List of journalists killed during the Mahdist War

This is a list of journalists killed during the Mahdist War. In all about 30 war correspondents covered the war during the period 1883–1885.[1] A war memorial for the seven correspondents who were killed during the Sudan campaigns between those years rests in St Paul's Cathedral in London.[2][3][4][5] One other journalist, who was not listed, was killed in 1898 in one of the final battles of the war. The memorial was the first war memorial devoted to journalists.[2]

1883
  • Edmund O'Donovan (born 1844), The Daily News, killed along with General William Hicks and the other Europeans at the Battle of El Obeid, 3–5 November 1883[1][2][6][7][8]
  • Frank Vizetelly, illustrator, The Graphic, Kashgil, 3–5 November 1883. He had previously been an illustrator during the US Civil War, where he drew scenes from both the North and the South camps.[2][9] He was erroneously reported to have been the only survivor and a prisoner, until later reports confirmed his death.[10] While Vizetelly was killed at El Obeid, he was with not with Hicks' party and was outside the square.[8]

1884
  • Frank Power, The Times, September 1884[2] the Irish artist, while working with a German-language newspaper, was one of only a few Europeans to survive from the forces at the Battle of El Obeid in November 1883 as he suffered from dysentery and was not with the forces, was able to escape by boat.[5][7] Power was killed almost a year later in September when the party he was with, led by Colonel Stewart, were attempting to break through a blockade.[11][12] Powers wanted to reach a point where he could wire a report to The Times.[5] The steamer, however, was grounded and the party was ambushed.[12]

1885
J. A. Cameron

Korti

  • Cpt. William Henry Gordon, who was also a correspondent to The Manchester Guardian, died of thirst while traveling in the desert, near Korti, after he went missing 16 January 1885.[1][2][13]

Metammeh: A battle at Metammeh occurred after the British had established a base at Korti and after the Battle of Abu Klea.[14] Two were killed while other war correspondents escaped death but were injured in the same attack, including Bennet Burleigh, Harry Pearse, and Frederic Villiers.[15]

  • St. Leger Herbert (or St. Leger Algernon Herbert) (born 16 August 1850 – 19 January 1885), The Morning Post, the Canadian-born journalist was killed in a battle at Metammeh while covering the military actions of Major General Herbert Stewart, who himself was wounded on the same day. Two days earlier had reported on the deadly Battle of Abu Klea. Herbert was a military veteran and had been previously decorated for his service at the Battle of Tel el-Kebir, Egypt, in 1882.[1][2][16][17]
  • John Alexander Cameron, Standard, killed 19 January 1885 along with St. Leger Herbert.[1][2][16][17] Cameron was also an experienced war correspondent who had reported on the Battle of Majuba Hill during the First Boer War (1880–1881).[5]

Suakin

  • Frank J.L. Roberts (Frank John Roberts), Reuters, killed at Suakin, 15 May 1885.[2] Roberts was the first Reuters journalist to be killed while reporting.[18]

1898

St Paul's Cathedral

A ceremony was held 10 June 1888 at St Paul's Cathedral to commemorate the journalists killed during the 3 years of campaigns in Sudan and the dedication of a brass tablet, designed by Herbert Johnson listing seven journalists.[2][4][5]

References
  1. "The recollections of a war correspondent (Archibald Forbes)". The Irish Times. 26 September 1895. ProQuest 516940928.
  2. "War correspondents' memorial". The Times of India. 10 July 1888. ProQuest 234527760.
  3. "A Soudan War Correspondents' Memorial". XXXVI (18). Evening Post. 21 July 1888: 1. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. "A tablet to war correspondents". New York Times. 24 June 1900. ProQuest 96006046.
  5. Clarke, Bob (2004). From Grub Street to Fleet Street: An Illustrated History of the English Newspaper to 1899. Burlington, Vermont: Ashgate. p. 219. ISBN 9780754650072.
  6. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "O'Donovan, Edmund" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  7. O'Donovan, William (24 November 1883). "Edmund O'Donovan: The Journalist's Career as Outlined by his Brother". Chicago Daily Tribune. ProQuest 172853412.
  8. "The disaster in the soudan". The Times of India. 13 December 1883. ProQuest 231302251.
  9. Lusted, Marcia Amidon (2008). "International Artists". Cobblestone. 29 (2): 22.
  10. "Special wire". The Irish Times (Second edition). 27 November 1883. ProQuest 513765831.
  11. Churchill, Winston S. (1952), The river war – an account of the Reconquest of the Sudan, Eyre and Spottiswoode, London. Online(1902 Edition) at Project Gutenberg
  12. Bermann, Richard A. (January 2010) [1932 2010]. The Mahdi of Allah: A Drama of the Sudan. New York: Cosimo Classics. p. 236. ISBN 9781616404970.
  13. "Killing the correspondents". Courier-Journal. 13 February 1885. ProQuest 1037427956.
  14. "The Battle of Abu-Klea". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 3 March 1885. p. 3. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  15. Harrington, Peter (Autumn 2010). "Our Man in Africa". MHQ : The Quarterly Journal of Military History. 23 (1): 88–93. A profile of illustrator Melton Prior.
  16. "untitled (profile of St Leger Herbert)". The Times of India. 18 February 1885. ProQuest 234530259.
  17. "untitled (killed and wounded)". The Times of India. 18 February 1885. ProQuest 234530179.
  18. MacNamara, William (7 March 2007). "Killings of journalists escalate to record levels". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
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