This is the littleknown story of General William Earle and the Battle of Kirbekan fought between the British and the Mahdists in Sudan 1885.
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The video was inspired by the statue of William Earle outside St. Georg'es Hall in Liverpool.
Earle, the son of a Liverpool merchant by the cracking name of Hardman Earle, was born in 1833.
Turning his back on the family business he joined the British army, serving in the Crimean War and the Egyptian Campaign of 1882, ending up with the rank of MajorGeneral.
In 1884, MajorGeneral Earle was put in command of the River Column during the Gordon Rescue Expedition in Sudan.
His (& the column's) only action was at the battle of Kirrbekan on the 10th February 1885.
Here his force, which included battalions from the South Staffordshire Regiment and the Black Watch, stormed three hills occupied by a Mahdist army.
Despite fierce resistance they took the hills and trapped the Mahdist army in a pincer movement.
During the battle, MajorGeneral William Earle was killed whilst leading his troops up one of the hills.
he was buried by the banks of the river Nile.
Back in his hometown of Liverpool, a statue was erected in his honour.
This statue to the Scouse General can still be seen outside St. George's Hall in the city centre.
#battleofkirbekan #generalearle #britisharmy
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:16 Gordon Relief Expedition
4:00 MajorGeneral William Earle
5:45 River Nile Column
8:19 Facing the Mahdist Army
9:44 Battle of Kirbekan
11:35 Bayonet Charge
12:55 British Victory
14:44 Death of General Earle
15:22 End of River Column
17:40 Coming Next
18:03 The History Chap
Sources used to produce this video include: "The Victorian Soldier in Africa" Edward M Spiers (Manchester University Press), The Daily Telegraph, Reuters, The Standard, Wikimedia Commons, Shutterstock.
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My name is Chris Green and I love to share stories from British history. Not just because they are interesting but because, good or bad, they have shaped the world we live in today.
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