With Kitchener's Army — Poetry and prose

PREFACE

To those friends who have helped me in the preparation of these simple records of a chap- lain’s life ‘‘on Service,” I tender my _ best thanks: Lieut. Percival of the 5th Fusiliers, Lieut. Short and Sergeant-Major Bruce, of the Royal Army Medical Corps, for their kind permission to publish photographs taken by them during the recent operations; Lieut. Toppin (5th Fusiliers), to whom I am indebted for the two sketch-maps of the Battle of Omdurman ; and the Rev. E. J. Ives, who, in my absence from England, has been kind enough to correct for me the proof-sheets of

THE BATTLE OF OMDURMAN

ATBARA 47

as a private soldier, and was promoted from the ranks after repeated acts of conspicuous gallantry during the Afghan war ;_ whilst serving in South Africa he was amongst those who earned distinction, and was taken prisoner at Majuba Hill. He joined the Egyptian Army in 1887, commanding the 11th Soudanese Battalion, and leading them to victory at Gemaizeh, Afafit, and Toski. He was first entrusted with a brigade in the Dongola Expe- dition of 1896, and showed himself a born leader of men. At the Atbara his reputation was yet further added to, and subsequently he was to prove himself the hero of the day at Omdurman. Few men are so popular in the Egyptian Army as ‘“ Fighting Mac,” for so he is lovingly called, and though he spares his men no more than he spares himself, yet they would follow him to the death. Many are the stories told of his reckless daring and of his modes of dealing with his half-savage troops. At the Battle of Gemaizeh, as sometimes happens with the Soudanese, the discipline of his regiment almost broke down, so eager were the men to be at the enemy. But Mac- donald rode up and down in front of their

THE BATTLE OF OMDURMAN