The Sudan Project..



Egyptian Camel Corps patrolling in the Sudan around or about 1900 - so just 10 years after Omdurman..

Sections:

Go To “Armies/Regiments/Units” – the collection as a whole…
Go To “Books” – fiction and non-fiction
Go To “Rules” – what rules I have tried, and what I’m using…
Go To “Game Reports” – what it says on the tin…
Go To “Figures” – comparisons of look/feel/price of the various figures I have in the project…

Useful/additional web sites:
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Armies/Regiments/Units

The very latest addition to the forces is an Arab Dhow..  lot of fun making this..  more here [clicky] and here's a link to the build [clicky]..



The latest units to join the Sudan Imperial forces are Sikh infantry [clicky] and Bengal Lancers [clicky]

 Commanders: I've just finished some figures that have been found to be seriously missing in my recent Sudan games... Imperial command figures.

My Sudan rules allow for three levels of command, but happily only two of which need to be represented on the table, namely senior commanders (second level) and brigadier commanders (top level); the other level of command is assumed to be present within the unit as represented. Up until now I haven't had any officer figures, but the brief flurry of activity has gone a little way towards remedying this...

In my rules brigadier commanders control small groups of units (up to five usually), senior commanders command the force in its entirety. The following figures are painted to represent those officers from the British army seconded to the Egyptian army from 1883 onwards to oversee it's training, so will probably command groups of Egyptian or Sudanese troops..

..having said that, officers in the Sudan seemed to have a fair amount of leeway in the uniform stakes, so I might very well press them into service to command British troops as well.


Together with a hard core of veteran British NCO's, these officers were so successful that they brought the Egyptian and Sudanese battalions up to the point where they could stand in the firing line and hold their own with the best of any of the British regiments.

Many of these officers were unknown, working hard with little recognition, but there are a few stand out names; Hunter (who commanded the Egyptian Division at Omdurman), Lewis, Collinson and perhaps the best known of them "Fighting Mac" MacDonald (picture just above)...

MacDonald was an amazing character - and that in the Sudan where "characters" seem to have been two a penny! Not surprisingly with that name, he was a Scotsman, and had joined the Gordon Highlanders in 1870 at the age of 17. His rise through the ranks was rapid to say the least, and during the Afghan War of 1879 (when he had already been a colour sergeant for 4 years!) he distinguished himself so much that he was given an officer's commission. He served as a subaltern in the First Boer War (and was captured at Majuba, but his bravery was such that the Boer commander gave him back his sword and freed him), and in 1885 he served under Sir Evelyn Wood in the reorganization of the Egyptian army, and took part in the Nile Expedition of that year. In 1888, he became a regimental captain in the British service (after 18 years service), but continued to serve in the Egyptian army concentrating on training Sudanese troops. In 1889, he received the DSO for his conduct at the Battle of Toski and in 1891, after the action at Tokar, he was promoted major. In 1896, he commanded a brigade of the Egyptian army in the Dongola Expedition, and during the following campaigns he distinguished himself in every engagement, especially in the final Battle of Omdurman (1898) where his Sudanese brigade repulsed a determined attack from the Mahdists. The actions of the brigade "manoeuvring as a unit with the coolness and precision of the parade ground" were witnessed and reported by Winston Churchill. Kitchener acclaimed MacDonald as "the real hero of Omdurman". After the Sudan he went on to serve further, but died tragically, and in somewhat sad circumstances...

Whew... these guys have a job to do, to stand up to a reputation like that!



Regiments and Units:
Country Unit Name Manufacturer Unit Type (and click on any of the pictures for a significantly better view)
Dervish Beja Foot Peter Pig/Minifigs 2 units (4 bases).

Beja, the famed Fuzzy Wuzzy of Kipling fame - a fierce enemy as the British found on a number of occasions....


I'm trying to focus the Sudan project around the Suakin campaign where the Beja of Osman Digna featured heavily so there'll be more of these guys this year... figures are Minifigs I think - not so keen on the pose of these figures, but they look good en masse...


