Lieutenant John Chard: The army doesn't like more than one disaster in a day. Bromhead: Looks bad in the newspapers and upsets civilians at their breakfast.
Pte. Thomas Cole: Why is it us? Why us? Colour Sergeant Bourne: Because we're here, lad. Nobody else. Just us.
Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead: Damn the levies man... Cowardly blacks! Adendorff: What the hell do you mean "cowardly blacks?" They died on your side, didn't they? And who the hell do you think is coming to wipe out your little command? The Grenadier ...
Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead: Sixty! We dropped at least 60, wouldn't you say? Adendorff: That leaves only 3,940.
Colour Sergeant Bourne: A prayer's as good as bayonet on a day like this.
Reverend Otto Witt: One thousand British soldiers have been massacred. While I stood here talking peace, a war has started.
Pte. Henry Hook: Rourke's Drift... It'd take an Irishman to give his name to a rotten stinking middle o' nowhere hole like this.
Colour Sergeant Bourne: It's a miracle. Lieutenant John Chard: If it's a miracle, Colour Sergeant, it's a short chamber Boxer Henry point 45 caliber miracle. Colour Sergeant Bourne: And a bayonet, sir, with some guts behind.
[Bourne calls the roll after the battle] Colour Sergeant Bourne: Hitch... Hitch, I saw you. You're alive. Pte. Fred Hitch: I am? Oh, thanks very much.
Bromhead: [mounted, crossing stream] Hot work? Lieutenant John Chard: [kneeling in stream] Damned hot work. Bromhead: Still, the river cooled you off a bit though, eh? [pause] Bromhead: Who are you? Lieutenant John Chard: John Chard, Royal Engineers....
Private Henry Hook: [Throws Sergeant Maxfield across his shoulder] Twenty eight days field punishment! No pay! You know what he did? Sent my money to my Missus. [Slaps Sereant Maxfield's buttocks] Private Henry Hook: What did you do that for?
Adendorff: Haven't you had enough? Both of you! My god, can't you see it's all over! Your bloody egos don't matter anymore. We're dead!
Cpl. Frederic Schiess, NNC: A Zulu regiment can run, *run*, 50 miles and fight a battle at the end of it. Pvt. William Jones: Well, there's daft, it is then. I don't see no sense in running to fight a battle.
Lieutenant John Chard: [wounded] You're the professional. Take command. Bromhead: Now listen, old boy, you're not badly hurt. We need you! We need you! Understand?
Lieutenant John Chard: I came here to build a bridge.
Lieutenant John Chard: What's our strength? Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead: Seven officers including surgeon, commissaries and so on; Adendorff now I suppose; wounded and sick 36, fit for duty 97 and about 40 native levies. Not much of an army for you.
Lieutenant John Chard: Mr. Bourne, there should be 12 more men working on this redoubt. Color Sgt. Bourne: They're very tired, sir. [Chard whirls around] Lieutenant John Chard: I don't give a damn! And I want this wall nine feet high, firing steps on...
Surgeon Maj. Reynolds: You know this boy? Orderly: Name is Cole, sir. He's a paper hanger. Surgeon Maj. Reynolds: Well, he's a dead paper hanger now.
