Send me a message

Join my free weekly newsletter

In November 1883, an Egyptian army numbering 10,000 and led by British officer, William Hicks (Hicks Pasha) was annihilated by the warriors of the Mahdi in Sudan.

Just 300 troops out of that 10,000 army managed to reach the safety of Khartoum.

This battle (the battle of Shaykan) featured at the beginning of the 1966 film "Khartoum" starring Charlton Heston.

The defeat undermined Egyptian authority in Sudan and in desperation they asked the British for help.

Prime Minister, William Gladstone, saw no reason to waste British troops or tax payer money in a country that held no strategic or economic value.

He did however, agree to send a british general to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, to oversee an evacuation.

Enter General Charles Gordon...

Support the show