![](http://www.alamy.com/thumbs/6/93F2B208-7933-4CBA-A950-A8274FE1D4AD/PEJKJA.jpg)
Anglo-Egyptian troops storming Firket (or Ferkeh ), The Battle of Ferkeh (or Firket), during the Mahdist War. A Mahdist Sudanese army wiped out by forces under Sir Herbert Kitchener on 7 June 1896
Illustration by Sidney Paget (1860–1908) from a History of England, pub circa 1905. Info from wiki: The Battle of Ferkeh (or Firket) occurred during the Mahdist War when an army of the Mahdist Sudanese was surprised and wiped out by the British and Egyptian forces under Sir Herbert Kitchener on 7 June 1896. Kitchener's force, nominally in service of the Khedive of Egypt, but in fact under direct British control, was composed of Egyptian and Sudanese soldiers, led by British officers. It numbered 9,000 men, accompanied by three batteries of field guns and one battery of Maxim guns. The Maxim battery was manned by men of the Connaught Rangers The attack caught the Mahdists completely by surprise, and they made only uncoordinated attacks against the deploying Egyptians, during which Hammuda was killed. Many of the Mahdists then turned and fled. The cavalry column should have cut off their retreat, but they were hidden from view by the terrain, and many made good their escape along the Nile, including Osman Azrak. Other Mahdists stayed in their fortifications in the village, and fought to the bitter end. The Egyptians had to clear the position with bayonets. The battle lasted less than three hours—from 04:30 to 07:20—and resulted in the deaths of 20 Egyptians and 800 to 1000 Mahdists. It was the first significant action during the Sudan campaign.
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Photo credit: © Historical Images Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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