What Happened At The Battle of Omdurman, Sudan 1898?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
- The Battle of Omdurman Sudan 1898
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Another story from Chris Green, The History Chap, bringing the past to life.
The Battle of Omdurman fought in Sudan in 1898 was a highpoint in Queen Victoria's British Empire.
In many ways it's bloody outcome provided the final closure to the story of Gordon of Khartoum
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:51 General Kitchener
3:24 The Sudan Campaign 1898
7:25 Dervish Army Sighted
8:25 Subscribe for more History Stories
9:25 Battle of Omdurman begins
17:37 Charge of 21st Lancers
21:10 Hector MacDonald
24:30 Charles Gordon avenged
26:30 Aftermath
28:14 Support Me
#thebattleofomdurman1898 #battleofomdurman #sudancampaign
Omdurman was an epic battle between the 50,000 strong, almost medieval, army of the Ansar supporters of the dead Mahdi and the industrial might of the British Empire.
Fanatical Muslims armed (mainly) with swords and spears throwing themselves at the British army armed with modern rifles, maxim machine guns and over 4o artillery pieces, backed up by a heavily armed flotilla of steamboats on the river Nile.
The result was never really in doubt.
Commanded by General Kitchener, the Anglo-Egyptian force lost less than 500 men.
The Dervish losses amounted to over 10,000 dead and a similar number wounded.
The death of General Gordon in 1885 at the hands of the Mahdi's warriors had shocked Britain.
For over a decade the British public clamoured for the British Empire to take revenge.
The Sudan Campaign of 1898 was seen by the British public as time to avenge Gordon of Khartoum.
That was certainly the line the British public were fed. The Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury, was more interested in making sure that Sudan did not become part of the French Empire in Africa.
Advancing up the Nile, Kitchener's Anglo-Egyptian army defeated the Dervishes at the battle of Atbara and continued towards the Sudanese Khalifa's capital at Omdurman (across the Nile from the now derelict Khartoum where Charles Gordon had met his fate).
The battle of Omdurman was completely one-sided and effectively ended Sudanese independence as it became part of the British Empire.
There were moments when it could have turned out differently.
The famous charge of the 21st Lancers nearly ended in disaster and, but for the effective leadership of Hector MacDonald, the Dervish green flag column could have broken through the British lines during the second phase of the battle.
The Battle of Omdurman had a cast of characters who would play significant roles in Britain's military history especially in the Boer War and World War 1, not least Winston Churchill who took part in the charge of the 21st Lancers.
In this battle of Omdurman documentary, you will learn not just the details of the battle but the story before hand, the outcome of the battle and some of the fascinating characters who were involved.
As always with history, there will be different view points about the Battle of Omdurman but it did happen and I am telling the story to highlight the event. You draw your own conclusions as to who was right and who was wrong.
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My name is Chris Green ("The History Chap") and I am on a mission to share the amazing history of Britain so that we can appreciate where we have come from and why we are here.
History should not be stuffy or a long list of dates or kings & queens.
So rather than lectures or TH-cam animations, I tell stories that bring the past to life.
My aim is to be chat as if I were having a coffee or meal with you. Jean in Maryland, USA recently wrote: "Chris, is the history teacher I wish I had at school!"
Just for the record, I do have a history degree and continue to have a passion for the subject I studied.
Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Chris Green Communication Ltd t/a The History Chap. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Chris Green Communication Ltd does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Chris Green Communication Ltd t/a The History Chap. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Chris Green Communication Ltd does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
During the filming of the battle sequence for the 1938 Korda production of ‘The Four Feathers’, The East Surrey Regiment was ‘conscripted’ as ‘Kitchener’s Army’, as they were based in the Sudan at the time. As a young Officer, my father witnessed it all and even managed to chat with Ralph Richardson in the evenings.
If I remember correctly, during the filming of one long take the Mahdi’s ‘army’ had to be seen to be ‘cut down by rapid fire’. A huge number of local Sudanese were ‘drafted’ in for the ambitious sequence. But one man refused to fall ‘dead’ and remained standing. This was not in the script and caused much irritation as this scene obviously had to be carefully choreographed. On being confronted the elderly man apparently said, that he had survived the original battle 40 years before and he was “not going to die this time either”!
Oh that is brilliant.
Thanks for sharing.
Good on him for staying true to historical fact!!
@@tim7052 well said
What a great story. The stuff that legends are made of.
Fantastic bit of history!! The movie "The Four Feathers" is one of my favorite old movies and have watched it at least 6 times.
As a Sudanese, we always had very few historians, and of those few, even fewer are objective, most are polishing the Mehdi to the point of distorting history. Your channel is rich, entertaining and most importantly... accurate, well done and keep up the good content.
