Celebrate Omdurman In Whangarei

Northern Advocate, 5 September 1939, Page 8

Celebrate Omdurman In Whangarei

To celebrate the 41st anniversary of the battle of Omdurman, in which they fought side by side, two old campaigners of the Imperial Forces met under novel circumstances at Whanga-

rei on Saturday. They were an infantryman and an ex-sergeant in the 21st Lancers. Mr E. Pateman. now a resident of Onerahi, whose array of medals at Empire Ex-Servicemen’s reunions outshine those of his comrades, was one of the 400 Lancers who charged through 3000 Dervishes hidden in a Donga.

This was the decisive operation of the Khartoum campaign, 1898, the British troops being under the command of Lord (then Colonel) Kitchener. 400 v. 3000. After making the historic charge, the Lancers, who were armed with Martini-Henry rifles against the more modern Remingtons of the Dervishes, expected to reform and again assault the enemy. “However,” Mr Pateman said, “we were told to remain and hold our position while the infantry, who had come up in support, completed the mopping-up operations.”

At least half of the 400 Lancers were either wounded or killed. Enlisting as a lad of 17, Mr Pateman first saw service in the Egyptian War, 1884-85 and the Relief of Gordon.

He had hardly returned to England after the Khartoum expedition which followed when, in 1899, he sailed for South Africa with the 28th Company of Yeomanry. The following year he transferred to the 117th Yeomanry, with whom he continued until the end of the Boer War.

Great War, Too,

Immediately on enlisting on September 9, 1914, he was appointed a sergeant in the Sixth Australian Light Horse.

Landing on Gallipoli on May 10. 1915, he fought for five months until, caught in an artillery barrage, he was invalided home with shell-shock.

“Some of the best years of my life have been spent soldiering. It is not such a terrible experience as some of our young men might believe,” Mr Pateman said.

“They should know that soldiering, like anything else, has its ups and downs, and there is a fair bit of compensation for danger and hardship. In Next Scrap.

“If I had my chance, I would be in this scrap again,” said the hardy, 73-year-old campaigner. The nine decorations which he i 5 entitled to wear are the Egyptian Medal and Star; the Khartoum Medal, with the Khedive’s clasp; the King’s and Queen’s South African medals; the 1914 Star and King's Medal, and the Victory Medal.