PRIVATE, GRENADIER GUARDS, BRITISH CAMEL CORPS, GORDON RELIEF
EXPEDITION, SUDAN 1884-1885.
HISTORICAL NOTE
IN EARLY 1884 KHARTOUM, CAPITAL OF THE SUDAN - THEN UNDER ANGLO-EGYPTIAN AUTHORITY- WAS BESIEGED BY THE
‘ISLAMIC FIGHTERS’ OF THE MAHDI, KNOWN AS “DERVISHES” TO THE BRITISH.
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SENT GENERAL CHARLES GORDON TO CARRY OUT THE
EVACUATION OF KHARTOUM AND THE SUDAN, BUT HE DECIDED, OR RATHER WAS FORCED, TO
STAY IN THE BESIEGED CITY.
HERE HE DID HIS BEST TO ORGANIZE
DEFENCES, HOLDING OUT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE HOPING IN A RESCUE OPERATION.
IN THE LATE SUMMER OF 1885 THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, AFTER MUCH
HESITATION, AT LAST GAVE GREEN LIGHT TO A RELIEF EXPEDITION.
THIS WAS TO BE COMMANDED BY GENERAL WOLSELEY, CONSIDERED AT THE TIME
THE BRIGHTEST GENERAL IN THE BRITISH ARMY.
AS A SPEARHEAD OF THE
EXPEDITION HE FORMED A SPECIAL
CAMEL CORPS, CONSISTING OF THE BEST SOLDIERS FROM VIRTUALLY
EVERY REGIMENT IN THE BRITISH ARMY.
THE PLAN WAS TO SEND A ‘DESERT COLUMN’ OF c. 1900 MEN DASHING
ACROSS THE DESERT , AHEAD OF THE MAIN ‘RIVER COLUMN’ THAT
WAS MEANWHILE SLOWING SAILING UP THE NILE. UNFORTUNATELY COMPLICATIONS AND
DELAYS MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE OPERATIONS TO PROCEED WITH NE NECESSARY SPEED.
THE DESERT COLUMN SUFFERED MANY PRIVATIONS AND FOUGHT TWO EPIC BATTLES
(ABU KLEA AND GUBAT), IN WHICH THEY DEFEATED THE DERVISHES , BUT AT THE COST OF
SERIOUS CASUALTIES .
AT ABU KLEA THE FAMOUS BRITISH SQUARE WAS BROKEN FOR A SHORT TIME, AND
AT GUBAT THE COLUMN COMMANDER WAS KILLED.
EVENTUALLY AN ADVANCE GUARD OF THE DESERT COLUMN DID MANAGE TO
REACH KHARTOUM ON 28 JANUARY 1885…. JUST
TOO LATE!
ONLY TWO DAYS EARLIER THE
CITY HAD FALLEN TO THE DERVISHES AND GORDON HAD BEEN KILLED, HIS
HEAD PRESENTED AS A GIFT TO THE MAHDI.
THE CAMEL CORPS HAD TO SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY RETRACE THEIR STEPS BACK
ACOSS THE DESERT, HARRIED BY TRIUMPHANT DERVISHES -
MOST OFFICERS AND MEN
ON FOOT DUE TO THE EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH CASUALTIES IN CAMELS.
THE CAMPAIGN HAD BEEN A FAILURE IN SPITE OF THE HEROISM AND THE
FIGHTING SKILLS DISPLAYED BY ALL REGIMENTS INVOLVED.
WOLSELEY’S FAME AS A MILITARY COMMANDER WAS IRREMEDIABLY DIMMED, AND
THE SUDAN WAS ABANDONED – WITH GREAT LOSS OF LIFE – TO ITS FATE FOR THE NEXT
THIRTEEN YERS .
The Figure
THE
FIGURE SHOWS THE TYPICAL UNIFORM AND EQUIPMENT OF A PRIVATE OF THE GRENADIER
GUARDS (FORMING PART OF THE GUARDS
CAMEL REGIMENT )
THE GREY JACKET WAS A TRANSITIONAL ITEM BETWEEN THE TRADITIONAL “RED
COAT” AND THE MORE MODERN SAND KHAKI COLOUR. IN FACT KHAKI JACKETS WERE ALSO
ISSUED IN THE LATER STAGES OF THE CAMPAIGN.
YELLOW-OCHRE BREECHES AND BLUE PUTTEES, AS TYPICAL FOR MOUNTED
PERSONNELL.
THE HELMET WAS ORIGINALLY WHITE, BUT NORMALLY STAINED OFF-WHITE
TO BROWN WITH TEA OR COFFEE.
SUN GOGGLES WERE ISSUED TO ALL RANKS. SPURS WERE NEVER WORN BY OTHER
RANKS.
THE EQUIPMENT WAS TYPICAL THE MOUNTED INFANTRY PERSONNEL (IE: MARTINI HENRY RIFLE
BANDOLIER, BAYONET FROG, WATERBOTTLE AND HAVERSACK – WITH THE ADDITION OF AN EXTRA AMMUNITION POUCH WORN IN FRONT, TO THE RIGHT OF THE WAISTBELT BUCKLE ). IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE CAMEL CORPS FOUGHT LIKE INFANTRY (IE: ON FOOT), THE CAMELS BEING ONLY A MEANS OF TRANSPORT