General Wolseley always considered himself an innovator and sought in his campaigns to produce some starting tactical innovation with which to carry on his battles. In the Sudan campaign of 1884-85 he tried two - a river column of whale boats (similar to the Red River Campaign of Canada where he won his fame), and a flying desert column of camel mounted troops.
Of course the idea of a camel corps did not originate with Wolseley, but the Sudan was the first time a camel corps figured into the major plans of the British army. Its object was to cross the Bayuda Desert from Korti to Metemma in order to place a small but effective force close to Khartoum to either reinforce it or relieve it entirely while the bulk of the British army rowed its weary way up the Rile. The Desert Column was to be a self-sufficient force of cavalry, artillery and infantry. Though not all infantry involved belonged to the Camel Corps, the four regiments that comprised the newly raised unit were to be the backbone of the force.
The first contingent of the Camel Corps was raised in Dongala and was composed of the Royal Sussex Regiment and a wing of the Mounted Infantry. It was known as Major Marriott's Camel Corps (Colville, Vol. I, pp. 109-111). Volunteer were seconded from regiments serving in Egypt as well as some home regiments, and the first batch of these volunteers began to arrive at Alexandria on October 7, 1884. On October 26, 1884 the Camel Corps was officially divided into four regiments. They were:
- Guards Camel Regiment: 23 officers, 403 men; 1st, 2nd 3rd Grenadier Guards, 1st and 2nd Coldstream Guards, 1st and 2nd Scots Guard, 10o Royal Marine Light Infantry (RMLI).
Heavy Camel Regiment: 24 officers, 430 men; 1st and 2nd Life Guards, Royal Horse Guards, 2nd, 4th, 5th Dragoon Guards, 1st, 2nd (Scots Greys) Dragoons, 5th and 16th Lancers.
Light Camel Regiment: 21 officers, 387 men; 3rd 4th, 7th, 10th, 11th, 15th, 18th, 20th, 21st Hussars.
Mounted Infantry Camel Regiment: 26 officers, 480 men; 1st South Staffordshire (38th), 1st Royal West Kents (50th), 1st Black Watch Highlanders (42nd), 1st Gordon Highlanders (75th), 2nd Essex (56th), 1st Sussex (35th), 2nd Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (46th), 3rd King's Royal Rifie Corps, Rifle Brigade, Somerset Light Infantry, Connaught Rangers, Royal Scots Fusiliers.
The Light Camel Regiment was left at Korti and was used to guard supplies.
The final composition of the Desert Column was:
- 2 squadrons 19th Hussar 8 officers, 127 men
Guards Camel Regiment 19, 365
Heavy Camel Regiment 24 376
Mtd. Inf. Camel Regiment 24, 359
1st Royal Sussex 8, 250
Naval Brigade 5, 53
1/2 of 1st Bty., 1st Bde./ Sou. Div., Royal Arty. 4, 34
1/2 26th Co, Royal Engineers 2, 25
(List from Colville, V.II, p. 254)
All of the above numbers are approximate as many men were used on convoy and garrison duty, and rarely did the entire Column move together. Rather they were sent in two or three waves from one point to another. Fifty men of the Essex Regiment relieved the Mounted Infantry Camel Regiment at El Howeiya Wells so that the Mounted Infantry could join the rest of the Column, and 150 of the Royal Sussex were stationed at Gakdul, leaving only 100 to travel with the rest of the Column. (Ibid., pp. S, 14). The total strength of the Desert Column was 98 officers, 1,509 NCO's and men, 296 natives and interpreters. 8 Egyptians, 2,778 camels. 155 horses, and two mules (Ibid., p. 6).
All of the Desert Column, except the 19th Hussars, were mounted on camels. This included the Royal Sussex, the Naval Brigade, the Royal Artillery, and the Royal Engineers in addition to those designated as Camel Corps.
The Naval Brigade had one five-barrelled Gardner gun with four camels to carry it; one for the barrels, one for the wheels and elevating gear, one for the trail, and one for the ammunition. The Camel Battery of the Royal Artillery had three 7 pdr. screw guns. Each gun, plus two boxes of ammunition, were carried on six camels with one native driver allotted to every two camels.
The staff of the Desert Column consisted of Sir Herbert Stewart as Commander-in-chief, with Colonel Burnaby as second in command. Wilson took over command after Stewart was mortally wounded at Abu Kru. The Guards Camel¥ Regiment was commanded by Lt. Colonel E. Boscawen; Heavy Camel Regiment by Lt. Colonel R.A. Talbot; the Mtd. Inf. Camel Regiment by G. H. Gough; the Royal Sussex by Major Sunderland; 19th Hussars by Lt. Colonel P. Barren; Naval Brigade by Capt, Lord Charles Beresford; Royal Artillery by Capt. G. Norton, and the Royal Engineers by Major Darward.
After leaving Gakdul before Abu Klea the Column marched out with 300 men of the Heavies, 367 of the Guards, 360 of the Mounted Infantry, 100 Royal Sussex, 3 troops (90 men) of 19th Hussars, 30 men and 3 guns from Royal Artillery. 30 men and one Gardner Gun of the Naval Brigade, and 25 Royal Engineers.
At Abu Klea the square was broken momentarily and the Column suffered heavy losses. Colonel Burnaby himself was killed, so Charles Wilson became second in command. At Abu Kru, four miles from the Nile, Stewart was mortally wounded and though he did not die until some time later, Wilson assumed entire command.
At the Nile the column met four of Gordon's steamers which contained over 100 of his irregular Black Sudanese riflemen (who also sported a small brass mountain gun). Taking two of these steamers, along with portions of the Naval Brigade, the Sudanese, and 20 of the Royal Sussex, Wilson and Beresford tried to steam up to Khartoum before it fell. They were two days late.
Redvers Buller was sent with the Royal Irish Regiment and the West Kents to take command of the Desert Column. He left Korti on January 29, 1885, and though ordered to attack and take Metemma, he decided his force was too small and began withdrawing them. An earlier attack on the Madhist town by Wilson had failed. In the meantime Buller had left the West Kents to guard the wells on the route back and six companies of the Royal Irish joined the Desert Column at Gubat (Royle, II, p. 307). The Light Camel Corps arrived at Abu Klea on the 20th of February and Sir Evelyn Wood and three companies of the West Kents arrived at Gakdul on the 17th. The Desert Column withdrew from the Sudan on foot, even the 19th Hussars, who had only a few horses left.
The Desert Column
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© Copyright 2004 by Milton Soong.
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