Posted on 06/29/2014 7:34:22 AM PDT by bd476
Wales Online
June 29, 2014 06:00
By Robin Turner
His role in the battle of Rorke’s Drift was immortalised in the 1964 movie Zulu, yet James Owen’s grave is marked with just a few rotten pieces of wood bearing his name.
Now a campaign is underway to re-dedicate and refurbish the overgrown cemetery plot in South Wales, which is the last resting place of this hero of yesteryear.
Private Owen was portrayed by singer Ivor Emmanuel in the Stanley Baker produced movie about the 1879 battle in South Africa. There, some 150 British soldiers – a number of whom were Welsh – successfully held off a force of 4,000 Zulu warriors.
In the film, Emmanuel, as Pte Owen, leads the weary British soldiers in singing to raise their morale and to match the spiritual songs of the Zulu forces. At the end, he leads the stirring singing of Men of Harlech.
Pte Owen survived the battle and died in Swansea aged 87 in 1938 while living with his son in Kemble Street, Brynmill.
His grave is now in Bethel Cemetery in the city’s Sketty area. Royal Marines bugler Sgt Tim Needham, who has worked to restore a number of graves of Rorke’s Drift survivors, wants Pte Owen’s last resting spot to be given greater attention.
He said: “I’m hoping to bring some attention to the fact a few rotten fragments of a fallen wooden cross bearing the name James Owen are all that remains to mark the plot, and that given his part in such a legendary action there should surely be something a little more fitting to mark this soldier’s final resting place.
“I’m sure most people will be familiar with the legendary battle which took place during the Zulu War of 1879 and resulted in the award of 11 Victoria Crosses and later depicted in Zulu.
“Given the increased interest in marking Rorke’s Drift graves in the past few years, it would be fantastic to stir some local interest in finally resolving this sad situation.”
Born in Swansea and initially a tin worker, James Owen used the alias David Lewis on joining the British Army for reasons that are not clear but it was not unusual for men to give false names when joining the army at that time.
He signed on with 25 Brigade at Brecon and was posted to 2nd Battalion 24th Foot in 1877.
He served for two years and eight months, including a year and eight months in South Africa and was discharged in August 1879.
An Injury Assessment Board held at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, in the same year confirmed he was suffering from Valvular Disease of the Heart – caused by being under canvas for six months and constantly exposed to “climatic vicissitudes”.
He was awarded a pension of six pence per day for six months and was eventually buried with military honours.
At the time a wreath was sent by former comrades at Rorke’s Drift, including Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne, portrayed in Zulu by Nigel Green.
Deborah Owen-Smith, who lives in Snowdonia, is the great great great granddaughter of James Owen.
She said: ”Over the years our family has spread far and wide but a number of family members know of the role James Owen played at Rorke’s Drift.
“We hope to re-dedicate the grave and raise more attention for his last resting place and hope to raise some money to restore it.
“It would be nice to get a headstone to ensure his bravery at Rorke’s Drift is not forgotten.”
It is easy to understand how anyone would have a strong memory and sense of such an experience. In person, at least we might notice the signs, and see little clues of an impending explosion. Yet in text, it's difficult to glean much beyond words and context so that when a volcano erupts, the unexpected impact would hit that much harder.
That's right! I think you just hit the nail on the head.miss marmelstein wrote: "The last thing I saw him in was a remake of “How Green Was My Valley.” He was clearly very ill but wonderful nonetheless.
Thank you, I am glad we agree and even more glad I posted this. I love good acting and sometimes can't help but share my thoughts.
Several years go I sat in a theater for a half hour after seeing a movie with two actors I had never seen before. Thankfully there were others in the theater who remained seated, apparently as moved as me. It floored me what had happened on screen - not the story, not the cinematography, just the acting.
Someone finally spoke up saying "What just happened? That was brilliant! Who are they?" and then others spoke up also giving their thoughts on the outstanding performances.
Rex Harrison is delightful! He’s great! Love this! Thank you!
That’s another thing I love - an actor who is playing the role of a villain and is able to make the villain real, palpable.
Speaking of two actors, just think of the final scenes with Mr. Baker and Mr. Caine - the working class man and the effete snob. But after the battles, they are comrades in arms, laughing hysterically at having survived.
Wow, thank you! Fascinating, and yes, the stuff of legends.
He was a hero alright, but he was also apparently an exemplary soldier, not the malingering n’er do well portrayed in the film. Presumably the producers thought that would be too boring and wanted a rogue instead.
Apparently, Colour-Sergeant Frank Bourne, who is portrayed as a man well into middle age in the film, was only in his early 20s at the time of the battle, and was the last veteran of that battle to die. Coincidently, he died on the 8th of May 1945 aged 91, on VE Day...
Yes. An important subplot. He cared about the Zulu and he cared about the Soldiers and he cared about himself and his daughter, and he could do nothing to stop the coming battle and death but drink and yell.
I think James Booth is wonderful as is the characterization. I’m sorry the family was upset but seeing the slothful Hicks finally moved to action and heroics is what filmmaking is all about! And the Color Sergeant always reminds me a little of Arthur Treacher’s performances in earlier films.
Old style, pre-war and immediate postwar British socialists may have been patriotic, but I’m not sure that is the case today. Once Communist infiltrators (of the kind Yuri Bezmenov warned us about in the 1980s) got involved, they eventually perverted western leftist groups and turned their members into useful idiots for the Soviet Union. Even though the USSR is long dead, they have never really lost their habit of despising patriotism and damning all its forms as ‘imperialist’ and ‘fascistic’ as their former paymasters wanted them to.
That is pure art.
He also scares a young soldier as I remember and has to be placed under guard. There’s also a small role of a Boer, I believe.
Michael Caine’s first movie role and he never looked back.
I only suggested that because there was a Guardian CiF editorial (I’ve been banned from giving my opinion) about the Empire and every teenaged, snot-nosed leftist wrote in praising it to the very skies. Oh, the roads we built! Oh, the purdah we destroyed! Oh, the massacre at Amritzar we loved, oh wait...
That may have wrongly colored my judgment.
He blew the audition, completely blew it. And the director came to him, offering him the role. Forget that the director was desperate, they were flying to Africa the next day and the chosen actor had become ill. But a second chance at a missed role never happens. Glad it did in this case though. :)
This is generally called Kismet. Or, Mr. Caine channeled the John Cassevettes character in “Rosemary’s Baby”!
I like the Colour Sergeant....
“Now, there’s a good gentleman.”
“Hitch. Private Hitch? Answer up lad. I know you’re alive. I saw you this morning.”
He’s wonderful. This is someone who’d actually get a slacker like me to join up.
My grandfather also fought in Africa in the Boer War...
Was he British? I should have said, btw, it was my great grandfather who I never met. Mine was Irish.
Diolch yn fawr!
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