January 1, 1970

It was here, in the Mahdist-stronghold of Omdurman, that Churchill took part in one of the last major cavalry charges in the history of the British army, when the 21^st Lancers attacked a small group of enemy soldiers. As Churchill recounts, the situation soon changed:

‘A deep crease in the ground – a dry watercourse, a khor – appeared where all had seemed smooth, level plain; and from it there sprang, with the suddenness of a pantomime effect and a high-pitched yell, a dense white mass of men nearly as long as our front and about twelve deep. A score of horsemen and a dozen bright flags rose as if by magic from the earth.’ (Churchill, The River War)

Despite their number, the spear-wielding Mahdist fighters were no match for the advanced weaponry of the British but Churchill was lucky to survive the ill-judged charge of the 21^st Lancers which saw heavy British casualties. Churchill was awarded the Queen’s Sudan Medal and the Khedive’s Sudan Medal.