Really pleased that you found it interesting. Visited Sudan about 10 years ago, wonderful people.
Worked in the Sudan for a year in 1980. Hospitable people and a fascinating country. I was based in Rufaa, On the Blue Nile.
As a former soldier, I appreciate that he does not downplay or diminish the outright bravery of the soldiers of the Mehdi Army (something which is sometimes hard to do for former enemies).
Whenever you hear about Churchill outside of WW2 it always feels a bit like a cameo.
I agree. Maybe a talk on his early life?
Didn't Churchill plan the WWI naval expedition we now call Gallipoli? That wasn't a cameo...
@@davejacobs9042 I said "feels".
@@GijsTheDog Okay, sounds good to me. And besides, "his early life" can mean any arbitrary age, from puberty to going completely grey.
@@davejacobs9042 I think he gets unjustly maligned for that.
The original landing was successful but the commander on the beach sat there instead of securing the high ground above the beach.
At that point there was a minimal Turkish force that could have been brushed aside.
A day later thousands of Turks had dug into a bottle neck, the rest is history.
American Anglophile and British military history buff here. I’m so glad I just now discovered this fantastic channel! Keep up the good work, my friend! 🏴🇬🇧
I’m glad that you enjoyed my story.
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I'll just watch the Isandlwana episode I said, that was 10.30pm, I'm finally forcing myself to turn in....it's 3.30am!
These videos are superb, I normally prefer longer historical shows but these are so well explained, so concise and so well delivered they are positively addictive! Even the wife is happy, she hasn't seen me for days! 😂
Glad you anre enjoy your binge watching....glad your wife is enjoying you being out of the way too!
Hope you managed to get some good sleep.
You've missed out on the greatest character of the time - Col. Frederick Burnaby who died in battle (a spear through his throat) as they fought their way up to relieve Gordon. Burnaby was 6'4" when the average grunt was 5'5". And what a man he was!
Fair point. Yes, he was a character. I find the whole campaign (including the battles on the Red Sea coast) fascinating. Decided to omit only because of time and wasn't sure how in-depth people wanted me to go. Thanks for remembering him.
6 foot 4? No wonder he got speared. Hard to miss with that height.
@@TheHistoryChap bro..we all love History..totally dig it..!! Thanks for the channel already a suscriber
Very good presentation, the charge of the 21st Lancers at Omdurman was the last formal charge of a British Army cavalry regiment. Some 350 cavalry troopers against 3,000 Dervishes, the stuff of legend.
Glad that you enjoyed it. Please subscribe so you don't miss my future presentations. I've got the Boer War, the Jameson Raid and the Crimean War in the pipeline.
@@TheHistoryChap I did subscribe after watching the story, great stuff.
Except it wasn't the last charge by a British cavalry regiment. That may have been in Afghanistan in May of 1919 by the KDG in Dakka.
@@peterk2455 You are correct, there were other cavalry charges made in WWI. But several official histories do credit the 21st as the last FORMAL charge.
@@billballbuster7186 I think the last was by the Australian Light Horse but it is a matter of definition as they did not have swords or lances but used bayonets.
"For less than the cost of a pint a month"
That's the most adorably British thing to say. Love it, man. 🍻
Keep the good stuff coming.
Glad you enjoyed that comic appeal. Chris
My grandfather fought at the battle of Omdurman and at Atbara. He was in the Lincolnshire Regiment. He was also at Fashada. He described part of his experiences such as watching the bullets from a Maxim machine gun cut across a horse.
Snap, just added a comment about my granddad from the Lancashire Fusiliers being on the same campaign, and later in the 2nd Boer War. Sadly, I never met him, as he died before I was born. He must have had some great stories to tell. :-)
How old are you?
Thanks for sharing that story. The Dervish army were incredibly brave but really didn't stand a chance.
@@1joshjosh1 I'm 70.
@@Sean_Coyne
Thank you for sharing your story.
Brilliant as always Chris. Appreciate the battle maps you added, helps clear up the image in your head!
Thank you George. I am a visual learner so I find maps and family trees help me to work out what is going on.
Hi my great great grandfather was a prv in the 21st Lancers and was the one that saved his injured officer and received the VC for his efforts.. Before now, I didn't really understand the battle nor the history.. Thankyou so much ... It means alot to me...
It's my pleasure, Paul.
I’m glad that you enjoyed my story.
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Chris
My grandfather was in the 21st Lancers at the battle. I remember he had a shield and two spears on the wall of his house. He brought them back home. He was batman to Winston Churchill for a time. He ended his army career in Ireland in and around the Irish rebellion.
Wow!!!!! Thanks.
My grandfather served with the Lancashire Fusiliers in this campaign and later in the 2nd Boer war. I still have photographs of him in uniform with the sphinx on the regimental collar badge.
