20156
W. Britain
The defense of the mission station at Rorke’s Drift resulted in 14
killed outright, 2 mortally wounded, and 8 wounded, but every man
engaged received some kind of wound. Following the battle many of the
defenders suffered from what is now classified as Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD). The nature of the fierce, close-combat fighting they
had with the Zulus was the obvious cause. Corporal Schiess “fell on hard
times” and died in 1884 aged 28 years; Private John Fielding’s hair is
said to have turned white shortly after the battle; William Jones,
suffered from nightmares that the Zulus were about to attack for the
rest of his days; Robert Jones died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in
1896.