Collecting the Battle of Omdurman

It’s off to the heat of the Sudan as Edward Hallett looks at what militaria is available for this fascinating campaign

It’s off to the heat of the

Sudan as Edward Hallett looks at what militaria is available to collect for this fascinating Sudanese campaign that saw Kitchener avenge the death of General Gordon of Khartoum.

The pivotal Battle of Omdurman in 1898 saw Herbert Kitchener decisively defeat the army of Abdullah al-Taashi and finally avenge the death of that great Victorian hero, General Gordon. Being over 120 years ago, you would expect there to be a limited range of items of militaria available concerning the campaigns in the Sudan, however it was seen as a great victory, especially with the contemporary frustrations in South Africa. As a result, many of the troops that fought in the Sudan sent vast quantities of souvenirs back home so there is still quite a number of items to be found from both sides of the battle.

British forces

Original uniforms worn by soldiers at Omdurman are virtually impossible to find today outside of museum collections. However if you want a uniform believed to have been owned by one of the officers who charged at Omdurman, then consider checking out a 21st Lancers mess dress tunic on offer at Bates and Hindmarch of Cheltenham. It is unnamed and dates to the Edwardian era, but the sellers have researched potential owners extensively and argue that it is likely to have been originally owned by Major John Fowle who commanded B Squadron at Omdurman where he was mentioned in dispatches and won the Ottoman Order of Osmanieh, for which there are loops on the mess dress. The mess dress is an attractive piece and priced at £380 which seems a small price for a piece with such history and connection to one of the last great cavalry charges.

The British forces were armed with a mixture of Lee

Metford and early pattern Lee

Enfield rifles. These magazine repeating rifles gave the British and Egyptian forces a decisive advantage and helped ensure victory at Omdurman with

Winston Churchill commenting: ‘The rifles grew hot, so hot that they had to be changed for those in the reserve companies.’ Original Lee Metfords and Lee Enfields are not easy to find; they were used for many decades, were updated to later patterns or converted to training rifles. Despite this, a number of examples have survived to be deactivated and can be purchased on the collector’s market. MJL Militaria has an early ‘long’ Lee Enfield for sale at £995.

The rifle was issued with a bayonet, of course, and this was the attractive 1888 pattern, a short double edged blade with a wooden grip and leather scabbard. These are still relatively easy to find and militaria.co.uk has an example for sale at £245, complete with the hard to find scabbard.

It is the charge of the 21st Lancers that fires the imagination when one thinks about the Battle of Omdurman. The defining feature of a Lancer is, of course, his lance and the 21st Lancers were equipped with 1868 pattern lances. This weapon consisted of a 8ft 6in long ash or bamboo shaft with a tip at either end. The business end of the lance was a three sided, pointed steel head about 12in long and original examples were marked with a War Department stamp. Original and complete lances are rare, their extreme length does not make them too easy to store, however the heads and butts can be found allowing the collector to fit them to a replacement shaft. The online store, The Sword Pattern, has a set of head and butt for £335 that just needs a shaft and pennant to complete.

Sudanese forces

Following the battles in the Sudan, British officers collected up the more picturesque Sudanese weapons and uniforms and sent them home to adorn their study walls, much as they had done 20 years before in Zululand. The most common items to be collected were spears and shields and these are still easily available to the collector. WD Militaria currently has an example of a round shield of the type used by those from Somaliland and Ethiopia. It is relatively small, just over 1ft in diameter, and is made of a heavy hide with extensive tooling and decoration. It is offered for sale at a very reasonable £95.

Other Sudanese weaponry available includes spears and spear heads which take the form of a large pointed leaf and were commonly used by the Beja tribal group. The spear heads are made from iron and would have been mounted on

a wooden shaft. Armoury Antiques has a number of examples of the spear heads for £250 each, just needing an appropriately aged shaft to finish them off. Spears were not the only melee weapons carried by Sudanese forces, with swords and knives also being routinely carried. The knives used by the Baja people were made of laminated steel blades with a shaped wood and ivory grip and again

Armoury Antiques has an example for £95. Swords would have been of the Kaskara type, a double-edged blade about 3ft long with a heavy hilt and cross piece that had been introduced in the 18th century. The swords were carried by virtually every adult male in central and eastern Sudan (the Sudanese forces were estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands and each would have carried a sword so they were very common); the above retailer has an example for £295.

