Eastern Arab Corps

[Soat'al]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and am in hopes the members can help me track down some Sudanese and Eastern Arab Corps history.

Last year Blackpowder 44 exhibited a silver badge of the EAC. It was a soat'al and also the emblem of the Kassala provence. I was in Kassala in 1984 and wrote a paper on the Sword and Knife Makers Souk there. I need you help in possibly identifying a couple of British members on the EAC who play a major part on the story. Below is an excerpt from the paper. Hope it isn't too long.

Tahir Karrar, born in 1902, designed the Soat'al in Kassala in 1916. He was the son of a
blacksmith who had made Khanjars, Ansari and Harba for Othman Digna's army and he
- 42 -entered the trade as a youth. He says that at the age of 14 he was forging a Khanjar
blade and by accident gave the blade a backward curve. The shape appealed to him and
he experimented and refined the design. The maker of the first handle was Mohammad
Oshe, an Arthega from the Red Sea.
The knife was very popular in this period of inter-tribal violence. The Khanjar's hooked
blade makes it slow to draw from its sheath. The Soat'al on the other hand can be pulled
from its case and be brought into action with lightning speed.
The Soat'al has developed an international following, being subsequently manufactured
in Suakin and at Agordat in the Eritrean province of Ethiopia. Hadendawa and their
fellow ethnic Beja neighbors, the Beni Amir, as well as the ethnically unrelated Baria
and Baza of southwestern Eritrea, used the Soat'al. However, the Rashayda preferred
their traditional Judami and the Gaaline and Shukriya retained the Duriear arm-knives
to augment their swords.
The knife also became the regimental side arm of a unit of British commanded Hajana
or camel corps. Memories vary as to the names and circumstances, but both versions
will be given in the hopes that British regimental historians will be able to identify the
actors. Karrar said that Mr. Cook bought 200 Soatíal to equip a unit of camel corps. The
unit proceeded from Kassala to Atbara, where they subsequently fought in Tripoli. He
said that the knives were also used in the campaign against Ali Dinar, the last Sultan of
Dar Fur, in 1916. In another version, the initial purchasers were British soldiers, Safil
and Hogg, who each bought a knife and one other to send to a Mr. Cumball in England.
The two soldiers carried their knives into battle and they were the only survivors. They
attributed their success to the Soat'al. They subsequently returned to Kassala and ordered
200 more knives. (Note: An inquiry was submitted by the author to the UKís National
Army Museum and a reply of 27 Sept. 1988 stated that no references to the men in
question were found in their First World War book indexes. Perhaps a reader could
inquire into histories of the Sudan Campaign and British occupation prior to WW1.)

Best regards,

Ed Hunley

[zob]

Originally Posted by Soat'al

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and am in hopes the members can help me track down some Sudanese and Eastern Arab Corps history.

Last year Blackpowder 44 exhibited a silver badge of the EAC. It was a soat'al and also the emblem of the Kassala provence. I was in Kassala in 1984 and wrote a paper on the Sword and Knife Makers Souk there. I need you help in possibly identifying a couple of British members on the EAC who play a major part on the story. Below is an excerpt from the paper. Hope it isn't too long.

Tahir Karrar, born in 1902, designed the Soat'al in Kassala in 1916. He was the son of a
blacksmith who had made Khanjars, Ansari and Harba for Othman Digna's army and he
- 42 -entered the trade as a youth. He says that at the age of 14 he was forging a Khanjar
blade and by accident gave the blade a backward curve. The shape appealed to him and
he experimented and refined the design. The maker of the first handle was Mohammad
Oshe, an Arthega from the Red Sea.
The knife was very popular in this period of inter-tribal violence. The Khanjar's hooked
blade makes it slow to draw from its sheath. The Soat'al on the other hand can be pulled
from its case and be brought into action with lightning speed.
The Soat'al has developed an international following, being subsequently manufactured
in Suakin and at Agordat in the Eritrean province of Ethiopia. Hadendawa and their
fellow ethnic Beja neighbors, the Beni Amir, as well as the ethnically unrelated Baria
and Baza of southwestern Eritrea, used the Soat'al. However, the Rashayda preferred
their traditional Judami and the Gaaline and Shukriya retained the Duriear arm-knives
to augment their swords.
The knife also became the regimental side arm of a unit of British commanded Hajana
or camel corps. Memories vary as to the names and circumstances, but both versions
will be given in the hopes that British regimental historians will be able to identify the
actors. Karrar said that Mr. Cook bought 200 Soatíal to equip a unit of camel corps. The
unit proceeded from Kassala to Atbara, where they subsequently fought in Tripoli. He
said that the knives were also used in the campaign against Ali Dinar, the last Sultan of
Dar Fur, in 1916. In another version, the initial purchasers were British soldiers, Safil
and Hogg, who each bought a knife and one other to send to a Mr. Cumball in England.
The two soldiers carried their knives into battle and they were the only survivors. They
attributed their success to the Soat'al. They subsequently returned to Kassala and ordered
200 more knives. (Note: An inquiry was submitted by the author to the UKís National
Army Museum and a reply of 27 Sept. 1988 stated that no references to the men in
question were found in their First World War book indexes. Perhaps a reader could
inquire into histories of the Sudan Campaign and British occupation prior to WW1.)

