THE SUDAN CAMPAIGN 1896-1908 Drury assists in clearing the ‘sudd’


The sudd is vast swamp about 200 miles long, and 150 miles wide in the Southern Sudan, infested with crocodiles and hippopotami. It is fed by the Bahr-al-Jebel, the Bahr-al-Ghazal, and the Bahr-al-Arab headwater rivers of the Nile. It is thick with reeds, grasses, water hyacinth, and other water loving plants. This aquatic vegetation formed massive blocks which closed all navigable channels creating an ever-changing network of water. It was always the dream to clear a channel south to permit communications and trade with equatorial Africa, and Uganda in particular. Kitchener felt that he would be unable to occupy the south of the Sudan, or to confront the Belgians (at the Lado enclave) who were laying claim to part of the Southern Sudan, without a speedy passage up river for men and materials, so decided in November 1899 to send Major Malcolm Peake, R.A., up the White Nile to Lake No (some 600 miles) and with orders to clear a navigable channel through the sudd area of the Bahr-el-Jabal, to enable steamers to proceed to Shambe, then on to Gondokoro in Uganda Province. Peake’s expedition comprised of some five British and several Egyptian officers, some English non-commissioned officers and 100 Sudanese soldiers and 850 Mahdist prisoners and their women. They left Omdurman on 16 December 1898, in five steamers and headed for the Bahr-el-Jebel (Mountain River).


In order to clear the sudd it was first necessary to cut and burn the whole of the vegetation growing on the surface, which was done by a party of men with swords, fasses and axes. Immediately this was done the line to be taken up for the first channel, generally about 12 yards in length, was marked out. This was then trenched by the Dervish prisoners into pieces four yards square. After cutting down about one foot from the surface the water infiltrated and the men continued cutting until, owing to the depth of the water, they were unable to get any deeper. Holdfasts of telegraph poles were then driven as far as they would go around the edge of each piece. After this a thick flexible steel wire hawser was sunk as deep as it would go by means of the pronged poles, all round the piece to be removed; the ends of it were made fast to the bollards in the bow of the gunboat, one on the starboard side and one on the port, leaving sufficient slack wire to allow the steamer to go astern some 20 to 30 yards before she got the strain - ‘full speed astern’ was then ordered. As soon as the piece was quite clear, one end of the hawser was cast off and the piece was allowed to float down the stream; the holdfasts were pulled out by means of a rope, one end of which was made fast to the bow of the steamer, and the other by a hitch to the end of the holdfast. If the piece showed no signs of coming away, the engines were reversed and the steamer was brought close up to the sudd and then went astern again. This was repeated again and again until the piece was detached. Some pieces were known to take as much as two hours to get away. Sometimes with very thin sudd, after it had been trenched, the steamer would be run up with her bow on to the sudd, and reversing astern would carry the piece with her; also with light sudd a grapnel anchor fixed to the steamer when going astern was found sufficient to tear away the piece. Very often the sudd will be found with its roots adhering to the bottom; this is especially the case in a year when there is a very low Nile, like 1899-1900, or close up to the banks, when the first leading channel is being widened. In this case a grapnel or ordinary anchor sunk to the bottom of the river and then dragged along by the steamer is useful. As soon as the leading steamer has opened up the channel a sufficient length to enable her not to interfere with a steamer working behind her, another steamer is put to work, the same way as the first, to widen the channel. By 27 March 1900, by means of hard and continuous labour, 14 blocks had been cleared out of 19, opening up 82 miles of river. Major Peake then avoided the remaining blocks by using side channels, arrived at Shambe on 25 April and proceeded in clear water to Rejaf, which he reached on 5 May. The next section, block 15, which was over 22 miles long, defeated even Peake. It was finally removed in January 1901, by Drury, assisted by one English Sergeant of Marines. At mile 225 there was a false channel, which, previous to the clearance of blocks 16 to 19, was the only navigable line in the river. This was the route followed by Major Peake and Drury in 1900, in making the journey to the upper Nile. They found the passage very difficult. During the transit they bent their rudder twice, and went aground four times. From this point numerous channels join the Bahr-el-Jabal on both sides. Many islands, covered with ambach and papyrus, separate the stream into numerous branches, and the whole country is once more a waste of swamp. The Bahr-el-Jebel here is extremely narrow (25 to 30 yards), but is from 18 to 22 feet deep. The false channel in appearance far more resembles the main river than does the true one. However they did manage to find a way past via the “Peake Channel” as it soon became to be known, opening to navigation a further 147 miles of the river. Beyond this point for a distance of 25 miles the Bahr-el-Jebel could not be traced, so completely was the channel choked by sudd. At mile 240 the Jebel widens out again, and more resembles a river in appearance than it did. Its average breadth is from 50 to 60 yards, and its depth is some 15 feet. Between this point and mile 248 occurred the four sudd obstructions, removed in February 1901, by Drury, and which were known as blocks Nos. 16, 17, 18, and 19. At mile 249 the Bahr-el- Zeraf (Giraffe River) takes off from the Nile, following the false channel for some distance, before branching off to the east.