These are the first Hadendoa to join my Dervish forces as all the rest are Ansar, so all the more welcome for the variety they bring.. they are the guys immortalised by Kipling as "Fuzzy Wuzzy", nicknamed for their elaborate hair styles, but universally admired by the British soldiers of the time for their brave fighting ability.

The most famous of the Hadendoa leaders was Osman Digna, a former slave trader. He joined with the Mahdi shortly after the battle of Tel el Kebir, and his army operated mostly around Suakin on the coast. Osman and his troops have the unique reputation of being the only Dervish troops to break a British square which they did at the battle of Tamai, but despite this, Osman was unable to win the battle.

As arguably the Mahdi's best general, he was largely responsible for the fate of Gordon & Khartoum, and the loss of the Sudan to Egypt. Despite losing an arm at Suakin he went on to serve the Mahdi to the end of the war, was captured, imprisoned, and eventually died at the age of 90 in 1926! Not too bad a life...

These figures are 15mm (naturally) and this time from the Peter Pig "Patrols in the Sudan" range..


"We've fought with many men acrost the seas,
And some of 'em was brave an' some was not:
The Paythan an' the Zulu an' Burmese;
But the Fuzzy was the finest o' the lot.
We never got a ha'porth's change of 'im:
'E squatted in the scrub and 'ocked our 'orses,
'E cut our sentries up at Suakim,
An' 'e played the cat an' banjo with our forces.
So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan;
Yore a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man;
We gives you your certificate, an' if you want it signed,
We'll come an' 'ave a romp with you whenever you're inclined." - Kipling "Fuzzy Wuzzy"


Dervish Arab Foot Lancashire
Peter Pig
Essex


10 units. Ansar Infantry (can be used as Sword/Spear, or Jihadiya (Rifles)
Dervish Cavalry Peter Pig 2 units. Ansar.
Dervish Artillery Crew Peter Pig 2 Bases. Can use muzzle loader or the Breech Loader Imperial Guns
Dervish Camel Riders Peter Pig Dervish camel riders.

Asquith tells me that the organisational unit of the Dervish army was the "rub" which comprised between 800 and 1200 men.

Each rub comprised four sub-units called "standards", three of them fighting formations, and one administrative. The three fighting units would have been a sword and spear armed unit, the well known jihadiyah rifle men, and the third would have been the cavalry/camelry which these guys represent.

The "standard" was subdivided into "hundreds", and in the rules I'm using this base of figures represents one of those 'hundreds'...





All figures are from the incomparable Peter Pig - so much character in such a little figure - 2 Bases.
Imperial Artillery Crew Peter Pig 4 Bases. 2 British, 2 Anglo-Egyptian.
Imperial Artillery Peter Pig Maxims. 2 Bases. When I originally started my Sudan project I had envisaged setting my collection with the period covered by Omdurman (late 1890's) in which period these were the machine gun used by the British Army. I've since modified my interests and moved my collection backwards in time to a slightly less "industrial" period in the Sudan - the Gordon Relief Expedition, etc.....
Imperial Artillery Essex Gatling Guns. 2 Bases.
"The sand of the desert is sodden red, --
Red with the wreck of a square that broke; --
The Gatling's jammed and the colonel dead,
And the regiment blind with dust and smoke.
The river of death has brimmed his banks,
And England's far, and Honor a name,
But the voice of a schoolboy rallies the ranks,
"Play up! play up! and play the game!"

