Inside the zeriba: Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. 
. Presently he pulled out his knife, and after much probing and cutting extracted the bullet with the button-hook. He lists the Khalifas forces still on the field and undefeated, even, in some cases, unengaged; the Khalifas own Black Flag force behind Jebel Surgham, Ali-Wad-Helu and his Red Flag behind the Kerreri Hills and Osman reforming his men after the First Attack: in all some 35,000 Dervishes, still ready to do battle. However, there it was, where the 21st had seen it settle down for the night on the previous afternoon. It was not a battle but an execution. The flashing of their blades had displayed their numbers, their vitality, their ferocity. The Khalifa ordered his beaten army to retreat into Omdurman, to hold the city against the Sirdars troops. While the riverboats were in action, in the face of the Dervish advance, the Sirdars cavalry began to fall back towards the main army. There certainly were many scattered about the plain. 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers The Dervishes with the Black Flag behind the Jebel Surgham could not be seen. After Omdurman, the British military contingent returned to its various bases, in Egypt, Gibraltar and Malta, leaving the Egyptian army to deal with the remnants of the Mahdis, now the Khalifas, revolt. At the beginning of the 1890s, with the Dervishes under the Mahdi in revolt against Egyptian/Turkish rule of the Sudan, the Dervish Sudanese defeated the Egyptian armies and eliminated the Egyptian garrisons across the Sudan. He was awarded the DSO and promoted commander for his services in the Sudan. Dervish losses were particularly heavy in the attack against the two British brigades, armed with magazine Lee-Metford rifles and supported by field artillery, Maxims and the gunboats. You must remember that this was three days after the fight, and that the sun had beaten down mercilessly all the time. WebSeaforth and Cameron Highlanders burying their dead after the Battle of Atbara on 8th April 1898 in the Sudanese War. Osman Sheikh ed Din led the left of the attacking force, against the northern end of the zeriba, where the weakest Egyptian battalions were stationed. The Egyptian cavalry carried the same weapons as the 21st Lancers, except for the lance, which was not carried. Once past the Kerreri Hills, the 21st Lancers could see Omdurman in the distance, on the west bank of the River Nile and the ruins of the city of Khartoum in the angle of the confluence of the two great rivers, the Blue Nile and the White Nile. Maxim guns positioned between Maxwells Egyptian and Sudanese brigade and a British battalion at the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War.
In several incidents, lone horsemen fought their way through the Dervishes, with officers and soldiers returning to assist comrades in difficulties. The International Churchill Society (ICS), founded in 1968 shortly after Churchill's death, is the worlds preeminent member organisation dedicated to preserving the historic legacy of Sir Winston Churchill. The direct hand to hand combat began in the Kerreri Hills, where Broadwood was positioned, with the Egyptian cavalry on the western end of the hills, the Camel Corps next in the line and the Horse Artillery at the eastern end. There they lie, those valiant warriors of a false faith and fallen domination; their only history preserved by their conquerors; their only monument, their bones and these the drifting sand of the desert will bury in a few short years. The plain between the Keriri Hills and Jebel Surgham was carpeted with thousands of Mahdist bodies. The battle is widely called Omdurman, but the battle honour Khartoum was awarded to: 21st Lancers, Grenadier Guards, Northumberland Fusiliers, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Lincolnshire Regiment, Lancashire Fusiliers, Seaforth Highlanders and Cameron Highlanders. The Main Dervish Attack at the Battle of Omdurman: You would not think such joy could come from a small cup of water. The Dervishes suffered losses of 9,700 dead, probably around 12,000 wounded and some 5,000 prisoners. They were confident in their strength, in the justice of their cause, in the support of their religion. As a result, it was the subject of considerable mockery in the army, with the comment circulating that the regimental motto was Thou shalt not kill. The Khalifa formed the idea of laying mines in the River Nile. The results of the battle were the practical extinction of Mahdism in the Sudan and the establishment of British dominance there. The 21st moved out from the southern end of the zeriba, preceded by several patrols and advanced to the crest of the ridge. Charge of the 21st Lancers at the Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898: picture by Harry Payne, The previous battle of the War in Egypt and the Sudan is the Battle of Atbara, The next battle in the British Battles sequence is the Battle of Laings Nek,
