The Storming of Hanjub Hill

Scouts report on the fate of 2nd Brigade.

Red Sea Gazette 9. A Furious Hanjub

The Battle of Hanjub raged on the 12ft table at Durham Wargames club this week.  The Second Brigade lead by the steady Major Whynot engaged the Dervish, with three missions being run.  The Teesdales had the job of building a zariba in the central sector.  The Rajputs were tasked with destroying the village of Hanjub, or Colonial British (Anglo Indian in this case) Urban Remodeling!

The composite battalion wing of the Balamory islanders and the Midsomer Rifles were to escort the Post Office rifles signals team forward and make contact with Staff Colonel Quilp at Brigade.  

The Rajputs form up.

The Teesdales march out in the centre forming a large camel filled square.  

Major Eyeswater's objective crawls with Dervish.  Its going to be a fight. 

Eyeswater moves up. The Scots on the left the Midsomers the right.

And the Correspondent is kept in hand...

Major Whynot perfects his formation 

As they knock down the village the Rajputs face suicidal camel mounted attacks

Major Whynot approaches the location he will build the Zariba.

The Post Office Rifles begin their heliograph flashing to Brigade

Achmet and Dec, the last Dervish riflemen last two full turns!  Brian the Beja on his camel also survives a turn alone!

The Islanders are hit by a Dervish cavalry unit, that rolls over them and into the second line.

Whynot reaches the Mimosa, but still no zariba?

Captain Balamory, or Wee Archie the Laird, stands his ground.  He should get a medal for this one!
Meanwhile Lt "Flasher" Halsall from the post Office Rifles contact Brigade.  Flash... He's a miracle...

The Rajputs end game.  Two houses down.  More camel charges...

The Teesdales end game.  No Zariba?  but look at those straight lines!

Red Sea Gazette 8. Man down the Well

Sudan Commando Comic's Presents... 
The Galloping Majors.
A tale of derring-do do, keeping you abreast of all the campaign and behind the scenes camp action...
Issue One, Paul and Barry Chuckle ain't coming home...

The third game on the Fekka table.   It has been established that Fekka was a suburb of Suakin, before being largely destroyed during the fighting.  The photo narrative of the third game in the campaign.
Be prepared for some deep well action. 

The camel Corps and the Teesiders move up to their start line.

The Egyptian Infantry barricade themselves inside the village.

The Teesiders move off, with Cocky Armstrong
proving his worth immediately. 
Dervish cavalry appear and are seen off.

The Ships of the desert strut their stuff
as the Camel Corps begin their
dance around the battlefield

Ali the Barber is revealed

The Teesiders move up to encroach
(or should that be support)
the Camel Corps fight

As Major Whitemoore demonstrates Firing
and moving quickly on a camel.

Things get a little tense in the centre

The mounted infantry move up into their usual
sacrificial position

The Dervish storm forwards into Fekka  

Major Pea gallops to the rescue 

Pea loses a man down the well.

The fight develops in the village

Whitemoore searches some of that terrain

The centre and right flank push up hard
against the Dervish

The fight in the village is close.  One more pip
on a dice would have won it for the Dervish

  

Thrown out of the village three times the Dervish try again.

The Dervish swarm on the centre and right. 
Things get even more tense. 

Whitemoore keeps the correspondent in check.

The Teesiders search this terrain piece as Churchill
leads his 10th Hussars around the position.  

End game on the right.  A triumph.

End game in the village as the last Dervish tribal infantry
are fired on by no less than three of the Durham's units. 
We captured that fellow down the well though, and Major Pea
will hear from us for a ransom demand, or its the old game of
spear and buttocks!.

Red Sea Gazette No7. Second Brigade Triumphs

The Rajputs add some mounted Infantry and face off against those damned buildings with some trepidation.   Note the deployment in column.

Eyeswater's battalion brave the ambush on the right.

But Eyeswater has little problem in beginning his withdrawal in good order.

Major Whynot and the teesdales face the problem of the Ghaby, 'Awj (the stupid ridge)

The Rajputs seem to know what they are about as they move forward in formation.  Appearances are deceptive here...

Like Major Pea before him he gallant Whynot finds the ridge a proper  pain.

The Islanders stand off the Dervish.  Are they losing men to the murderous Midsommers?

Using Close Order and proper labels the Rajputs advance to certain doom.  Just as a side issue I notice that a Minifigs interloper has joined the other ranks.  See if you can spot the non Rajput.

The Camel Corps supporting the Rajputs are walloped.

The Noble Major Whynot advances, set on clearing the centre. 

On the right the Midsomers take the Zariba, leaving the Islanders to take refuge in the scrub.

Oops!  The Rajputs lose three Companies in three rounds.  Time to retreat?  Seriously considered but we are Rajputs.  Calling on Hanuman to help us we stand our ground. 

And pretty soon the ground we are standing is looking thin.  Major Stroker decides on Death before dishonour, and a continues the fight.  Captain Myles Long, Havildar Vikram and Lt. Farthingdale are the only Officers still with him.

After a hysterical appeal for assistance to the brigade commander, The Teesdalers march to the rescue.    That Donga feeds more and more Dervish into his path

Captain Myles Long, with four men left to him, puts up a damned good show.  The Rajputs all shoot well, but he appears to be aiming at Major Stroker in this Lithograph!  Perhaps he is not such a Jolly Good Chap after all! 

The Rajputs go forward at a dash, taking the first objective.  Stroker abandons his horse. 

After a trun searching one building Stroker leads his surviving Rajputs across the street to capture the second objective.

End game for the Rajputs.  All objectives achieved.  Shocking casualties.  A hard fought game against a brave foe. 

End game in the centre.  Major Whynot suffered three times the pitiful casualties Major Pea had on this table.  All objectives achieved in double quick time.

End game on the right.  Major Eyeswater has lost a company to the ambush, but was never in a position to carry out his orders.  A gallant defence.  The Correspondent ends the game with the Islanders, drinking Balamory Grouse and Buckfast Special Reserve...

The Rajput casualties on the left.  the few Survivors on the right.  An immediate request went to the Brigade Commander to approve the Brevet rank of Captain for Lt Farthingdale, and the promotion of Havildar Vickram to battalion Havildar Major.   Both were approved but the major pointed out to me that according to Queens Regulations Lt Farthingdale would be unpaid for his new rank until it was officially confirmed.