Robert Jones V.C

With my recent attempts to finish my zulu war project ,I thought I would visit some interesting zulu war related places ,the battle fields are a bit too far away to visit for a weekend (but they are on the cards ) I decided to go a little closer .  Peterchurch is the final resting place of Robert Jones VC ,every zulu war buff knows why Robert and his comrades won their V.C's but what occurred after wards especially to Robert Jones is extremely sad . Suffering nightmares and in  pain from wounds received during the action at Rorke's Drift he finally died of what at the time was said to be self inflicted shotgun wounds .There is a very strong modern point of view that poor Robert was the victim of a faulty shotgun ,but at the time suicide was the verdict and he was only allowed to be buried in his local grave yard on the conditions that the church was not used ,his coffin was passed over the wall and not brought through the gates and finally his grave was to face the wrong way . His descendants are still fighting to get the verdict overturned and his grave turned around to face the same way as all the others. During our visit to the grave we stayed at the Boughton Arms a inn that not only over looks St Peters Grave yard but was the location of the inquest into Roberts death . The modern owners have a lovely display honouring the VC winner and Robert's descendants make regular visits .if you go to the area I can highly recommend staying there but if not you must make a least quick stop to look at the display and try some of their wonderful cooking.

Robert Jones Grave at Peterchurch

To show the size of the headstone I posed next it .

The Boughton Arms ,you must stay here .

Part of the Boughtons display

a lovingly put together tribute to a local hero .

My next post will cover our visit to the The Regimental Museum of the Royal Welsh ,home of the famous 24th Foot and an amazing collection of Zulu War displays .