Best regards,

Ed Hunley

Dear Ed,

Although, the badge of the Eastern Arab Corps is generally referred to as a “Shotal”, it is in actual fact a “Hadendowa knife” as was its initial description before the E.A.C. changed its designation 1918. The “Shotal” however, is an Ethiopian sword which is characteristic of the ancient orthodox Christian states of that country, and finds reference far earlier than 1916 in Western literature, being mentioned by “Pearce” in 1831. You’ll will also find a fine illustration of this particular weapon being carried in: T. Lefebvre, Voyage en Abyssinie, Paris 1845-8 (reproduced in: African Arms and Armour, Christopher Spring, published by the British Museum Press a division of British Museum publications Ltd, 1993).

It is of course not difficult to understand why such confusion has arisen considering extraordinarily curved shape of the Ethiopian “Shotal”, in comparison to the final extremity of the “Hadendowa knife”, giving more than ample room for an incorrect attribution by some over jealous British officer at the time. That is of course not withstanding that the attribution may have in fact been very deliberate - suggesting a marked difference between the two periods in the Corps history. However, whatever the speculation the description: “Shotal” is technically incorrect, although as mentioned at the beginning of this missive, became the official description for this particular badge.

Regards,

Zob.

[Eddie Parks]

HI Guys

I have to say that it seems likely the story of the origin of the Hadendowa knife AKA Shotal is apocryphal. The design is much earlier than suggested. A typical example exists in the Juan Maria Schuver collection in the Dutch Rijksmuseum which was collected in 1882/3. (See here: http://www.rmv.nl/publicaties/7Schuv...p?id=2668-2348)

It is also going to be a huge problem to track down the individuals mentioned. There were 1,823 Hobbs who served in the Great War along with 9,881 Cooks. No Cumballs or Safils seem to have served.

Hope that helps.

Eddie

[Soat'al]

Hello Zob and Eddie,

Thanks for the quick response. I agree that reports would use Shotal due to the proximity of Ethiopia. Informants in Kassala in 1984 used traditional Arab knife names to identify items of their culture. An article by Fleming in the 1922 (Vol. 2, No. 2 of Sudan Notes and Records) also calls it a Shoatal and that it was used by the Beni Amir, the Eritrean version of the Hadendowa.

Also, I am a bit surprised to learn of the 1882/83 attribution of the example in Holland. Thanks for the link. The putitive inventer told me the story in person. He would have been 86 at the time and looked it. But the earlier time would fit with it being used during the Mahdiya period. According to legend, the Hamesad (sic) clan of the Hadendowa was commissioned by Osman Digna to make weapons for the Mahdi's army. But then again, my information says that the Hadendowa used the hooked knife they called the "khanjar", an ancient form, during the Mahdiya. It get's curiouser and curiouser.

Now I have two tasks. Fixing the time of the Soat'al's origin and further trying to track those members of the Camel Corps to see if they actually existed. How difficult would it be to get rosters of the CC companies from Kassala / Gedaref district that went on the Senussi Uprising Campaign.

Thanks again for your insights. You've been a great help.
Ed

[Eddie Parks]

To be honest I think you will find images of very similar weapons in ancient Egyptian paintings. It seems to be a very old design, probably from the earliest bronze dagger making days.

I think the best place to look for names might be on the medal rolls. Can you clarify exactly which campaign you are interested in?
Eddie

[Eddie Parks]

I've just had a look at Ancestry's records. There is nobody named Cumball recorded in the UK after about 1710. Could your source have the name wrong?
Eddie

[Soat'al]

Eddie,

I looked through my original field notes. The "inventor" said that Cook"s unit was called the "Hajana", means riding camels. Cook patrolled between Kassala and Atbara and fought in Tripoli and Against Ali Dinar. He also said that Othman Digna's troops used the Khanjar (ancient hooked blade) and not the Soat'al (Hadendawa language, Shotal in Arabic). I have to give the inventor credibility since he was specific in the name Cook and where he saw action.

Hajana is consistent with the Camel Corps, but when did it get that name?

The Ali Dinar Campaign was May-Nov, 1916. Lt. Col P.V. Kelly in command. Five companies of CC was commanded by Maj. Huddleston supported by Gregg, Vandeleur and others.

The Band of Oases Campaign was between Feb. 1916 and Feb. 1917. The CC engaged the Sensussi at Dakhla Oasis 17-20 Oct. 1916 as part of the Mobile Force lead by Maj. Gen. Watson.

Maybe Hogg and Safir were part of that unit. Perhaps they sent a Soat'al to Cumbell (or Campbell, who knows?) maybe in a position to approve a purchase of 200 units. Anyway, by 1921-22 they were the regimental sidearm CC in the east. I read that the SDF was formed in 1925 with the CC and Eastern Arab Corps included.

The mystery continues.
Ed