"Vitaï Lampada" - Sir Henry Newbolt)
One for the Naval Brigade, and one for the Army - I'm quite pleased with how they turned out, these are by Essex Miniatures in 15mm

I've been doing some research on them, and found that the design was patented on November 4, 1862 - the diagram above is from the official patent application. The Gatling was the first large scale manufactured machine gun. Although only a handful of the original 1862 model Gatling Guns were ever built, it was enough for the military to see the possibilities... apparently the first gatling guns were very crude; barrels had tapers up to 1/16th of an inch from the breech to the muzzle (!) "Lead would shave, bullets tumble, and black powder spewed forth in all directions. But the battery guns would fire. The awesomeness of the gatling gun’s firepower, from 250 to 600 rounds per minute was truly incomprehensible" (from this web site [click here]). The later guns (as deployed in the Sudan) used a hopper on top to hold the bullets (720 capacity), and used the metal cartridge - they could reach 1000 rounds a minute depending on ammunition supply, and the speed of the hand turning the firing handle..

...finally - one last word on the Gatling - apparently the Afghans used camel mounted gatling guns to defeat a Persian cavalry force 3 to 4 times their size! The following is from this web site [click here] - I have no idea whether this is actually a true representation, but this is the only reference I can find.... can't help thinking the camel would get very cheesed off if the guy actually opened fire! I suspect that the camel was used as transport, rather than as a 19th Centruy self-propelled gun?? Answers on a postcard..
Imperial Artillery Peter Pig 2 Bases. Screw guns - limbered and umlimbered versions..
Imperial Cavalry Peter Pig 6 Bases Egytian Lancers..
Imperial Cavalry Peter Pig 6 Bases mounted/6 bases unmounted infantry/6 bases horse holders..

I lifted my organisational elements direct from the old Peter Gilder rules that he described all those years ago in "Wargamers World" so in this instance the three bases represent about 60 men or a Troop.

Two or three troops would then represent a squadron depending on how strong the squadron actually was.

First Troop
What you see here represents two thirds of the bases I need to represent a troop - specifically, the horse holders (that mark the point where the unit switches between mounted and dismounted) and the troop in dismounted mode forming a firing line..







This troop is painted wearing grey frock coats and Bedford cord trousers with puttee's - according to my sources (the excellent Perry site - click here) they would stand in quite nicely as the 19th Hussars but I'm increasingly happy with the idea of having imaginary unit names so I may add them to the roster as a fictitious unit along the lines of the North Middlesex Regiment who featured in the recent "Tarka" scenario

These are the mounted component of the figures used to represent the first troop of the West Sussex Yeomanry, and will join the figures I showed previously (second troop) in forming a squadron should I need them on the battlefield... I have a yearning to return to the sandy wastes after the recent AWI campaign game so may well set something up soon.



Second Troop

Second troop of Her Majesty's West Sussex Yeomanry (a fictional unit that may have actually existed in one form or another at some time in the past, but certainly not in the Sudan!)

These figures are all Peter Pig 15mm's..

These show the mounted and dismounted versions of the troop..

In the Sudan, after El Teb* a lot of the British cavalry ended up being armed with "home made" lances and native spears as it was found that when charged, the Dervish would lie down and it was difficult for the cavalry to reach them with just the sword - either way, these guys are not! (* source is Bennet Burleigh)

All in all I'm quite pleased with these guys - I especially liked the effect I got with the Windsor and Newton Peat coloured ink on the helmets.. the uniform was inspired by that worn by the 19th Hussars - they wore the standard grey serge frocks, with Bedford cord pantaloons and home service boots.

These are the horse holders - front:
..and from the side..

..and here they are as I will use them on the table top - the firing line can move wherever it likes, but must return to the horse holder figures in order to re-mount..

Figures are 15mm, and from the incomparable Peter Pig "Patrols in the Sudan" range..
Imperial Bengal Lancers Minifigs This is what I was trying to represent..


Caton-Woodville (of course!) - illustrated London News 1882 - 13th Bengal Lancers in the Sudan showing campaign dress/equipment

This is how they came out..