Thanks for sharing your family story.
Thank you for his service
It's always a treat to see ANYTHING about this campaign and your details about what happened after the Lancers' charge are really appreciated because those events are rarely mentioned. I have all of the movies related to both Sudan campaigns and love all of the paintings & photos so it was nice to see some of them included here. This video is a worthy "documentary" and one for the collection! Cheers from Montreal.
Hello Montreal! Thanks for your kind words. Please do subscribe to my channel. What would you love me to talk about in the future?
Would you please name the movies you know of regarding this i would love to see them thank you for time!
@@bs4209 Here's a list that includes both Sudan campaigns:
Alarming Queen's Company of Grenadier Guards at Omdurman (1898 Archival footage)
The Four Feathers (1915) I don't have this one.
The Light That Failed (1916) I don't have this one.
The Four Feathers (1921) I don't have this one.
The Light That Failed (1923) I don't have this one.
The Four Feathers (1929)
The Four Feathers (1939)
The Light That Failed (1939)
Storm Over the Nile (1955)
The Light That Failed (1961) I don't have this one.
East of Sudan (1964)
Khartoum (1966)
The Time Tunnel - Raiders From Outer Space (1967)
Young Winston (1972)
The Four Feathers (1978)
The Four Feathers (2002)
If anyone is aware of any others, I would LOVE to know!
@@TheHistoryChap I would love it if you did any of the less-talked-about British campaigns of the late 19th century like the 1873-74 Ashanti Expedition, 1878-80 Afghan War, 1880-81 Boer War, 1882 Egyptian War, etc. Anyway, your channel is great! 🙂
I really enjoyed your discourse
I had.watched the movie Khartoum
With a famous sudanese colonel
John Garang de mabier former
Vice president and. Sla leader in
Sudan.
Sir I thank you profusely for making a video about this battle. When I was in university I spent quite a long time studying both Charles Gordon and Lord Kitchener and writing about their deeds in Egypt and the Sudan. To the point that they both became heroes for me. That was several years ago and I had not thought of them for a long time until now when this video brought them back into my mind.
I’m glad that you enjoyed my story.
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My Grandfather was with the 2nd Bn the Lancashire Fusiliers at Omdurman and the Boer War. He later fought at Mons in the 2nd draft in 1915. I have his medals.
He died in 1929 in the British Military Hospital Liverpool from emphysema caused mainly by mustard gas.
Tom, thank you for sharing your grandfather's military experiences.
i hope you enjoyed my video and if you did, please subscribe to my TH-cam channel for future presentations.
That is sad to hear. I thought Id share this with you. My great grandad was in the East lancs regiment. He signed up at the start of WW1 to feed his wife and child, it was a secure income. My bet he like the others had no idea what they were in for, eg it was supposed to be over by Chritmas type sayings. Mum thought she has got him correct in the family history. She said he was at Ypres, he certainly was at Galliopli (apparently at Anzac Cove, if anyone is sure the East Lancs were not there please let me know), then in Mesopotamia (I'd like to know if he was at the BAttle of Bersheba (the last full cavalry cahrge supposedly ever by the OZ Light Horse, {I'm dubiius about that as well, as I belive the Pols charged their lancers at German tanks iin WW2, was that full on charge?}. Later he was I think in the Greek campaign against Atta The Turk, Im basing this on his medal. This is when Llloyd George was attempting to make Constantinople Christian, LOL, we have our own nutters. Great grandad was a strecher bearer, so on the western front that apparently meant he likley drove an ambulance, but not at Gallapoli. He survived it all, no injuries, beginning to end and now I am here in Sydney Oz with Grandkids of my own of a Indian Mauritian father, via indentured labour to cut sugar cane under the Empire. You could not majke it up. All to feed his family. Not British pride. apparently that was the norm from the cotton mill towns.
@@briancrowther3272 Thank you for sharing. My wife's grandfather joined in WW1 though he didn't have to (age and family) and said he would rather fight than be in the army band. He was gassed and it slowly killed him. His daughter came to America on the "Queen Mary" as a war bride in '46, though that marriage quickly ended (as did many like that). The thing is, my wife's other grandfather was reluctantly drafted into the German army in 1917. Fairly old, after some combat they put him on guard duty in Lithuania and after the Reich collapsed it took him months to walk back to Berlin. The Nazis murdered him but his son made it to the U.S. where he married an divorced Englishwoman...so my wife's grandfather's fought each other on the Western Front! Amazing how these things happen.
You brought this battle into my front room with thundering cavalry charges and desert dust. Amazing detailed lecture. Both armies very brave and possibly the last we will ever see of that sort of warfare. Now need a cup of tea. That battle was thirsty work lol
Thank you for your kind words.