‘Major Peake and all who served with him may well be proud of the results of the season's work. He tendered a great service, both to Egypt and to the Sudan, by opening up this important river. The work was well and thoroughly done. It is difficult to speak too highly of the work done by Major Peake and his staff in 1900-1. Lieutenant Drury also deserves a word of special mention. The work was very heavy, but the result was an immense improvement in the navigation of the river.’


In January 1904, Drury, R.N., and Mr. Poole attacked the remaining portion of the block, but Drury became so dangerously ill of malarial fever that he had to be taken back to Khartoum, just when success was in sight. Therefore steamers passing north and south had, in 1904, to follow the false channel through the shallow lakes. This, however, mattered little, for steamers plied at regular intervals between Khartoum and Gondokoro, the most northerly station of Uganda, and communication between these places was maintained throughout the year. Drury's work was taken up by Engineer Commander Bond, R.N., and Engineer Lieutenant Scott-Hill, R.N. Between 1900 and 1904 a channel was cut through the sudd on the Gar River by Lieutenant Fell, R.N., the late Captain Saunders, and Colour-Sergeants Boardman and Sears of the Royal Marine Artillery. Drury was awarded the 4th class Order of the Medijidie and 4th class Order of the Osmanieh for this work, in the course of which, in April 1901, he was struck off the E.A. and returned home, where he joined H.M.S. Albion at Portsmouth. Drury resigned from the Royal Navy on 9 May 1902, and joined the Sudan Government for service in the Sudan the following month but, as there was no Egyptian Navy in the Sudan he joined the Army with the rank of Bimbashi (Major). In 1902-03 he was involved in the marine development of the Port of Suakin for the reception of material needed for the construction of the Red Sea Railway, which was scheduled to run from the coast to join with the main railway junction at Atbara in 1905. But nothing had been done about the sudd problem in 1902-03, Drury was again sent to renew the clearing operations


From 1905-14 he was Harbour Master, Suakin and Controller, Harbours and Lights, Red Sea Province. During this time he helped plan the new harbour and dockyard being built at Port Sudan to replace the Port of Suakin which was being silted up and in terminal decline. On January 1905, he was promoted Kaimakam (Lieutenant-Colonel) and Bey in the Egyptian Army in June 1906. In April 1909 he was promoted to Miralai (Colonel & Brigadier) in the Egyptian Army, and awarded 3rd class order of the Medijidieh for his services at Port Sudan.


From 1914-17 he was on Government Service as Director, Steamers and Boats Department. This department was formed from the Egyptian War Department Nile Flotilla of 1899 (It became part of Sudan Government Railways in 1918). In September 1915 he was promoted to acting Commander in the Royal Navy, and in November 1916 he became Temporary Lewa and Pasha (Major-General) in the Egyptian Army. Drury died on 20 June 1917, having been taken ill when on his way to England on leave. His Great War medals were not claimed by his family, who probably did not realise that he was entitled to them, until 1987.


With a folder containing copied research. www.dnw.co.uk


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