SOUTH AFRICA "ZULU" MEDAL BRINGS RECORD PRICE

A medal awarded to one of the defenders of Rorke's Drift, which was immortalised in the film Zulu, today sold for a record £132,000.

Driver Charles Robson was the batman, or personal servant, to Victoria Cross hero Lieutenant John Chard, who was played by Stanley Baker in the classic 1964 movie.

The duo formed part of the 140-strong British garrison which defied all odds to successfully defend the Rorke's Drift mission station from 4,000 marauding Zulu warriors in 1879.

Robson never left the side of Lt Chard, who was the commanding officer and who organised the epic defence.

For 12 hours the British repelled the spear-carrying tribesmen with accurate shooting and brutal hand-to-hand combat. The Zulus retreated with 350 of their number killed compared to 17 British.

Lt Chard was awarded the Victoria Cross - the highest award for valuer in the face of the enemy - as was Lt Gonville Bromhead, who was played by Michael Caine in the film.

Robson received the Zulu War medal which today sold for a hammer price of £110,000. With fees added on the overall price paid by the private telephone bidder was £132,000.

The staggering sum is a record for a non-VC Rorke's Drift medal.

It easily beat the existing record of £84,000 paid for the Zulu War Medal of private Michael Minehan last December.

A spokesman for London auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb said: "The extra price reflects the fact that the defence of Rorke's Drift is still regarded as one of the most heroic episodes in British Military History.

"Medal collectors tend to like a great story behind their medals and stories don't get much better than Rorke's Drift. It remains one of the most epic actions in military history."

To read the complete article, see:
Zulu War medal of Rorke's Drift hero sells for record £132,000 at auction (www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/zulu-war-medal-rorkes-drift-9950274)

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