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Cup of tea. 😂😂😂
Oh rather.......two sugars please.
Young Winston is a masterpiece which captures the charge of the 21st Lancers beautifully.
Yes it does.
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This may be the most delightful new history channels that I have come across in a while. Your storytelling skills are extremely coherent and easy to follow.
I’m glad that you enjoyed my story.
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The 1939 version of The Four Feathers is well worth watching, the fictional story is interweaved with actual battles, accurate depictions of the Anglo/Egyptian armies and shows Sudanese fighting alongside the British against the Mahdist, the battle scenes are quite large in scale,featuring thousands of extras, we even get to see the "Expected Ones" tomb get shelled.
Thanks for sharing.
Alexander korda.
Brilliantly explained keeping the facts in line, I hate it when some videos jump all over the place this one doesn't, Great stuff
Hi Phil, thank you for your kind words. If you haven't already, please subscribe to my channel. Currently working on my next video - The Jameson Raid of 1895.
Meanwhile Lindybeige going off on a tangent about tangents.
TOTALLY ABSORBING NARRATIVE…Enjoyed it immensely. Cleared up many side questions I had from reading books and watching movies that included Gordon in the Sudan. Seeing the battle tactics (though few and brief) illustrated the complexity of the action.
Looking forward to more BRITISH VICTORIES!!!! Thank you for being there for us….
I love the enthusiasm of this presentation. It really gets you into the action.
Thank you for your kind comment. Please do consider subscribing to my channel for more presentations.
btw....your descriptions of these historic character's personalities is BRILLIANT----focused sharp concise....I get meaningful impressions of the person you're discussing unlike many other videos or books I've looked into
Thank you for your kind words.
Great video!
Learnt a lot from this. It’s good to see historians who aren’t out there bashing everything British.
Thank you 🙏
Thank you for your kind words.
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Isn't it refreshing in this day and age
Fascinating. Just came across this by accident (maybe). You certainly bring it to life. Half an hour or so well spent. And in these days of Covid, where ordinary people become experts on the home library of people making such content or being interviewed or reporting from home, you score highly in that department. Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.
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For those who remember the Dad's Army TV series, now we finally know about Jonesy's role in this battle!! "They don't like it up 'em!!" 🤣👍
Good old Jonesy :)
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They certainly didn't like it up em
“The Battle of Omni-bum-bum” 😂
I always remember Captain Mainwaring rolling his eyes and sighing as Jonesy embarks on yet another rambling account of his time serving in the Sudan: "Of course, he wasn't the original Mad Mahdi, Sir - this Mad Mahdi was the son of the first Mad Mahdi..."
The mahdis son actually became a cloakroom attendant in the uk,,Mahat Macoat@Philcopson
Great description on the events that led to the battle.
Glad you enjoyed it
Very interesting presentation, very British. Enjoyed it. A good support for the books I'm about to read, just like "The River War" by Winston Churchill, "Khartoum - The Ultimate Imperial Adventure" by Michael Asher and "Fire and Sword in the Sudan" by Rudolph von Slatin Pasha, of which I've the honor to own an original English first issue.
Thank you for taking the time to share your reading list. I have read the first two. The beginning of Michael Asher's book is riveting. Haven't read von Saltin's book. My understanding is that it was used to justify the invasion.
I have enjoyed those books myself but just for a break the fictional Flashman novels have given me a lot of delightful alternative points of view.
Slatin like Emin Pasha were a couple of punks.
Nice read on an EXTREMELY interesting period of World History... Want lighthearted tales of this lperiod, read Fraser's "Flashman", novels....
@@user-dq9qt7uw5q you blathering idiot. Emin was a doctor and a scientist, slatin an Austrian who became head if the red coss, and together they did more good for the Sudanese than any Arab punk ever did! And by he way it Sir rudolph von slatin pasha, he was ennobled by three diffrent countries, a very rare thing!
What a great video! You’re criminally underrated…
Thank you for your kind words.
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Absolutely fascinating. Really enjoyed this.
I’m glad that you enjoyed my story.
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This is absolutely brilliant, keep up the great videos.
Many thanks for your kind words.
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These are some of the best videos I've seen produced. I'm currently working my way through your whole collection thank you for such great detail.
Richard, thank you for your support. Apologies for delayed response, the comments section has gone mad in last 2 weeks.
Beatty did not command the Grand Fleet at Jutland - that was Jellicoe. Beatty commanded the battlecruiser squadron at Jutland, and became commander of the Grand Fleet later in the war.
Thank you for taking the time to point out.
Yes, the (in)famous David "There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today" Beatty, as quoted after the loss of HMSs Invincible, Queen Mary and Indefatigable at Jutland.
