Welcome

Gathering the Jewels features over 30,000 images of objects, books, letters, aerial photographs and other items from museums, archives and libraries throughout Wales.

Search the map

Thumbnail image of Wales,

New to Gathering the Jewels is G.I.S. A geographical search facility that will enable searching by location and place name.

Topics

Home » War and Rebellion » Zulu War (1879) » Medals

Displaying results 1 to 3 out of 3

Page 1

  • This campaign medal commemorates one of the most dramatic engagements of British military history. It was awarded to Private Evan Jones, 2/24th Foot, one of the tiny garrison at Rorke's Drift who fought off attack by thousands of Zulu warriors on 23 January 1879, the day after the Zulus had wiped out a large British force at nearby Isandhlwana.
Campaign medal, South Africa 1877-9 [image 1 of 2]
  • The Victoria Cross is Britain's highest award for gallantry and was instituted in January 1856. Only 1,354 (including three bars to soldiers who have received the coveted decoration twice) have been awarded since its inception. Eighty-one servicemen with Welsh connections have gained this highly prized decoration and the Victoria Cross shown here was awarded to Private John Williams VC 2/24th Foot for his actions at the defence of Rorke's Drift during the 1879 Anglo-Zulu war. John Fielding (who served under the name John Williams) was born in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, lived in Cwmbran, and is buried in Llantarnam.
A Victoria Cross awarded to John Williams during the Anglo-Zulu war, 1879
  • Britain's highest award for gallantry, the Victoria Cross, was instituted by Royal Warrant on 29 January 1856. Since that date only 1,354 have been awarded. This is the Victoria Cross awarded to Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead for his actions at the Defence of Rorke's Drift, the mission station and temporary hospital on the banks of the Buffalo River, Natal, on 22 January 1879. Bromhead was the officer commanding B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment. This Regiment whose depot was based in Brecon later became The South Wales Borderers.
Victoria Cross medal awarded to Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead, 1879