrounded on every side by Zulu warriors several deep and this was the first occasion I'd honestly been able to visualise the battle properly. All the movies and images I've witnessed in the past were typically close ups with a small number of individuals yet this model provided an overall look which was quite honestly, astonishing

To allow tourists imagine the layout, there are lines of stones marking where the defensive lines had been. Rob began the story outlining what Rorke's Drift was and the reasons why it had been assaulted. He made you recognise there was clearly so much more to the battle than just a fight between black and white, British redcoat versus Zulu warrior. In all, the trip was close to 3 hours and we all just sat listening to this excellent story teller recounting the events of 22nd January 1879.

Back at the lodge, I freshened up in my outstanding room. It really was a shame I couldn't spend longer there as it was so comfortable however it was time for drinks just before supper and so I made my way to the dining area. This room is much like a museum with pictures, flags, notes, guns and a lot more covering the walls. The meal itself was terrific. Everyone staying at the Lodge sat around the one table. It was a really satisfying night but an early start the following day meant it wouldn't be a late night.

My early alarm call was a nice hot pot of tea being delivered to my room (its nice to see a few British traditions still live on). We'd a nice hot breakfast just before leaving for the morning excursion of Isandlwana. The battlefield is on the other side of the Buffalo river and our historian was a Zulu called Joseph. Isandlwana is a dramatically different battlefield to Rorke's Drift. It occurred on a vast plain in the shadow of a mountain and so the orientation took a lot longer as we first went to the museum before moving on to the hill from where the Zulu commanders had stood 129 years earlier. We moved on to the battlefield itself and parked up. Now the talk was going to be a couple of hours so there were deck chairs that we took up the mountain to a vantage point which presented us a great view of the battlefield. Bear in mind, the altitude was around a mile above sea level hence it wasn't the easiest climb I'd ever tried.

Joseph, like Rob gave us all a fascinating lecture and genuinely assisted us imagine the scene. Next he said that despite the fact that he was a Zulu, he wasn't there to give ‘their side of the story', he wanted to give us the truth on what transpired, occasionally in really graphic detail. At the appropriate times, he would echo the Zulu cries that were made back in 1879 and as Joseph's voice echoed around us, it brought much more realism to the location. The tale was amazing. We listened as Joseph recited what was happening and my eyes wandered around the scenery which was littered with heaps of white stones. These piles of stones are the resting places of the British troops who are buried where the died. Every stack of stones represented 6-8 men apart from 2 substantial stacks which were for up to 40 men. The hard African earth meant it was impossible to dig anything but shallow graves for the men and heap stones on them.

Right after the talk was over, we had the opportunity wander round some of the graves and memorials at Isandlwana before heading back again for lunch. It was a fabulous location and I certainly could have done with having one more day as there was a Zulu village to have a look at as well as the walk down to the Buffalo river where Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill died saving the Queen's Colour of their regiment and years later became the very first men to be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

There was a time that when a white man in car was seen in this area, it typically meant these people were lost. Nowadays, there is an industry based on the work David and Nicky Rattray began meaning there is a massive fascination with those battles involving the army of the biggest Empire the planet has ever seen and the finest warriors Africa has ever produced.