Somaliland Camel Corps

Somaliland Camel Corps
English camel troopers in 1913, between Berbera and Odweyne in British Somaliland.
Active	Early 20th century - disbanded in 1944 and succeeded by the Somaliland Scouts.
Country	British Somaliland
Allegiance	British Empire
Branch	Cavalry
Type	Camel Cavalry
Headquarters	Laferug (Lafaruug)
Engagements	Somaliland Campaign Second Somaliland expedition Third Somaliland expedition Fifth Somaliland expedition Italian conquest of British Somaliland East African Campaign
Commanders
Notable commanders	Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay Eric Charles Twelves Wilson

The Somaliland Camel Corps (SCC) also referred to as the Somali Camel Corps, was a unit of the British Army based in British Somaliland. It lasted from the early 20th century until 1944.

In 1888, after signing successive treaties with the then ruling Somali Sultans, the British established a protectorate in northern present-day Somalia referred to as British Somalia. The British immediately recognized the affinity between the Somali people and their camel charges. The "Somali Camel Constabulary" was an early attempt to harness this natural affinity militarily.

By 1899, the religious and nationalist leader Mohammed Abdullah Hassan's (The "Mad Mullah") Dervish resistance had begun. The period was to last until 1920.

On 9 August 1913, the "Somaliland Camel Constabulary" suffered a serious defeat at the Battle of Dul Madoba at the hands of the "Mad Mullah." Hassan roamed British Somalia and had already evaded several attempts to capture him. At Dul Madoba, 57 members of the 110-man unit were killed or wounded. The dead included the British commander, Colonel Richard Corfield.

On 12 March 1914, the British set out to create what was to become the "Somalia Camel Corps" the better to maintain order in the protectorate, much of which was coextensive with the Warsangali Sultanate's and Dervish State's respective domains. The corps served against the "Mad Mullah", but after a total of four major expeditions to capture him, Hassan remained on the loose. During the same period, the corps set an impressive standard by covering one hundred and fifty miles in seventy-two hours. The camel corps grew to include some 700 mounted riders.

In November 1919, the British launched the fifth and final expedition. In 1920, a combined land and air offensive defeated Hassan's Dervish army and occupied the capital, using the Somaliland Camel Corps, the 12 aircraft of the Royal Air Force's Z Force, Somalia Police, elements from the 2nd (Nyasaland) Battalion and 6th (British Somalia) Battalion of the King's African Rifles (KAR), and an Indian battalion.