Alarming Queen's Company of Grenadier Guards at Omdurman 

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Alarming Queen's Company of Grenadier Guards at Omdurman

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1 Wolff  
2 John Benett-Stanford
 
ALARMING QUEEN'S COMPANY OF GRENADIER GUARDS AT OMDURMAN.
The only Cinématograph Film taken in the Soudan.
Read the following Letter from the well-known War Correspondent, J. Benett-Stanford, Esq.,
To Philipp Wolff, Esq.,
The Cinematograph Film that you have was taken by me on the battlefield of Omdurman the davy before the battle. It is the only genuine Soudan Film, as nobody else had a Cinematograph camera with them. There was a rumour that the Dervishes were advancing to attack us, and all the man were told to lie down and be in readiness to fall in for anything. I therefore fixed my camera on the Grenadier Guards (Queen's Company), and when the brigade trumpeter, whom you see in the photograph, sounded the call, I took the men standing up fixing bayonets, and marching off. It was taken in the British zareba at the village of Kerreri, in the same position as they fought the battle, commonly called Omdurman.
The Era, London, Saturday 5 November 1898, p. 27.
3 01/09/1898  
4 Soudan, Kerreri  

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02/05/1899 Grande Bretagne, Warminster  John Benett-Stanford   
 
"TO KHARTOUM WITH THE SIRDAR.”
LECTURE BY MR. J. BENETT-STANFORD ON THE SOUDAN CAMPAIGN.
EXCITING EXPERIENCES OF A WAR CORRESPONDENT.
[...]
On the morning of the 1st September the whole force arrived at Kerreri, some six miles to the north of Khartoum, and formed into triangle, the Nile making the longest side. The 21st Lancers were immediately thrown out to their front and took up a line of outposts around the Hill Surghan, and the Egyptian Cavalry was to the westward. He rode out to the line of outposts, and found the men dismounted and watching the enemy. As the soldiers could not advance further than their line of outposts they were very anxious that should ride down and see if he could get any nearer the enemy’s position. He went nearer and got to within some 300 yards of their line. They were all chanting the whole time "Allah, Bismallah.” It was a most extraordinary sight to see this large mass of men, the number of whom was estimated at between 50.000 and 60,000, in one great long line, simply sitting down and waiting. Oddly enough they did not fire much at him, only few Remington bullets going over his head. He then rode back to the cavalry main body and found them dismounted resting their horses. About five o’clock in the evening the cavalry scouts were withdrawn, and as nobody knew what were going to be the dispositions of the Khalifa, all the men slept at their post, and half-company watches were kept through the night. He rode round the whole position about six o’clock, and found everybody waiting in grim silence for the events of the night.
Warminster & Westbury journal, and Wilts County Advertiser, Saturday 06 May 1899, p. 5.

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