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Gunner Alfred Smith VC at the Battle of Abu Klea
In 1884, General Gordon's forces at Khartoum were under siege by the Dervishes led by the Mahdi. A Nile Expeditionary Force was sent to relieve them. 1 Battery, Southern Division, Royal Artillery joined the force at Cairo, and was equipped with the 2.5 inch RML Mountain Gun (the "Screw Gun") and camels for transport.
While the main British force (the River Column), led by General Sir Garnet Wolseley travelled up the River Nile, the Desert Column of about 1,100 men under Sir Herbert Stewart marched overland from Korti towards Khartoum. Stewart’s force was composed of the Camel Corps (British troops mounted on camels), and a detachment of the 19th Hussars on horses. Half of the battery, with three guns, was detached to support this column. A small Naval Brigade manning a Gardner machine gun completed the force.
On 17 January 1885, at Abu Klea, the column engaged a force of about 12,000 Mahdists. Stewart formed the troops into a square, with the Screw Guns on the north face and the Naval Brigade’s Gardner machine gun at a corner. The Gardner gun was run out to the left flank of the infantry square to provide covering fire. After seventy rounds were fired, the gun jammed and as the crew tried to clear it they were cut down in a rush by the Dervishes, several of whom got inside the square, but they found the interior full of camels and could not proceed. The troops in the rear ranks faced about and opened fire into the press of men and camels behind them, driving the Dervishes out of the square.
1 Battery's guns were pushed out to the edge of the square to fire at the charging enemy. Each gun managed to fire one round of case-shot, cutting down many of the enemy before they engaged in hand-to-hand fighting. Lieutenant D J Guthrie was attacked by several Sudanese and was seriously wounded in the leg. One of his soldiers, Gunner Alfred Smith, saved his life by killing his assailant with the handspike from a gun, and remained standing over him fighting off others. For this act of bravery Gunner Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross. Lieutenant Guthrie was later to die of his wounds.
The battle was short, lasting barely fifteen minutes from start to finish. Nine British officers and 65 other ranks were killed and over a hundred wounded. The Mahdists lost 1,100 killed. The Desert Column arrived at Khartoum two days too late, the city having fallen; General Gordon and the garrison were all killed.
The Battery was later renamed as 176 Battery, and in 1955 was awarded the Honour Title ‘Abu Klea’ in recognition of its distinguished service in this action.
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Owner: 176 (Abu Klea) Battery Royal Artillery
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