John Rouse Merriott Chard (1847-1897) was an officer in the British army. He is best remembered for his leadership during the defence at the battle of Rorke's Drift, in which he successfully managed to defend an outpost occupied by 100 British soldiers (many of whom were already sick or wounded) against an invading army of thousands of warriors of the Zulu tribe. He later won the Victoria Cross for this act of courage.