@@ThePhoenix198 he said that after Princess Royal was obscured by a salvo leading everyone to assume she too had exploded (she had not), this was prior to the arrival of invincible let alone her destruction
More of a villain than hero but as always very well connected. For example Lord Chelmsford.
Very good otherwise brilliantly told you bring the event back to life you are a very good history teacher well done
Good yarn mate, really enjoyed it. Going to binge some more of your stuff.
Glad you enjoyed. Check out my Zulu War video (if you haven't already) th-cam.com/video/K41pKWzKyeU/w-d-xo.html
Plus lots of talks around British history. One of my favourites is the Tottenham Outrage th-cam.com/video/WrLn4AhzYWQ/w-d-xo.html
LOVE the history chap...it is like listening to a very knowledgable and passionate mate down the pub.great concept!!!
Thank you for your kind words.
Strangely enough it was some mates in the pub that gave me the idea - maybe they just wanted to get rid of me!
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Excellent job. Thankyou Chris.
I’m glad that you enjoyed my story.
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By the way, what would you like me to talk about in the future?
Very well done. Thanks.
Thank you for your kind comments. Have you watched my talks on Gordon of Khartoum or the Zulu wars?
Fascinating account of the battle. Happy to subscribe!
Thanks for your support. Apart from the Battle of Omdurman what would you like me to talk about in the future?
You make history very immediate and exciting. Good work.
Thank you for your kind words.
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What a great series of stories! Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed.
Never knew much about this part ok UK history, thanks for the video!
Glad you enjoyed it
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FANTASTIC JOB! Felt like I was there. Subscribed!!
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I really enjoyed this Chris thankyou
Glad you enjoyed it. Any votes for what I should cover next?
Another fantastic presentation! Please keep it up!
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Fascinating. Thank you very much from a Welshman in Japan! Liked and subscribed.
Hi Ian, thanks for your support. Watch out for my next video - The Jameson Raid of 1895.
One of the best "play by Plays" I've heard outside the classroom Thanks for posting and I did subscribe.
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Me TOO! Better than any classroom I've ever set through. God Save the King!
Great video! History told with passion.
Thanks Mike. If you haven't already, please subscribe for more stories. What would you love to hear about in the future?
You succeed in bringing history alive, something none of my teachers and none of the textbooks I've read, have managed to do. Thank You.
Thanks for your comment and for watching my video.
An absolutely riveting recountment of these events. My compliments and, as they say, "we will follow your carreer with great interest"
Thanks for your kind words. Please do subscribe so that you can follow my future talks. Got lots of exciting subjects to cover.
For many years, I’ve found this period of our history fascinating, so thank you for bringing it to life with your inspired presentation! My interest arose because my great-great uncle served in this campaign. I’ve given some details, but managed somehow to append them to a comment regarding Hector MacDonald! Incidentally, I imagine that you’ve encountered “With Kitchener to Khartoum” by G W Steevens? It’s an excellent book, very readable, unlike some drier histories.
Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your family story.
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Great work, Sir!
Good show mate! A very detailed and spirited narration well-worth the time spent watching!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Great way of telling the story. I was hoping you'd bring up the 21st nickname, and you did. Hope you do the charge of the light brigade.
Thanks Nico. Got the Charge of the Light Brigade (& Crimean War) on my list for future talks. Please subscribe to my channel so you don't miss them.
You did a wonderful job presenting this! I simply have to subscribe!.... the music at the end sounds like lindybeige! I love listening to you cover British history, and that's saying a lot for A Yank
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Great presentation. Thank you
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an excellent well told story that gave me even more information about those times
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Thank you for providing an insightful outline of the Omdurman campaign. The only topic not covered seems to be that of Corporal Jones’s, of “Dad’s Army” fame, contribution.
I'm giggling at your comment. So pleased that you enjoyed it. What should I cover next?
@@TheHistoryChap
Hello again, Chris.
Would you consider doing some broadcasts on the Special Operations Executive? This Churchill-inspired organisation, whose remit was to “Set Europe Ablaze!”, was peopled by agents whose bravery was beyond my comprehension. Thus, perhaps a tribute to their gallant souls might be of a general interest to your audience?
Bye for now,
George.
The Fuzzywuzzys don't like it up em.
@@georgegoodyear9631 iam from Khartoum
Well just as long as you don't panic about it.
That was a most edifying production, old chap!
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So glad youtube recommended your channel! Was a great lunch hour listen, and also reminded me I've been wanting to purchase Churchills WW2s writings. Subscribed and sticking around for more in the days ahead. Cheers!
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I love your speaking style and content, great channel!
Thank you Cedric. I'm glad you enjoyed it. If you haven't already, please do subscribe to my TH-cam channel. More videos on their way!
Great story, brilliant well told 👍
Glad you enjoyed it. Please do subscribe to my channel.
