William Hicks (Hicks Pasha)
General, Egyptian Army
"We march to crush the false prophet in his own country."
Biography
A retired British Indian Army officer, William Hicks was hired to command the Egyptian army sent to reconquer Kordofan and destroy the Mahdi in 1883. Leading a demoralised, ill-trained force of some 10,000 into the waterless heart of the western Sudan, he was hampered by poor intelligence, treacherous guides, and a command he did not fully control. His army was led astray, exhausted, and cut off from water, then ambushed and annihilated at Shaykan near El Obeid; Hicks was killed along with almost his entire force. The catastrophe destroyed Egyptian power in the Sudan at a stroke and convinced Britain the country could not be defended — the disaster that set in motion the whole chain of events leading to Gordon, Khartoum, and, ultimately, Omdurman.
Did you know?
News of the annihilation of his expedition took weeks to reach the outside world, and its scale was so shocking that it directly forced the British decision to abandon the Sudan.
Key Battles
Battle of El Obeid (Shaykan)
Mahdist Sudan (the Ansar) victoryNovember 3–5, 1883 · 11,000 total casualties
The destruction of the Hicks expedition was a catastrophe that shattered Egyptian power in the Sudan and convinced the British government the country could not be held — leading directly to the decision to evacuate, and to Gordon's fatal mission.
Life Journey
Timeline
1830
🌅 Birth
Born in England
November 5, 1883
✝️ Death
Killed with his army at Shaykan