My research would indicate that three regiments of Bengal Lancer/Cavalry served in the Sudan at various times - there were thirteen or fourteen of them in total but the rest served elsewhere, either in Afghanistan, Peking or locally...
  • the 9th [clicky] - in 1885 which was the year they became Lancers - there is an excellent regimental history of their time in the Sudan on this page and I recommend it highly - fascinating reading...  I painted mine to represent this regiment using the excellent Perry Miniatures uniform guide [clicky]..  I'll be honest and say I picked them purely because the turban looked to be the least complex to paint!

  • the 10th [clicky] - in 1885 at Suakin
  • the 13th ( (Duke of Connaught’s) [clicky] -  in 1882 they served at Tel-el-Kebir where they impreesed the aforesaid Duke so much that he asked the his mother (who happened to be Queen Victoria!) for the honour of being their Colonel in Chief.

Given they were my first painted figures in some considerable time (the first three or four units after a hiatus* are always troublesome, and then you kind of get into the swing..  which isn't to say they get any better painted, just a little quicker..! )



So eight figures, Minifgs, 15mm, painted with Vallejo and Games Workshop paints, and Rowney inks (turban, puttees and lance pennant)..
Imperial Camel Corps Peter Pig 6 Bases mounted/8 bases unmounted infantry/6 bases camel holder..
Imperial British Infantry Lancashire 10 Bases. In my rules there are two bases to the company - representing approximately 120 men. You can then represent a full regiment on the table by dividing it's actual strength by 120 (& ignoring any remainders) These ten bases (or 5 company's), could then be used to represent a regiment of 600 men though it's more likely I would be using just 8 bases which would give a more realistic regiment of 450 to 480 men.
Imperial Sikh Infantry Minifigs 4 Bases

These represent the 15th Sikh Regiment, which were one of three Sikh regiments (if my research is right) raised just before the Second Sikh War (the British clearly understood the fighting qualities of the Sikh's!), and the present day 15th is the most highly decorated regiment in the Indian Army. They took part in the Battle of Tofrek (where they won the battle honour "Tofrek") and throughout both Suakin campaigns - the earlier 1885 campaign, and the later 1890 Omdurman campaign...
Imperial Sudanese Infantry Essex According to my copy of "The Mhadist Wars Source Book" (click here) the Sudanese battalions were recruited from the Southern Sudan and the Nuba Mountains. Many of them were already veterans of the old Egyptian Army who had fought in Mexico and Turkey. Some later served with the Mahdists in the Jihadiyya (the riflemen) under Hamdan Abu Anja, the greatest tactician and general of the Mahdist army.


The first Sudanese battalion, the IXth, was raised from ex-soldiers still in Egypt. The next two, the Xth and XIIIth, were drawn mostly from the survivors of three Sudanese battalions in the Eastern Sudan who had escaped, en masse, from the Mahdists in 1885.

Mine are painted to nominally represent units of the 10th, but the uniform for all the Sudanese battalions were the same so they are interchangeable... figures are 15mm Essex.
Imperial Egyptian Infantry Peter Pig Egyptian infantry in their characteristic khaki and sand.



The Egyptian army had it's (re)birth following the battle of Tel el Kebir in 1883, it started off eight battalions of foot, but by the time of Omdurman was up to nineteen. These were comprised of separate Egyptian and Sudanese troops.


My copy of Asquith (see top) tells me that each Egyptian infantry battalion comprised four companies of 200 men up until 1898. In order of seniority they had regimental numbers of the 1st through 8th, and 15th through 18th (the Sudanese would have been numbered 9th - 14th)

General opinion is that the Sudanese were the cream of the army, with the Egyptian regiments often being placed in the second line - time will tell with these guys! Either way, in my rules these guys (four bases) represents either 2 company's in my own rules, or a regiment in the "A Good Dusting" rules.
Imperial or Dervish Transport Unknown Transport for either side but usually Imperial - I use these to provide additional ammunition for the Imperial troops as and when required. I believe that Lofty C may have given me the camels some time in the past, all I did then was to make up their loads from the WWII tank stowage packs available from Peter Pig..

