Blue plaque on the house of Frank Bourne, the last known survivor of the battle of Rorke's Drift during the Zulu War.
Frank Bourne (April 1854 – 8 May 1945) served in the British Army at the defence of Rorke's Drift during the 1879 Zulu War; he was the last known survivor of the battle when he died in 1945. He enlisted in the army at the age of 18 and within four years had been promoted to Colour Sergeant - making him the youngest NCO in the army. He was awarded the DCM for his bravery at Rorke's Drift and later served in India and Burma. He was commissioned in 1890 and eventually retired in 1907. At the outbreak of the First World War he re-enlisted and by 1918 had been given the honorary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and made an OBE. After spending his retirement at King's Hall Road in Beckenham, he died on VE day aged 91. In 1964 he was portrayed, with considerable artistic licence, by Nigel Green in the film Zulu. Blue plaques are erected to recognise those citizens who have contributed to the world around them. This plaque was installed in April, 2001.
Size: 4181px × 2776px
Location: 16 Kings Hall Road, Beckenham, Bromley, England, UK
Photo credit: © UrbanImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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