Sudanese forces wore traditional robes called Jibbahs, a thigh length, over the head, garment made of unbleached cloth with coloured panels decorating the body. These were worn across the region and could be bought in the markets and bazaars of the Sudan so although many were purportedly captured in the battles of the Sudan War, it is just as likely they were purchased and sent home as souvenirs! They are not as easy to find today as the weaponry of the Mahdists, however they do come up for sale at auction and on dealer’s sites occasionally and fetch £1,500-£2,000 for a period piece.

Collectors in the United States need to be aware that items of Sudanese

origin are under sanction from the US Treasury and although antique items are not covered, both eBay and PayPal refuse to process any transactions on items of Sudanese origin. If you are collecting in the States you might have to purchase items face to face at fairs or, if purchasing online, with a credit card. It is also likely that you will experience difficulties importing items into the USA from the UK.

Collecting medals

British soldiers serving in the reconquest of Sudan were typically issued two medals, The Queen’s Sudan Medal and the Khedive’s Sudan Medal. The Queen’s Sudan Medal had a design of Victory holding palms and laurels over a tablet with the word ‘Sudan’ on the reverse and the Jubilee bust of Queen Victoria on the obverse. The medals were named and any marked to the 21st Lancers are especially sought after due to that unit’s participation in the Battle of Omdurman - expect to add £2,000 to the price for a 21st Lancers named example and £3,000 if the recipient can be confirmed to have charged in the battle. Accompanying this medal was the Khedive’s Sudan Medal, issued by the Khedive of Egypt to British and Egyptian forces. These medals were occasionally named and clasps were issued for different campaigns, including Khartoum, the more clasps on the medal, the higher the price the medal can be expected to achieve. Juel’s Limited currently has a pair of the Queen’s Sudan Medal and the Khedive’s Sudan medal for sale, named to a Lance Corporal W Appleby of the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers, with the coveted Khartoum clasp for £695.

Random souvenirs

For something very unusual, how about a cast lead doorstop in the form of Field Marshall Garnet Wolseley, riding a camel. He had been the first to try to relieve General Gordon a few years before, unfortunately arriving too late. By the time of Omdurman he was Commander-in-Chief of the British Army and his name was inextricably linked to the Sudan.

One imagines his satisfaction at the outcome of the battle. The doorstop retains its original paint, albeit in poor condition. It remains a substantial and attractive piece and at £100 seems good value for money.

One interesting feature of the Sudan Campaign and Omdurman in particular was the interest taken in it by the press and a large number of books were published at the time, often with beautiful covers and plates within. One of the easiest to find is With Kitchener to Khartoum by GW Steevens, which was published in time for Christmas 1898 and features a particularly attractive cover with two soldiers sat in camp.

It is also very well written and an enjoyable read! Andrew Barnes Books has an original copy for under £20.

■

This very rare 21st Lancer’s mess dress is believed to have belonged to one of the officers who led the charge at Omdurman The 1888 Pattern bayonet is relatively easy to find and is agreed to be particularly attractive design by collectors Left: A relatively common souvenir of the charge are the hooves of the horses mounted and engraved to become ink wells

The Battle of Omdurman saw one of the British Army’s last great cavalry charges Above: Sudanese shields were made of heavy duty hide and were circular in shape Left: The spears of the Beja tribe are leaf like in shape

Short daggers were commonly used by the Sudanese and had wooden and leather grips to them

The 1868 Pattern lance had a 12in long steel head Long Lee Enfield and Lee Metford rifles were used by the British and Egyptian troops and are impressive full length infantry rifles

Left: The traditional Jibbah was worn by the Mahdist forces and has become quite scarce

Above left: The Queen’s Sudan Medal was issued with the recipient’s name and regiment stamped on its edge, but does not have any clasps to indicate battles a soldier fought in Above right: The Khedive’s Sudan Medal can be found with at least 15 different clasps. Those who fought at Omdurman received a ‘Khartoum’ clasp

Above: With Kitchener to Khartum was a best seller when it was released in 1898 and the cover remains an attractive representation of the late Victorian book binder’s art

Above: The Kaskara sword is very common as so many were made and souvenired by victorious British troops

Below: A souvenir dagger with Omdurman etched on the blade. It has been suggested these were specifically made for the 21st Lancers