Moths of NKZN remember the brave of battles of yesteryear
The parade dates back to 1979 - the centenary of the first battles of the Anglo Zulu War.
The Moths of Northern KwaZulu-Natal held their annual district Rorke’s Drift meeting on Sunday to commemorate the battle that was fought in 1879.
While the meeting is traditionally held on the closest Sunday to January 22 (the anniversary of the battle) at Rorke’s Drift, the heavy rains of the past month made some of the gravel roads in that area almost impassable unless one travels in a 4×4.
Hosted by Freedom Shellhole of Vryheid, the parade has been held annually since the centenary of the battle in 1979 and it is tradition to fly the flag of the 24th Regiment (now the Royal Regiment of Wales) in memory of the men who fought there. The bravery shown by the men who fought on both sides is respected and remembered by the laying of wreaths, with a contingent of red-coat soldiers from the Dundee Diehards group raising the flags and acting as sentries.
Dougie McMaster, from Ladysmith, played the lament on his bagpipes, while Moth Stan Coats of Newcastle stood in for District Old Bill Corne Marais of Harrismith, who has taken ill.
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