Side drum, Egyptian Forces, subsequently in the possession of the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), 1883 (c)

Drum with brass shell and wooden counterhoops, probably manufactured in France.

A presentation plate on the shell reads: 'This drum originally belonged to Hicks Pasha's Army in the Soudan which was annihilated on Nov 5th 1883 and was subsequently recovered at the action of Atbara on the 8th April 1898 and was presented to the Bttn by Maj Genl Gatacre commanding the British Brigade there.'

In 1883, the Sudanese religious leader, Muhammad Ahmad (or the Mahdi), began a revolt against Anglo-Egyptian rule in Sudan. The Battle of Kashgal, in November 1883, saw the Mahdist army annihilate an Egyptian force that had been sent into Sudan to restore order following the Islamic revolt. The Egyptian force was commanded by William Hicks, a British veteran of the Bombay Army who had entered the Khedive's service. Hicks was killed along with nearly all of his men, and his head was sent to the Mahdi as a trophy.