The incidents of the battle might be traced by the lines and patches of the slain. I was impatient to get back to the camp. The scenes were pathetic. Six junior officers from other regiments served attachments with the 21st Lancers in the Omdurman campaign. Among these, Victoria Crosses were awarded to three participants in the charge by the 21st Lancers: Captain Kenna and Lieutenant de Montmorency for the attempted retrieval of Montmorencys dead troop sergeant and Private Byrne for his rescue of Lieutenant Molyneux of the Royal Horse Guards. Camel Transport, Map of the Sudan: Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War: map by John Fawkes. Grenfell, on his return, reported that there was a force of around 1,000 Dervishes drawn up in a shallow khor or hollow, about quarter of a mile away, towards the Omdurman road to the south of the Jebel Surgham. All were shot down. The Dervishes fired their rifles in reply and hurried on down the reverse face of the ridge, towards the British battalions on the left of the Sirdars line. At any rate, a great many officers of all regiments and arms had been to visit it. Battle of Omdurman A new military technology was used by Britain in the massacre of the army of Sudanese Dervishes, near Omdurman on 2 September 1898. The main body of the Sirdars army, comprising the infantry, artillery and supplies, was halted along the River Nile, centred on the village of El Egeiga and building a long zeriba, a thorn fence, and a system of shallow trenches, parallel to the river. The Khalifa had posted a force of 700 Hadendoa tribesmen between the Jebel Surgham and the Omdurman road, to cover any retreat to the city. The Sirdars infantry and artillery took up battle positions in a long crescent-shaped line, each end on the river, with the centre bulging out into the plain. In the central plain, the division led by the white flags came down from the Jebel Surgham ridge and joined the main body advancing on the zeriba, making an attacking Dervish force of around 20,000 warriors. Follow-up to the Battle of Omdurman: Colonel Broadwood: Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. 32nd Field Battery, Royal Artillery 1st Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment Detachment, Royal Engineers A strong, hot wind blew from the west across the great plain and hurried foul and tainted to the river. The Mahdist total losses at Omdurman were about 10,000 killed, 10,000 wounded, and 5,000 taken prisoner. There were some 40 guns in these forts, but they were no match for the weapons and crews of the gunboats and were destroyed in turn, the Dervish gunners taking refuge in the city of Omdurman. ON THE 5th of September 1898, three days the Battle of Omdurman, I rode with Lord Tullibardine of the Egyptian cavalry, to examine the scene of battle. At 9.15am, the Sirdars force set off in column, heading for the Jebel Surgham Ridge; the two British brigades leading, followed by Maxwells and Lewiss brigades, with Macdonalds in the rear. The 21st was a regiment of hussars for some years, being converted to lancers in the previous 18 months. In the centre rode a column of the Camel Corps and the Horse Artillery. After sending the four Dervish regiments to the khor, Churchill says that the Khalifa followed with a small escort and was within 500 yards, watching the charge when it took place. The 21st Lancers continued in their position, on and around the Jebel Surgham to the south. Frightful gashes scarred their limbs, and great black stains, once crimson, covered their garments. It was at this point that the Dervish force of Ali-Wad-Helu emerged from the Kerreri Hills to attack Macdonalds brigade in the rear. It was September 2, 1898, when Anglo-Egyptian-Sudanese forces of 26,000, including Churchill, killed, wounded or captured half of the enemy, and The incidents of the battle might be traced by the lines and patches of the slain. There was a man with both legs shattered; he had dragged himself along in a sitting posture, making perhaps four hundred yards a day. It may be that vengeance..is sweet, and that the gods forbade vengeance to men because they reserved for themselves so delicious and intoxicating a drink. . And so they waited At 0630 hrs, the first sighting of the enemy was made, a vast mass of Dervishes moving opposite the British centre. The comment is made that a cavalry officer with greater experience of fighting the Dervishes, such as Broadwood, would have anticipated some sort of ambush, have proceeded with greater caution and would have been more inclined to rely upon dismounted small arms fire than a mounted charge. This advancing army was topped by a sea of flags. Nearer to the zeriba about 1,000 yards from it the musketry had begun to tell, and the dead lay evenly scattered about one every ten yards. Once the news correspondents got back to Britain, allegations of prisoners being murdered after the battle arose. At around the same time disaster struck the Khalifas flotilla. Martin ordered a wheel into line to the right and the regiment immediately broke into a charge at the gallop. About four miles away to the half right, was what appeared to be a long zeriba, or thorn fence, with men behind it. The British infantry, some of the cavalry, the staff, guns and stores were moved to Wad Hamed in the steamers, while the rest of the cavalry, the Egyptian division and the war correspondents were required to march up the left or western bank of the River Nile. Let us hope he had his drink first. They appeared to be in no way intimidated by the charging cavalrymen. Collinsons brigade escorted the baggage and guns. Winner of the Battle of Omdurman:The British and Egyptian troops decisively defeated the troops of the Khalifa. But I must record the fact that most of the men I saw were sane and capable of feeling every pang. The expectation was that, having made no attack during the night, the Dervish army would have withdrawn. The bodies were swollen to almost gigantic proportions. The Anglo-Egyptian army suffered about 500 casualties. They had ridden straight at the solid line of bayonets and in the teeth of the storm of projectiles. In the centre a red and white lancepennon, flying from a stick, marked the grave of the fallen Lancers. Martin decided to attack this force. While the attack was in progress, a party of five Baggara horsemen issued from the village and charged gallantly. WebBRODRICK. River Nile gunboat in action: Battle of Omdurman on 2nd September 1898 in the Sudanese War. 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