The Battle of Dul Madoba was an engagement between British forces and the Dervish movement on 9 August 1913. The British suffered repeated attacks losing nearly half their force including the commander Richard Corfield. Nevertheless the British despite being nearly overwhelmed repelled the Dervish attacks, who eventually withdrew.
Battle Dul Madoba is a ridge some southeast of Burao in what was then British Somaliland. On 8 August 1913, fleeing people from 5 British-friendly tribes sought refuge with Corfield who was stationed at Ber with the Somaliland Camel Constabulary. The men from the 5 kinship groups informed him that the Dervish raided their settlements and captured their camel herds.Laurence, M. (2003). Heart of a Stranger. Canada: University of Alberta Press.pp.44-45 Corfield set out to punish the Dervish and return the looted livestock of the 5 kinship groups . The battle took place on 9 August 1913. On one side 110 members of the Somaliland Camel Constabulary from British Somaliland and 300 allied tribesmen of the 5 lineages all under the command of Colonel Richard Corfield faced some 2,750 well-armed Dervish soldiers under the command of general Ismail Mire, who composed the poem Residing in Taleh after his triumph.
As soon as the Dervishes charged forward, all of the Dhulbahante tribesmen immediately fled the battlefield. The Constabulary were quickly outflanked on the right causing some of Corfield's men to disperse to the rear. The Maxim gun in the centre fired a couple belts before it was jammed. Richard Corfield, who had positioned himself near the gun, was shot in the head and died instantly.
Captain G.H. Summers, who was badly wounded, and Cecil de Sivrac Dunn rallied the surviving Constabulary and formed a protective cover from the bodies of the dead camels. Dervish attacks, which consisted of forward rushes, continued in endless succession, and hand-to-hand fighting ensued. Several Dervishes penetrated the defenses, and attempted to capture the disabled Maxim gun. But at that critical moment, the Dervishes withdrew altogether as their stocks of ammunition were exhausted. The Dhulbahante who had initially fled the battle now returned to loot the bodies on the battlefield. 36 of the Constabulary including Corfield were killed in action, 21 were wounded, and 24 had deserted. The survivors counted over 600 dead Dervishes who had been left behind
A firsthand descriptive account of the battle is found in the poem by Ismail Mire, the commander of the battle.
See also Dervish Movement
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