Framlinghamian 2023-2024 Single page - web 144dpi - Flipbook - Page 265
SOF | OF SPORT: RIFLE CLUB
White stone cairns marking the mass burials of British troops
Many team training weekends were
Rorke’s Drift. Having 昀椀rst seen the 昀椀lm
held to hone team drills, align 昀椀rers with
‘Zulu’ in the Athlone Hall, this was
coaches, and to develop an ammunition
fascinating and moving. Our guides
load suitable for the conditions to be
were Zulus, descendants of the original
encountered at Bloemfontein which are
combatants (one’s grandfather and
very dissimilar to our native Bisley, being
great-grandfather had participated at
hot and high, at around 5,000 feet
Isandlwanna). Consequently, we received
above sea level. It is di昀케cult for northern
a di昀昀erent perspective than we might
hemisphere teams to hit the ground running
have gathered from Michael Caine. White
as we had not been able to train much in
stone cairns mark the site of mass graves
the winter weeks immediately leading up
of British troops, buried where they fell at
to the event, compared to our southern
Isandlwanna and who were annihilated
hemisphere opponents.
almost to a man. Rorke’s Drift is equally
atmospheric, a site notable for its small
size.
After our reconnaissance last year,
we decided we needed more time to
acclimatise to the weather. As a result,
We then departed for Bloemfontein, a
our 昀椀rst destination on arrival in South
long drive starting with an hour on rough
Africa was a two-night stay in KwaZulu
dirt roads dodging potholes and wildlife,
Natal, which included a guided tour
happily with no 昀氀at tyres. We arrived
of the battle昀椀elds of Isandlwanna and
at Shawu Lodge, a small hotel in the
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