Original Item: One-of-a-kind-set. Every English Schoolboy knows (or used to know) how Great Britain left poor General Gordon (played by that great Englishman Charlton Heston) in the movie KHARTOUM, to be slaughtered, together with his entire garrison, by the rabid followers of the Mahdi in 1884.
Some even know that it took 14 years of public outcry for Britain to take revenge by reconquering Sudan at the Battle of OMDURMAN in 1898 (Basically the backcloth for the film THE FOUR FEATHERS).
Here are the mementos of one non commissioned officer in the Grenadier Guards who saw service in the 1898 campaign that have recently been disposed of by his family.
The set is comprised of the following items:
The principal item is a fine example of a Madhi Sword of crusader style and relatively crude manufacture but still retaining it original leather crocodile skin tipped ccabbard which even has the original belt hanging strap in tact.
A copy of “NAVY & ARMY ILLUSTRATED” an armed forces magazine dated April 9th 1898
complete set of the official “WAR ALBUMS” consisting of three soft cover magazines, mostly consisting of masses of photographs covering the three main parts of the Sudanese campaign and each with introductory text of the campaign details. No. ONE- OMDURMAN; No. TWO- ATBARA and No. 3- THE TIRAH CAMPAIGN, all published by Black and White Publishing Company Ltd., London.
Paper map of THE SUDAN that Sgt. Brown purchased expressly for this campaign. It is essentially a tourist map from the 1890s but has his name BROWN handwritten on it.
Perhaps best of all is an ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH of this Sergeant Major BROWN in his Red Tunic.
This is a very interesting lot including a genuine historic sword from a known campaign together with photographic record all originating with one Sergeant Major Brown who was actually there.