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Books:

When I first started my Sudan project I had visions of dusty columns of British and Commonwealth troops, dressed in khaki, marching through the desert towards Omdurman, supported by camels and gunboats... the more reading I did though, and the less that appealed and I realised that wargaming the "Sudan" required decisions about what period we were specifically interested in as, beginning to end, the wars lasted 20 odd years and a lot changed in that time.. basically I divide it into five... (probably four and a sub-part if you're anal about that kind of thing) and my book collection is geared somewhat to the period choice I subsequently made...
  1. the later period (known as the "reconquest" from the title of Churchill's book) ended with the Battle of Omdurman, and was dominated by increasing amounts of reliable machinery - powerful gunboats that didn't break down, machine guns that didn't jam, railways, all very stirring, but not giving me that emotional tie that drives a wargaming project forward ..

    2. So my attention shifted to the earlier period(s)..

  2. not done much reading into the Anglo-Egyptian War (1882) - this is probably the very start of the wargaming period, red coated British fighting white coated Egyptian regulars, culminating in Tel El Kebir... fascinating stuff but I really wanted to field units of Dervish, so on to the next period...
  3. not done much reading into the Hicks Expedition either, but this is the first of the major campaigns in the Dervish wars; if I'm ever to field bashi bazouks that's the one that will give me the opportunity, but
  4. my main interest became the siege of Khartoum and the (all too late) Relief Expedition  to rescue Gordon, but then..
      • I also happened to pick up a book on eBay though that really piqued my interest, this was about what was effectively the side show to the Relief Expedition in and around the Red Sea port of Suakin - British, Commonwealth (including Indian and Sikh troops) fighting Osman Digna.. lookout posts, miniature railways, Sikhs, Bengal Lancers...  everything you could possibly want in a game... decision made!
      ...so here are the books in my library... I've numbered them by the periods as listed above...

