Henry Hook is perhaps the most famous private soldier in British military history. It is his portrayal in the movie, Zulu, which has cemented this position, but the real Hook was a far cry from the hard-drinking scoundrel that he was portrayed as on screen. Unlike the character in the movie, Hook’s record was unblemished, and he would earn good conduct stripes as well as excellent character references from his superiors after leaving the army.
 
Posted to defend the Rorke’s Drift hospital with orders to protect the sick and wounded at the start of the battle, Hook stuck to his task with the utmost determination. Indeed, he was more than willing to lay down his own life in his duty to save the lives of those others who were less able.

Here, Rorke’s Drift expert, Neil Thornton, chronicles Hook’s life, including his early years, his turbulent marriage, and his later life, putting to bed a number of myths that have developed and grown over the years, whilst analysing Hook’s part in the Battle of Rorke’s Drift for which he was awarded the coveted Victoria Cross.