The 1879 Group

The 1879 Group was formed at the museum of the South Wales Borderers, in Brecon, our spiritual home, in 1998.

Today, the Group has over 60 members world wide, many of whom are descendants of men who fought on the British or Zulu side in the Anglo Zulu War. We are immensely proud of our strong relationship with both the museum and the Regiment. Our Patron is Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

The Group aims to keep alive the memories of soldiers of both sides of the Anglo Zulu War. Some members carry out research into the battles and individuals involved. This helps with one of the aims of the Group which is to renovate and re-dedicate the graves of those men whose monuments have fallen into a state of disrepair or disappeared over time. We also help the living by involvement with local projects in KwaZulu-Natal.

Our Living History company represents the 24th Regiment of Foot which famously made the stand at Rorke's Drift. The Group regularly makes trips to South Africa to visit the battlefields and we have only recently returned after taking part in commemorations for an anniversary of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.

For full details of meetings and events visit our Diary page.

The Museum suffered severe flood damage just before Christmas 2022. Following extensive restoration work the Museum is now once again open to the public. For more details of the museum visit their website.

Some historical items on the Zulu War and the Regiment have been made available on YouTube by Arfon. These are items he has filmed at the Museum. The channel is called "Regimental History with Will 71", and can be found by following this link.