      "Histories":
      • (Period 4) "Go Strong Into the Desert The Mahdist Uprising in Sudan 1881-85" (Lt. Col. Mike Snook) - I actually met him at Salute two or three years ago, and can attest he's a very pleasant fellow - very good book, lots and lots of pictures - not sure, but I think there was some kind of tie in with the Perry's who were doing their Sudan collection at the time?? Worth getting
      • (Period 1 through 4) "Blood-red Desert Sand: The British Invasions of Egypt and the Sudan 1882-98" (Michael Barthorp) Had this yonks, was probably one of the first books I bought and gives a good general history of the wars/periods... Worth getting
      • (Period 1) "Omdurman" (Philip Ziegler) - reprint of the original 1970's work - OK
      • (Period 1, 3 and 4) "Dervish" (Philip Warner) - another book originally written in the 70's but benefiting from being from the Dervish perspective Worth getting
      • (Period 4b) "Fuzzy-wuzzy: Campaigns in the Eastern Sudan, 1884-85" (Brian Robson) this was the one that lit up an entire wargaming project - it's a cracking read by a very good author - I also recommend his 2nd Afghan War book "The Road to Kabul"..  Recommended
      • (Period 1) "Omdurman 1898: Kitchener's victory in the Sudan" (Donald Featherstone) - first of three Osprey Campaign series by 'you know who' Worth Getting
      • (Period 4) "Khartoum 1885: General Gordon's last stand" (Donald Featherstone) - same again - of the three this is the best but only as it is more specific to the period I lean to.. Recommended
      • (Period 2) "Tel El-Kebir 1882: Wolseley's Conquest of Egypt" (Donald Featherstone) - and same again - the night march to the attack at Tel el Kebir is stirring stuff indeed! Worth Getting
      • (Period 1, 3 and 4) "War in the Sudan 1884-1898: A Campaign Guide" (Stuart Asquith) published and from Caliver.. the stated aim of the book is "to provide the reader and war gamer with some idea as to how the campaigns were fought and how they might be re-created on the table top". Readable and does what it says I'd say Recommended
      • "Victorian Colonial Warfare: Africa : From the Campaigns Against the Kaffirs to the South African War" (Donald Featherstone) - also by you know who, but only brief coverage of North Africa - this is mostly about the Zulu/Boer Wars
      • (Period 4) "Khartoum: The Ultimate Imperial Adventure" (Michael Asher) - very readable account of the Gordon Relief expedition Worth Getting
      "Period commentaries":
      "Wargaming":
      • (Period 1, 3 and 4) "Warfare in Egypt and the Sudan" (Stuart Asquith) Scenario booklet covering three campaigns: the Nile Campaign 1882, the Gordon Relief Expedition 1884-1885 and the Re-conquest of the Sudan 1895-1896. Worth getting
      "Uniforms":
      • (Period 1, 3 and 4) "The Sudan Campaigns 1881-98 ; Men-at-Arms Osprey" (Robert Wilkinson-Latham) - bit dated, and to be honest I prefer the Perry's website which has some simply brilliant pictures/diagrams on uniform detail...
      • (Period 1, 3 and 4)"Weapons and equipment of the Victorian Soldier" (Donald F Featherstone) I'm a complete'ist where Featherstone is concerned, so this is included for that reason..  interesting snippets on the stopping impact of a Martini Henry versus the weapons used in the later period...
      • (Period 1, 2, 3 and 4) "Nile River Gunboats 1882-1918" [clicky] ..OK so not exactly uniforms but fits well here.. 
      "Fiction/Films and stuff.." :
      • Not read it yet but I have Henty's book of the Omdurman period on my Kindle waiting to read - free from Gutenberg [clicky] he also wrote one for the earlier Relief period [clicky]
      • There's a Simon Fonthill novel covering Tel el Kebir which is quite good if not a little "excitable" - he's a bit of a Victorian superman. The importance of the canals for drinking water is made clear... I reviewed it here [clicky] and gave it 8 out of 10 at the time
      • I like all the versions of the filmed "Four Feathers" (which is Omdurman period) but unlike most I'll admit to liking the latest the most...  just call me shallow but I like the spectacle - even if the uniforms are "interesting"! (NB. I like the Korda one with Ralph Richardson as well) - the book is a little "slow" (I found)
      • "Khartoum" the American gun lobby's finest actor doing his best messianic Gordon "thang" - or Charlton Heston as a mesmerising Gordon - take your pick, as I'll be honest and say I've not seen it...

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          Rules:
          ...the rules that I started off using for this period are "home grown". As is the way with most "amateur" wargamers (and not many are more amateur than myself!) they are basically a polyglot collection of other peoples mechanisms and methods. My input is purely to apply a little editing, and some joined up thinking so that they kind of fit together..

          ...the main source for these rules were the articles that the late Peter Gilder wrote for "Wargamers World". These documented his Sudan project, and by careful reading, unpicking, and summarising, a basic framework for the rules was discernible - but the rules themselves were not published. I put a copy of my research in the files section of the (old) Old School Wargaming group - just the rules specific elements of the articles if you click here you'll be taken to them (the group has long since disappeared into the ether but I've now rehosted the document on Box)

          ..at the core of his rules was a proposition that basically the natives/Dervish were driven automatically by a complex reaction table - the umpire managed the Dervish, but the players played only the Imperial side..

          ..further discussion with some of the guys on the Old School Wargaming group who are also pursuing this approach (Alte Fritz, Bill (Protz) and Mike Taylor) has identified that a copy of Peter's rules do still exist, and in fact I have a copy of them, but unfortunately the reaction table is basically a straight lift from a commercially available set of rules called "Pony Wars"..

          ...and therein lies my dilemma - I don't really want to publish my rules as firstly, the Pony Wars rules are still in print, and secondly, they are an imaginative set of rules well worth a fiver of anyones money (and among other places you can get them from here in the UK - I have my copy!)

