NAM.1986-05-26-1

Diary of John Francis Burn-Murdoch, Royal Dragoons, 14th March 1896- 20th October 1896. The volume contains transcripts by his mother of eleven letters written to her, supplemented by diary entries. On 30 Mar he noted his appointment as Senior Staff Officer to OC Commanding the advanced forces, Col (later Gen Sir) Archibald Hunter, for the Dongola Expedition. He commanded the Egyptian Cavalry at Akasheh (1 May), and noted on 31 May that the Dervishes were ‘not the old Dervish of 1884-1885’. On the same date he was told that he would be offered command of the mounted troops for the advance. The battle of Firkeh followed (7 Jun), and he noted details of his force in the engagement. The capture of Sauada took place the next day, where the enemy lost 1200 (c), his column consisting of 2300 men. On 4 Jul he was ordered to return to Akasheh to take over command of the cavalry, and while there had to contend with an outbreak of cholera. He condemned the authorities for not building proper railway bridges, as those that were constructed were washed away, delaying the progress of the campaign. During the capture of Dongola he commanded the cavalry, Camel Corps, and Horse Artillery on the right flank of the line. The enemy surrendered on 23 Sep, and the diary contains a full account of the action, noting that ‘there is no doubt that cavalry is the arm to defeat Dervishes with’. The narrative ends with his journey to Cairo. At the back of the book are two lists of Dervish trophies that he took home in Oct 1896. Inscribed on inside of front cover: ‘Diary of John Francis Burn-Murdoch, Royal Dragoons. From 14th March 1896 to October 20th 1896’. Rough transcript of entries for 6-7 June available. Associated with the Dongola Expedition, 2nd Sudan War (1896-1899).

Dongola Expedition, 1896 (2nd Sudan War 1895-1899)