senior NCO at the Battle of Rorke’s Drift
Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne, was the senior NCO at the Battle of Rorke’s Drift during the Zulu War of 1879.
Superbly played by actor, Nigel Green, in the 1964 film “Zulu”, many have wondered why he was never awarded a Victoria Cross when 11 others were.
This is the story of what happened to Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne after Rorkes Drift.
He was actually awarded Britain’s second highest military medal (at the time), the Distinguished Conduct Medal and ultimately rose from the ranks to become an officer.
His military career continued all the way to the First World War, where he was promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel.
Frank Bourne, the last surviving defender of Rorke’s Drift died in 1945, one day after the Germans surrendered.
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