Why were the soliders mostly Welsh?

Because in times of stress the Welsh sing, which makes for wonderful theatre.

In reality, most of the squaddies were West Country lads and probably the nearest they got to musics was something on the lines of .."owh, you, chocolate drop, you are going home in a f^cking ambulance."

The latter was no doubt more accurate, but lack the cinematic appeal of Men of Harlech.

Simple answer?

Stanley Baker was a Welshman and Zulu was his baby.

No it isn't. It lampoons the traditional 'Rupert' (upper-crust junior officer), but only in a mild way which any British squaddie, from any of the nations of our islands, would endorse. For all his foppishness and snootiness Bromhead is shown as brave, honourable, reasonably competent, and respected by his men as 'a proper gentleman'. It actually flatters the real Bromhead, who was only sent to command Rorke's Drift because he was so deaf and so dim that the 24th reckoned he was a liability on active service!

There is no purely 'English military history' after 1707, only British military history; and indeed there hasn't really been since the 13th century, since all the great longbow victories of the Middle Ages included Welsh troops.

As for giving the glory to Wales, the English simply don't feel threatened enough by the Welsh to be upset by their getting all the credit for something. 'Let the Taffs have their day in the sun' is about the size of it.

Almost everyone who knows anything about the Battle of Rorke's Drift thinks it was a Welsh battle

I don't.

But then I do voluntary work two afternoons a week in the Royal Engineers Museum (http://www.re-museum.co.uk/) and have been in the Hallowed Presence (the actual Webley revolver used by Chard in the battle) (http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i219/GrantRCanada/Webley%20and%20oth er%20revolvers/Chardsrevolver.gif) so I tend to think of it as an Engineers battle.


The church may shout but Darwin roars

The company defending Rorkes Drift were part of the South Wales Borderers Regiment. The British Army was made of regiments from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in addition to English regiments. Those lands have been part of Great Britain since The Act of Union around 1708.

The movie is based upon a true story and the makers were considered to be faithful to that history.

You might want to read up on the history of the Zulu Wars.

In reality they weren't, but was the way Stanley Baker wanted the movie shot.

Wonderful film, crap history.

This film isn't English crap.
It was a welsh regiment I believe hence most of the soldiers are now buried in Brecon!!
There's a Zulu museum in Brecon and most of the soldiers names are welsh.
There were English there too but the majority were welsh.
The guy in the hospital says that as well.

Ps try going to museam in Wales, Brecon and all the names of the welsh soldiers involved in Rorks drift are there and most of the men that fought there are buried there.