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An action involving members of the New South Wales military contingent sent to Sudan, fought on 3 April 1885 about 38 kilometres south-west of the Red Sea port of Suakin. This clash was the largest and most significant engagement in which the 770-man Australian force (comprising an infantry battalion, an artillery battery and a field ambulance unit) took part during the six weeks they spent with British units of the Suakin Field Force commanded by Lieut.-General Sir Gerald Graham.
Following the arrival of the contingent from Sydney on 29 March, the battalion was allotted to the Guards Brigade under Major-General Arthur Fremantle and prepared for action. On 2 April a force of over 8,000 men (which included the New South Wales infantry, but not the artillery) moved out from Suakin to attack the headquarters of the local Arab guerilla leader, Osman Digna, at Tamai. After bivouacking several kilometres short of the objective, they resumed the advance early the next morning. Tamai was reached about 9 a.m. and found to have been abandoned, although parties of Arabs could be seen in the hills beyond. These were filling in the permanent deep wells to deny water to the attackers, while maintaining a desultory harassing fire at long range.
The advance was carried on through the village to the edge of a deep ravine beyond, and Fremantle’s command took up position along the northern ridgeline to cover the movement of its companion brigade across this gully. While engaged in this manoeuvre, the Australians actually came under enemy fire—although the bullets were mostly spent rounds by the time they landed. Three men (two infantry privates and a corporal of the ambulance unit) nonetheless received minor wounds.
At this stage the Arabs broke contact and retreated deeper into rugged mountain country to the south-west, leaving the British with little course but to return to Suakin the way they had come. Before departing soon after 10.30 a.m., the wretched grass huts of the village were set on fire and ammunition concealed in them duly destroyed. Suakin was reached at about midday the following day. By 18 May the contingent’s members were on their way back to Sydney.
K.S. Inglis (1985) The Rehearsal, Adelaide: Rigby
19TH CENTURY SUDAN WARGAMES ARMIES 1883-1885
