Battle of Jidbaale

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Canuck

Canuck

1,000 DERVISHES SLAIN; British Rout the "Mad" Mullah's Forces in Somaliland.
[ DISPLAYING ABSTRACT ]

LONDON, Jan. 12. -- The War Office last night gave out the following dispatch from Major Gen. Egerton, commanding the Somaliland expeditionary force, dated Jidballi, Somaliland, Jan. 11:
 
Canuck

Canuck

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The Battle of Jidballi, 10th January 1904

At 0500 hours on 10th January Egerton left a supply and baggage protection party under Major W.B. Mullins, 27th Punjabis, at his bivouac and then marched towards the enemy position. The British force marched in two parallel columns with the right hand column forward and leading; the flanks were protected by No 5 (Somali) MI Company and the Gadabursi and Tribal Horse. Captain C.G.W. Hunter, RE, was tasked with maintaining the correct compass bearing to Jidballi.
 
Canuck

Canuck

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The enemy troops were camped in a large depression, and when his force was 800 yards distant from the dervishes Egerton ordered his dismounted troops to form a square. The 52nd Sikhs and the mountain gunners manned the forward face, the KAR and Sappers and Miners manned the right face and half the rear face, and the Hampshires and 27th Punjabis manned the left face and the other half of the rear. The riflemen and sappers were instructed to kneel or lie down.

The dervishes had been alerted by their scouts and they opened fire on the square. The two mountain guns were ordered to move a few yards forward of the Sikhs and to engage the enemy. The gunners fired shrapnel over the depression and case (shells filled with small metal pieces) into bushes that dervishes could be seen using as cover. The Hampshires and the Punjabis then dashed a short distance forward in order to attract dervish attention.

The enemy skirmished forward in short rushes from one group of bushes to the next one, but the disciplined rifle fire particularly of the Sikhs and the KAR prevented the square from being charged. The Mullah was not at Jidballi, and without his presence and exhortations the dervishes did not make fanatical charges. The dervish fire was mostly high, missing the front face but hitting several of the 2nd KAR in the rear face.
 
Canuck

Canuck

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The British mounted companies pursued the enemy for 30 kilometres, shooting down all that they caught up with, until lack of ammunition and exhaustion of mounts led to Kenna halting his men and returning to the infantry. The body count around the square was 668 dead dervishes and it was estimated that Kenna’s men had shot down a greater number. The dervish strength before the battle was believed to number up to 8,000 men.

Apart from Lieutenant J.R. Welland, Royal Army Medical Corps, two other British officers were killed during the action:

-Lieutenant C.H. Bowden-Smith, Hampshire Regiment, was killed during the fighting.
-The Remount commander, Captain Honourable T. Lister, 10th Hussars, was employed as Kenna’s Orderly Officer during the action and he was reported missing whilst delivering a message; his dead body was recovered the following day.

Seven British officers were severely wounded:

-Major F.B. Young, Cheshire Regiment, commanding 2nd KAR;
-Brevet-Major G.T.M. Bridges, RA, commanding the Tribal Horse;
-Captain G.C. Shakerley, KRRC, commanding No I Corps MI;
-Captain E.H. Llewellyn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Adjutant of 2nd KAR; Lieutenant H.H.R. White, KRRC, Adjutant of No I Corps MI;
-Lieutenant H.E. Reinhold, 27th Punjabis;
-Lieutenant A.E. Andrews, Hampshire Regiment.

Two other officers were slightly wounded:

-Lieutenant Colonel G.T. Forestier-Walker, RA, AQMG-I;
-Captain G.R. Breading, Worcestershire Regiment, commanding the company of the 3rd KAR.

Six Indian soldiers (including one gunner), 10 Somali Levies and 1 Indian Follower were killed. Five British rank and file, 2 Indian officers, 13 Indian and African rank and file, 7 Somali Levies and 2 Followers were wounded. Egerton’s order to the square to fire from the prone or kneeling positions had saved many infantrymen and sappers from death or wounds. After the battle Egerton bivouacked his force at a well 3 kilometres beyond Jidballi. The Sappers & Miners were tasked with clearing the Jidballi wells that were now clogged with dead dervishes, their beasts and battlefield refuse.
 
Thegoodshepherd

Thegoodshepherd

Galkacyo iyo Calula dhexdood
VIP
This is the kind of thing you teach children in elementary school. It is a story of great sacrifice and patriotism. Sad to hear of there having been Somalis on the other side of that battle.

I knew that the British used recruits from the tribes of Hargaysa and Burco, but seeing that the Gadabursi were also lackeys is surprising.

:gucciwhat:
:what:
 
Bahal

Bahal

ʜᴀᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ
VIP
Charging a square under Maxim fire

:wow:

The gallantry, the bravery, the sacrifice

:wow1:

Tough tactics without artillery or mg positions though, that square will withstand everything but concentrated overhwelming fire.
 
Genie

Genie

The last suugo bender
damn , reading this i feel emotional
.....the irony is i'm 'happily' living amongst the people whose ancestors were behind this slaughter :mjkkk:
 
Foreman

Foreman

Thegoodshepherd said:
This is the kind of thing you teach children in elementary school. It is a story of great sacrifice and patriotism. Sad to hear of there having been Somalis on the other side of that battle.

I knew that the British used recruits from the tribes of Hargaysa and Burco, but seeing that the Gadabursi were also lackeys is surprising.

:gucciwhat:
:what:
Click to expand...


They recruited from Dolbahante too. I know its shocking isn't :bell:
 
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Foreman

Foreman

Xooshdheere said:
The British recruited from the Isaac clan the most, and were also the "nicest"
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to them. Dervish consisted mostly from the Dolbahante clan.
Click to expand...


Majority were Ogaden. Dolbahante like Isaaq used to switch alliance when ever it suits them. Mad Mullah was a powerful leader however, he was not admired by majority of Somali clans.

Tribal force lead by Xaji Warabe was composed of HY, HJ and Dolbahante

dd.JPG
 
Xooshdheere

Xooshdheere

how do i use this
Foreman said:
Majority were Ogaden. Dolbahante like Isaaq used to switch alliance when ever it suits them. Mad Mullah was a powerful leader however, he was not admired by majority of Somali clans.

Tribal force lead by Xaji Warabe was composed of HY, HJ and Dolbahante

View attachment 28487
Click to expand...
Yes, there were Ogaden, but Dhulbahante was the major clan. Nobody is saying that the Daraawiish were an exclusive Dhulbahante army, but that dhulbahante was the overwhelming majority. it's almost impossible for a very large somali army to be exclusive to one clan. Take the SNM for example. That rebel (terrorist organization) movement was definitely an isaaq one and believe it not it had many different clans within.

Also, Dhulbahante sacrificed the most for the cause.
 
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