Lieutenant-Colonel George Renny with members of the Sudan Defence Force, 1935 (c)

Photograph by the Karakashian Bros of Khartoum, Sudan, 1935 (c).

The Sudan Defence Force was a British-raised military unit formed in 1925 during the period of Anglo-Egyptian rule of Sudan. Around 150 British officers were transferred from the Egyptian Army to command the new force. Consisting of around 6000 officers and men, the SDF was made up of four principal corps, the Camel Corps, Eastern Arab Corps, Western Arab Corps and Equatorial Corps. These were supported by artillery, engineer, armoured car and machine-gun units, medical, signals and transport services. In addition to maintaining order in the Sudan, the SDF fought in the East African Campaign during the Second World War.

Collected by Lieutenant-Colonel George Renny, Sudan Defence Force.