Battle
The battle took place on 9 August 1913. It was between the 110 members of the Camel Constabulary of British Somaliland commanded by Colonel Richard Corfield (reduced to 85 by the start of battle) and some 2750 well-armed Dervish followers of Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, nicknamed by the British as the Mad Mullah. Thirty-six of the Constabulary including Corfield were killed in action and twenty-one were wounded. Four hundred and fifty of the Dervish were killed or wounded.
As a result of the action the British withdrew their protection of the local Somali clans in the area around the port of Berbera, but the Mullah was unable to follow up his advantage immediately.
Read more about this topic: Dul Madoba
Famous quotes containing the word battle:
“One may confidently assert that when thirty thousand men fight a pitched battle against an equal number of troops, there are about twenty thousand on each side with the pox.”
—Voltaire [François Marie Arouet] (1694–1778)
“The militancy of men, through all the centuries, has drenched the world with blood, and for these deeds of horror and destruction men have been rewarded with monuments, with great songs and epics. The militancy of women has harmed no human life save the lives of those who fought the battle of righteousness. Time alone will reveal what reward will be allotted to women.”
—Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928)
“In a time of war the nation is always of one mind, eager to hear something good of themselves and ill of the enemy. At this time the task of news-writers is easy, they have nothing to do but to tell that a battle is expected, and afterwards that a battle has been fought, in which we and our friends, whether conquering or conquered, did all, and our enemies did nothing.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)