A Very Fine Sudanese Silver Arm Dagger
A Very Fine Sudanese Silver Arm Dagger
Picked up by Lt. Col. F. M. Hext after the Battle of Tamai, 1884
Sudanese Arab / Hadendowa
Mahdist, Sudan (Sudan)
Ca. 1880
Wood, silver alloy, leather, crocodile skin
Blade: 23,8cm
Hilt & Blade: 35,6cm
Hilt, Blade, Sheath: 35,9cm
Collection Date: 2024
Collection Number: 412
Ex. Antony Cribb: Newbury, United Kingdom (2024)
A very fine Sudanese arm dagger of great quality decorated in silver mounts. This style of arm dagger is typical of the twin Nile cities of Khartoum and Omdurman. This example was picked up by Lt. Col. F.M. Hext after the Battle of Tamai on March 13, 1884 during the Mahdist uprisings. The battle led to a British victory. However, the British suffered their highest losses than in any other battle during the Mahdist War at 214 wounded and killed. The Mahdist suffering losses between 2,000 and 4,000 men. The British, composed of 4,500 men from the previous victory at El Teb, fought against the Mahdist of 10,000, mostly Hadendowa under the great Hadendowa commander, Osman Digna. The battle is known for the Mahdist break through in the famous British infantry square, leading to brutal hand to hand combat between opposing forces. This dagger would have been picked up from the scattered bodies of the battlefield the following day from an unlucky Mahdist warrior by F.M. Hext.
The straight steel blade is double- edged with a prominent medial ridge for half the blade's length before transitioning into a central fuller. A pair of offset fullers run parallel to the medial ridge. Wooden hilt bound with a fine silver filigree band at the top and a finely worked silver wire central grip. Likely missing the silver filigree band on the pommel disc. There is a fine silver cap at the end of the pommel fitted by a double layer silver wire rosette. Tooled leather sheath with crocodile skin. An attached old collection tag reads, “Battle of Tamamieh 1884 Capt. F.M. Hext”. A fine example with solid provenance from Francis Marwood Hext (F.M. Hext).
Francis Marwood Hext (F.M. Hext) (b. 1860 - 1944) Born at St. Austell, Cornwall, England. His father, Thomas Hext (b.1809 - ?) held the office of the Justice of the Peace for Cornwall.
1880 (Oct.23) Date of 1st commission Divisional Ammunition Column from the Royal Cornwall Rangers (Possibly 3rd Battalion) (Duke of Cornwall's own Militia)
1888 (July 1) Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Irish Fusiliers (Possibly 1st Battalion).
1901 (Feb. 23) Retired from service.
Photographs 10 & 11: Soldiers looting from dead and wounded Mahdists on the battlefield at Karari after the battle of Omdurman. September 2, 1889 (11:30am). A very similar arm dagger can be seen in the hands of a Sudanese or Egyptian soldier.
Photograph 12: Beja warrior of the Bishari Tribe wearing a similiar arm dagger. Sudan, 1880s.
