The Aberdare Branch of the Royal Welsh Veterans’ Association procured a new headstone for ‘Defence of Rorke’s Drift soldier
The Aberdare Branch of the Royal Welsh Veterans' Association has taken this project on, and as a result of their efforts, a new headstone has been procured.
A rededication ceremony will take place at Aberdare cemetery at 10 am on Saturday 29 September, and various local dignitaries have been invited.
In Aberdare Cemetery there is a grave of a soldier who fought at the legendary 'Defence of Rorke's Drift' which took place in South Africa during the Zulu War of 1879.
Private David Lloyd of 'B' Company of the 2nd Battalion 24th Regiment, along with the rest of the tiny British garrison numbering around 150, fought tirelessly against thousands of determined Zulu warriors as he tried desperately to defend the small supply depot & hospital on the Natal border; the battle resulted in the award of no fewer than eleven Victoria Crosses and was later portrayed in the 1964 film Zulu starring Stanley Baker and Michael Caine.
After surviving the Zulu War, David Lloyd continued to serve with his regiment (later renamed the South Wales Borderers) in Gibraltar and India, eventually returning home to Britain in 1883. He married Mary Price two years later and settled in Aberdare.
He passed away in February 1916 and was laid to rest in an unmarked grave in the town's cemetery.
It is hoped to raise some local interest in resolving this sad situation by providing the neglected grave with a monument which would serve as a fitting reminder of this forgotten soldier's involvement in one of the British Army's most famous actions.
