Somaliland

Abstract This chapter recounts Ismay’s military service in the British Somaliland Protectorate from 1914 to 1920. It gives the background to British rule in Somaliland and to the actions of Mullah Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, the leader of an insurgency and known to the British press and public as “the Mad Mullah”. It narrates Ismay’s role as an officer in the Somaliland Camel Corps and describes the major operations in which he participated. It also describes Ismay’s immense frustration at being prevented from leaving Somaliland to fight in the major campaigns of the First World War and his resulting depression. It details the major operation in which Ismay led the Camel Corps and for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.