Lt. John Rouse Merriott Chard, RE, VC, 24th Regiment of Foot, Anglo-Zulu Wars--single standing figure with tunic open and blood spattered Sam Browne belt
$55.00

Thomas Gunn Miniatures

Item Number: SFA062

Lt. John Rouse Merriott Chard, RE, VC, 24th Regiment of Foot, Anglo-Zulu Wars--single standing figure with tunic open and blood spattered Sam Browne belt

Having never made any personality figures from the Zulu war, we decided it was now about time to do some.  With some invaluable assistance from Toby and George at the Armoury of St James, we are pleased to release two pivotal officers, in command of the Rorke's Drift crossing on that fateful night in 1879.

There is some artistic licence here with these figures, in that we have based most of the uniform and equipment worn from the 'Zulu' film, but have swapped the white pith helmets for a dyed version, in order that these figures will fit in with the remainder of our range.

For those of you not familiar with Chard and Bromhead, here is a little history:  Battle of Rorke's Drift On January 22–23, 1879, Lieutenant Bromhead and Lieutenant John Chard led a small British force of approximately 150 men in defending a mission station against roughly 4,000 Zulu warriors.

Colonel John Rouse Merriott Chard, VC (1847–1897) 
Commissioned as a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in 1868, Chard spent his early career overseeing fortifications in Bermuda and Malta.
His experience and expertise were used to great effect when constructing the defences and the final redoubt, to provide shelter for the wounded and also form the last line of defence using a mixture of the established drystone walls, turned over wagons, mealie bags, and biscuit boxes.  For this ingenuity and his bravery in face of the enemy, he received a well-deserved Victoria Cross, especially as he was only there ‘to build a bridge’.  
Chard remained at Rorke's Drift for several weeks after the battle and assisted with the construction of a new stone perimeter wall.  However, conditions at the camp were poor; Chard became ill with fever and was taken to Ladysmith for treatment.  When he recovered, he took part in the second invasion of Zulu land, and was present in the British square during the decisive victory at the Battle of Ulundi, and remained in Africa until the end of the war.
Colonel John Rouse Merriott Chard died of tongue cancer at the age of 49:  he was lifelong pipe smoker.  He was buried in the churchyard of The Church of St John the Baptist in Hatch Beauchamp, Somerset. 

The Zulu War 

A return to the Zulu war with a vengeance, with over 15 new figures planned for this year!   A long time ago in a far off universe we made some Redcoats firing downwards from a British wagon made by Britain's, these were very popular and sold out very quickly.  Since then, JJD have added their excellent looking wagons to the mix, we now decided that it was time for a makeover, and have remade these figures; This time with improved painting and in shirt sleeve order, which means they can be from just about any Regiment or branch of service that fought in the campaign.  

Once again a big thank you to Toby and George at The Armoury.  If you are in London, pop by their shop, as it is an Aladdin's cave of wonders for all of you interested in military history.  Their website is as follows: https://tomgunn.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd1746d6cde86ce7533990235&id=e979c87959&e=10ccef8f0d.

Limited Availability.  

Due to be released in FEBRUARY 2026.