A very interesting and informative video which was very well narrated. Just to let you know, at 10:24 in your description of the deployment of Kitchener's forces, you got your North and South mixed up.
You spotted it! I was getting myself in a right muddle :) Glad you enjoyed the talk too.
Great to hear as if the event happened just yesterday! Yes! This is lively, interesting and fascinating.
You tell history with a certain amount of zeal and enthusiasm that only a few people may have.
Those with fascination for history this is indeed a channel to reckon with .
Good luck!
Have a great day!
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Awesome video thanks, much appreciated. Easy subscription.
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Chris , I love your passion and knowledge of history mixed with a penchant for storytelling. Absolutely hooked and now subscribed, well done sir !
Nick, thank you for your support.
Here is my latest video: "The Thin Red Line":
th-cam.com/video/C-LXRavNbLU/w-d-xo.html
As I understand it, Churchill had wrenched his shoulder some time before when he reached for a ring in a dock to steady the boat he was in while landing ashore in India. This made it difficult for him to extend his sword during the ill-fated cavalry charge. Instead, he took out his nine-shot Mauser revolver which he had bought in London earlier. That wrenched shoulder and the nine bullets in the Mauser no doubt saved his life that day. History can turn on the slightest thing.
It would have been different indeed.
Rather like when he stepped out in front of a taxi whilst visiting USA in the 1930's. He ended up in a critical condition in hospital.
Another "What if?" moment in history.
Why was the charge ill-fated? About 300 lancers against 2000-3000 jihadis, that were routed and seems to be a victory (and with the need of MG´s).
It was a Mauser automatic pistol, not a revolver.
@@michaelemberley2767 You're correct, of course.
10 shot 7.63 Mauser self loader.
Absolutely fantastic telling of a battle I knew little about
Thanks for watching
What a wonderful lecture, this is great stuff.
Thank you for your kind words.
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Just discovered your channel, great subjects. Subscribed 👍
Thanks for your support. What would you love me to talk about in the future?
@@TheHistoryChap i particularly enjoy colonial history so anything around the great game, the scramble for Africa or the Indian mutiny always gets my vote.
Some years ago I read the book, “Omdurman” by Philip Ziegler and seem to remember reading that Haig (?) had a very poor opinion of machine guns and didn’t think much of them. I guess that was before they proved their worth. Also I recall that the battle was the first time machine guns had been used. Interestingly, Omdurman was the last war when a cavalry charge was employed.
There was probably a little bit more that could have been said about this event but you told a very important story. Thank you!
Neil, yes loads more. I skirted around the battles en-route to Omdurman, plus Fashoda (not forgetting the whole back story to Kitchener's invasion).
I am conscious that not everyone wants to watch an hour-long video.
Very Informative video
Good job 👍
Thank you for your kind words.
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Hi Chris, that was very interesting, but what came out of the blue was now knowing why my
father, born 1917 named Earl "Kitchener" McDonald, his brother 1916 " Hector" McDonald.
The Empire spread every where back then, even babies? Hello from Australia.
That's a fantastic link. I'm thinking about doing a talk about both of those military men. Greetings from a cloudy England (as per usual!)
@@TheHistoryChap Its a Crying Shame that Hector McDonald great soldier and commander that he was career should end in ignominy
...Churchills stint with the 21st Lancers - and his mother's influence on Kitchener - is portrayed well in 'Young Winston'...a very under appreciated 1972 movie
Good film based upon his book. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Saw it on the third night after world first, must have the booklet somewhere.
I remember that, also showed Churchill Snr going Doolally from Neurosyphilis. A disease you really don't want intimate experience of.
@@rosiehawtrey Yes .Lord Randolph Churchill ( a naughty boy )
@@John-ob7dhactually the eminent historian Andrew Roberts had debunked that as an inaccurate diagnosis.
Brilliant work. Bringing history to life.
Thank you.
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best wishes,
Chris
Great Videos and a nice library.
Glad you liked.
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Chris
A great telling of a great victory for the British Empire. I knew nothing about the battle against the "Fuzzy-Wuzzies" to quote Lance Corporal Jones of Dads Army fame other than that we won the battle. Now after your fantastic telling of the action I know much more. Thank you for that. One thing though, the maps you show can be a little confusing because there isn't time really to study them in any detail and although normally maps are shown with North to the top, it would be nice if you added the NS EW sign to the map, And the direction of the flow of the river Nile to help us to get to grips with the story. I for one am going to watch the video again and screenshot the maps shown so as to understand it a bit easier.
Thanks for your time feeding back. Will bear in mind for future videos.
thanks its soo cool hearing about this history I’m from Australia we have suburbs/county’s named after general Gordon,street names like khartoum may more Names of British origin it interesting to hear there back story.
