A Damned Dull Fellow
Lieutenant John Chard, commander of the garrison at the epic defence of Rorkes drift, was taken seriously ill with fever immediately after the battle. He was rescued by a Ladysmith doctor, Dr. George Hyde (of the famous Clarendon family), and was taken to Aller Park, the Hyde family home, where he was devotedly nursed back to health. In gratitude he presented the family with an autographed portrait, an ormolu clock and a gold bracelet.
Queen Victoria awarded Lieutenant Chard the Victoria Cross after the battle, but he was only invested some months later. One day, while still feeble from his illness, Chard, dressed in fatigues, (woollen cap and navy sweater), was cutting hay in a field near Utrecht with his men. He was approached by Sir Garnet Wolsely on horseback, who pinned the VC to his jersey with scant ceremony or courtesy.
For the purpose of respectability, the London Illustrated News depicted Chard in full ceremonial dress, but Lloyd’s official photograph shows him in fatigues. Wolsely’s arrogant comment on the hero of Rorkes Drift was that he was a “damned dull fellow”.