          ..having said that - the rest of my rules are based on a set written, and made freely available by Will McNally. A long time ago I discovered Will's American War of Independence/American Revolution rules (see my AWI project page) and it was one of those immediate "like" situations as a result of them having a very elegant way of handling shooting and the morale effect all in one mechanism (try them and you'll see what I mean!) - the AWI rules are available from Will's blog... both sets are available from the excellent freewargames rules site

          ..so in summary - my Sudan rules featured the following:
          • umpire driven/automated Dervish as per Gilders original concept, using the reaction table from "Pony Wars" with a few changes to reaction, and a couple of new tests added from the Gilder rules that Bill and Alte are using..
          • Scales/organisations/time period are as per the Gilder articles in "Wargamers World" - so single base Dervish foot representing a 100 men, Imperial manoeuvre unit is the "company" - usually two smaller bases....
          • Movement/morale/shooting/melee is basically from the Will McNally rules (I think I used my WWII variant as they already had rules for machine guns etc.)
          • Few additional bolt-ons to cover Gatlings jamming etc. I also used the "Pony Wars" ammunition rules as it appeared to me from my reading that this was a key feature of combat in the period.

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          Game Reports
          • "One Hour Wargames" - Scenario 13 - "Escape" - a force is attempting to return to base/camp/safety, but is attacked while doing that by an enemy force from various and random locations... we used the "A Good Dusting" [clicky] rules for this game..
            • Retreat to the coast..
              The Imperial force has been on an extended reconnaissance in an area to the north of Suakin as there have been isolated rumours of Dervish activity. They have now completed the reconnaissance and are making their way back to the coast, where they will be picked up by gun boat and returned to Suakin for some much needed rest and recuperation... but as they approach an isolated farm on the coast that marks their embarkation point, the sound of Dervish drums rends the air...               (a game from October '11)
            • Reconnaissance in force to Trinkat..

              The Imperial force has been landed by gunboat (just off table) in order to complete a reconnaissance of Trinkat, a native village, where rumours of Dervish activity have been reported.

              In order to complete this mission the column needs to get to the village and return to their home base edge.....               (first game using the "A Good Dusting" rules a game from December '10)
            • "Disciplined versus Irregulars" [click here]"

              "News has reached your correspondent of a dreadful calamity having befallen our glorious troops in the eastern Sudan. A column of troops under Major the Honourable St John Wade-Smith has been ignominiously defeated, and bundled from the field by a determined foe...." London Illustrated News, June 1885...

              This was a re-play of scenario no. 3 in Grant and Asquith's "Scenario's for All Ages".
            • They've got to get through..[click here]  I was particularly taken with the programmed Sudan scenario in issue (#14) of "Battlegames" magazine (now sadly defunct - but back issues may be available?), "The Wells of Tarka", and not having had the opportunity to march to the sound of the Dervish drums in a while I set the table up to have a go at rescuing the sick and wounded ourselves..
            • Fighting Patrol to Meerkut [click here]

              This was the first major run through of the rules, and the first time that I'd played them with a proper opponent - all previous games had been solo/skirmish type efforts. Happy to say that with some minor changes - DG and I had a great game!

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            Figures

            The core of my forces were two "army bags" of 15mm figures from Lancashire Games - these comprise British and Dervish infantry.

            They are good wargame figures, not outstanding, but definitely OK, the overwhelming advantage being their excellent value for money - ideal for Dervish as you need lots of them, but the British poses are a little stiff...

            I've also obtained Egyptian and Sudanese infantry, British (Egyptian) cavalry, and also some Gatlings and Maxim's from Essex - very nice figures!

            Best of all however, with the move into Sudanese gaming with the release of their "Patrols in the Sudan" I've also picked up some of the lovely Peter Pig figures - Camel Corps, artillery, and more Dervish.. now if only he'd make some Sikh's suitable to represent the Indian troops in the Sudan!

            Peter Pig Dervish - Ansar in fact..



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