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I live in Kent .And in our local town ( where he came from ) we have a few streets named after him .Gordon Square etc
i am from London and grew up there, on this stuff. I left there for Sydney in 1981 and am still here. I ride motorcycles for fun and often go through Lithgow and it is full of all these names. I live in the Hawkesbury, NW Sydney and am into a book atm called The MAking Of The English Working Class EP Thompson a penguin classic, out of print atm. I was lucky and got a copy. This is set approx 1780 to 1840. You should see the colonial people's names that crop up when you start looking up points from the book, eg Camperdown, a Sydney suberb but its the name of a battle that on looking up I reckon almost ranks with Trafalga, so many names around the Hawkesbury are of these guys, unfortunately they are all guys. Obvioulsy Hawkesbury/Nepean, but Castlereagh (a bottom hole it turns out), Pitt (ditto), Wilberforce (ditto to my suprise), Lord Howe (I know its not a suberb, bet it is somewhere) etc. This is another amazing time of history, as is Alfred's time. No one could make this stuff up so exciting.
Just read People Of the River a recent book about the Darrubin tribe (Darrubin River means Hawkesbury/Nepean River) and then their encounters with the British empire. It is Australia Day today and I think a sad day when one considers what that entailed. I didn't know that when I came, I came to look for oil and gas as a young man and it was just beer, parties, beach, sun and beng poil and gas lots $$$. Many years on I see another side, a side I am not so comfortable with. I'd like the day changed for another day where we can all share. Keep this as Invasion/sorry day. I feel sick thinking about it.
So pleased to have discovered this excellent channel. I wish that my history teacher's lessons at boarding school were as interesting.
Thanks for your kind words.
Outstanding description of the battle. Congratulations.
Many thanks, I’m glad that you enjoyed it.
The only thing I knew about the Battle of Omdurman was what Corporal Jones, of Dad's Army, boasted about. Very interesting presentation - thank you.
Glad you enjoyed.
You can see why Corporal Jones boasted about it - i guess if you were there you didn't forget it.
Well done. It's easy to "sharp shoot" a presentation and I'm sure you meant that Beatty was the commander of the the Battle Cruiser Fleet, at Jutland as Jellicoe was the overall Fleet commander.
Thank you. Sometimes it is hard to keep all the facts top of mind.
I just found your channel. You done some great work here, very well done.
Many thanks.
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Great descriptions. Good posting. Subscribed.
Welcome aboard! What would you love to hear about in the future?
@@TheHistoryChap I can see I have a load of back numbers to watch first. Can I recommend this site link for extreme detail and history of some of the historic small arms in use in these and more recent battles. I have seen other history channels link up with these folk very effectively for each site. th-cam.com/video/5sn346sYXys/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=C%26Rsenal
My good friend Sami's family fought on the other side at Omdurman his grandfather just eight years old received a saber slash from his neck to his buttocks, and after the battle was put into hiding to recover from his wounds and avoid the culling of injured warriors that followed the battle for some considerable time.It is my understanding he was in hiding for two or three years, coming from a prominent family he was at more risk than usual. He grew up safely ,married the daughter of the family that sheltered him.becoming a revered holy man as an adult.
wait ... "culling" ? ... The British killed injured enemy soldiers after the battle ??
Thanks for sharing.
There are always (at least) two sides to every story.
Was he the " butt " of jokes ?
excellent excellent excellent presentation! American that I am, I had very little previous knowledge of this British history event other than that I was aware that Churchill had served in Africa in his younger years. Very excellent story telling ability and first time one of your videos had been recommended on my “feed”. I love learning these types of histories.
Thank you for your kind words.
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I'm sure Churchill will make more appearances (after all he gets everywhere).
yes, will do
another superb telling of a great battle we never heard of. until you told it.that is why i love your videos. thank you.
Thanks for watching
Another great story. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed.
Amazing video! I am Sudanese and this battle which we call "Karari" is extremely important in Sudanese history as well.
A sorta of a romanticized last stand, Sudanese Almo if you may.
And even tho many less than flattering things could be said about the Mahdists especially their leadership (Khalifa Abdullah caused both a famine, alienated local allies and Mismanaged two Military expeditions that could have quite frankly help the war effort. His descion to face the British-Egyptian troops in pitched battles is what truly lead to doom other than obviously technological and discipline superiority to the Darawish)
The Revolution still remains something of a catalyst to a Sudanese national identity that formed in the 20s, earlier than many African nationalist movements.
The Mahdists didn't just control the sudan! They united the Sudan! (well at least the Muslims, very tough luck if you happen to be pagan or Native-Christian. Another point of contention with Mahdists)
With Berbers, Arabs, Nubians, Nuba, Darfuris, Shuilk and all the people in between, the Mahdist Army was a SUDANESE army.... Something unfortunately that could no longer be said about the current state of affairs here...
