That had been 13 years earlier, in 1885. But the same troops who had slaughtered Gordon were ranged against the British at the Battle of Omdurman, in 1898 – and Joseph knew full well that the ...

By then Kitchener was already legendary as Kitchener of Khartoum. He had captured the city in 1898 after the murderous battle of Omdurman, which had left 11,000 Sudanese soldiers dead.