But hey we have through worse.
Dear Ahmed, Thanks for taking the time to comment and giving me a fresh perspective.
Your comments highlight to me how we are the products of our history (both good and bad).
I flew into Khartoum a few years ago and was fascinated to look down at the landmarks that identified the Karari battlefield.
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Best wishes,
Chris
Very interesting to see it all from another perspective, thankyou.
Very nice history lesson, I’m glad this popped into my suggested.
I’d bet dollars to donuts you’ve probably only been told this a couple of times 😉 but you’re an excellent story teller.
I am glad you enjoyed it and thank you for your kind comment. Please subscribe for future stories. Any historic events you'd like me to cover?
I’d really appreciate the Entente’s expeditions into Soviet Russia. Fascinating subject.
Truly, anything from the colonial rush through to the interwar period. I see you have a few on your channel & gladly working my way through them. Cheers!
Just stumbled on this channel, subbed straight away
Thanks for your support.
Check out my latest videos about the Boer War 1899-1902. th-cam.com/users/TheHistoryChap
First time seeing your channel today... Absolutely loved it.. One of my favourite films is, The four feathers, which is set around this time.. It was lovely to see what actually happened. Thanks Q..
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
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My mother’s grandpa fought under Khalifa Abdallah at this battle while my paternal grandpa fought in the Senussi war in Libya. A family of soldiers.
Truly a family of WARRIORS! Certainly purebred wild stallions ready at all times for HARDCORE ACTION!!!!!
I read this reply as an subtle invalidation of the original commenter. Given the commenter's familiarity of his forefather's wartime services, and quality of his/her communication, it is likely that they are quite cultured and civilized. Perhaps bilingually so in both traditions. His forefathers could and more likely were quite cultivated in their own culture, while also finding themselves as soilders for the Sudaneese side. Basically, there is nothing in what the commenter wrote to suggest that they were "wild", "purebred", or "warriors" instead of soilders who took up arms to assert indigenous/self-rule in their geographical and neighbouring area.
If you are not trolling, it's kinda instructive to all of us about the basis of assumptions involving the 'other' and our word preferences.
@@robertsettle2590 nah mate a warrior is a crazy guy with an axe that fights without discipline or order. He fights first for his glory and fame.
Soldiers fight for the one True God (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) and for a noble cause. One fought for Islam and the other fought against the Italian fascists. They didn’t want prizes or fame. Just to do their duty.
legendary - it takes a true warrior to fight and charge head on into a modern army armed with machine guns and artillery...
Thanks for sharing. I visited Khartoum a few years ago. Loved the people.
Really enjoying your content, my dear Chap! We should collaborate at some point! 🇬🇧
Why don't we have a chat outside of these comment boxes. Pop over to my website and hit the contact button - www.thehistorychap.com
You are an excellent storyteller. You bring history to life like William Manchester did. You get just the right amount of details to bring us into their world.
Very kind of you. Thanks
I like this very much. Deeply interesting and well told! Bravo
Glad you enjoyed. Thanks for watching.
I would like to add a small correction here. It was said in the video that Douglas Haig, who was present at the battle, was a major at the time, he was actually a captain. Reading one of the comments below, I was fascinated to find out that one of the Mahdist veterans of the battle survived to take part in the 1938 movie production and repeated what he did at the battle in the movie. Something to note is that overtime, engineers have proven to be good soldiers, with the exception of McClellan. As for Kitchener, for a man with "rough" traits to himself, weeping for his friend and fellow engineer's death after the battle showed that he IS human. As for the destruction of the Mahdi's tomb, the scattering of his bones across thew desert, and the slaying of the Mahdist wounded after the battle, none of that had to happen! There is of course no glory in war, but I am inclined to say, like Frderick the Great at Rossbach, Napoleon at Austerlitz, and Ulysses S. Grant at Vicksburg before him, the Omdurmann campaign, and the battle itself, was Kitchener's masterpiece win. If only he had gone on to command the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War, a lot would have been different.
Nathan, thanks for sharing your perspective (and the correction about Haig's rank).
Kitchener gets a bad press (not least due to Boer War concentration camps) but he got results.
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Have you noticed that to get named for a place, you need to have a last name that's a first name. Gordon of Khartoum, Laurence of Arabia, Clive of India. Montgomery of Alamein, Scott of the Antarctic. Why is that? I used to be married to a lady called April Oliver, and I seriously thought about taking her name, just in case. You never heard of a Perkins of anywhere. Good story.
Ha ha, your comment has made my day. Hope you enjoyed the video.
@@TheHistoryChap Spade of Braithwaite! :)
cheers mate ! well told
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This was an excellent account. Many thanks.
Many thanks.