Somaliland Camel Corps 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 . Beginnings and the Dervish State . In 1888 , after signing successive treaties with the then ruling Somali Sultan s , the British established a protectorate in northern present - day Somalia referred to as British Somaliland . The British immediately recognized the affinity between the Somali people and their camel charges . The " Somaliland Camel Constabulary " was an early attempt to harness this natural affinity militarily . By 1899 , the religious and nationalist leader Mohammed Abdullah Hassan ' s ( " Mad Mullah " ) Dervish resistance had begun . The period was to last until 1920 . Somaliland Campaign . 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 Somaliland 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 " Somaliland 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 — which included the Somaliland Camel Corps , the 12 aircraft of the Royal Air Force ' s Z Force , Somaliland Police , elements from the 2nd ( Nyasaland ) Battalion and 6th ( British Somaliland ) Battalion of the King ' s African Rifles ( KAR ) , and an Indian battalion — defeated Hassan ' s Dervish army and occupied the capital . During the period between World War I and World War II , the Somaliland Camel Corps was re - configured better to defend the protectorate in the event of a future war . In 1930 , Colonel Arthur Reginald Chater of the Royal Marines was placed in command of a slightly smaller corps of five - hundred troopers . Like many other colonial units the Somaliland Camel Corps had British officers . In the late 1930s , the corps was given 900 British pounds to build pillboxes and reserve water tanks . After the financial crisis of 1931 , the Somaliland Camel Corps numbered 14 British officers , 400 Somali Askaris , and 150 African Reservists . World War II . In September 1939 , the Somaliland Camel Corps had a total strength of fourteen British officers , one British non - commissioned officer , and 554 non - European ( mostly ethnic Somalis ) other ranks . Initially , the corps was placed under the garrison commander of French Somaliland . The Somaliland Camel Corps ' four companies were split among five different locations in the colony . Only " A " Company retained its camels , while the other companies had become infantry units . Field Marshal Archibald Wavell , Commander - in - Chief of the Middle East Command , was appalled by the under - equipped force that was supposed to defend an entire colony . In 1940 , as a result of his concern , the unit was partially mechanised and further defences were built . However , before the upgrades could be completed , the funds dried up . At the beginning of the East African Campaign , the Somaliland Camel Corps , bolstered with a battalion of the Northern Rhodesian Regiment , only had a total of one thousand , four hundred and seventy - five men to defend British Somaliland . Reinforcements were eventually sent from Aden in a vain hope to stop the Italian invasion . During the Italian invasion of British Somaliland , the Somaliland Camel Corps skirmished and screened the attacking force along the border before pulling back to more defensible positions . At Observation Hill , the corps made a formidable stand . One of its officers , Captain Eric Charles Twelves Wilson of the East Surreys , received a Victoria Cross ( VC ) for his use of a machine gun during the defence . Despite wounds , malaria , and having several guns destroyed from under him , he stayed at his post . Wilson was the only VC recipient during the Italian invasion of British Somaliland ; only six other VCs were awarded for operations in East Africa . Wilson was later found alive in an Italian prisoner of war camp . However , despite a spirited defence , the British were over - matched and withdrew from Berbera on 17 August 1940 . With the final withdrawal , most of the troops of the Somaliland Camel Corps were disbanded . On 16 March 1941 , less than one year from the date of withdrawal , the British returned to the colony . Soon afterwards the Somaliland Camel Corps was re - founded . By 18 April , the unit was at about 80 % of its former strength . The Camel Corps spent the following months rounding up stray Italians and policing against local bandits . In 1942 , the Somaliland Camel Corps became a mechanized regiment . On 30 April 1944 , six bombers of 621 Squadron , Royal Air Force , attacked and damaged the German submarine U - 852 , which was under the command of Lieutenant - Captain ( " Kapitänleutnant " ) Heinz - Wilhelm Eck . He and 52 members of the crew came ashore , where members of the corps captured them on 13 March and interned them . For some time there were plans to send the corps to Burma . However , the British disbanded the Somaliland Camel Corps in 1944 after several mutinies had taken place . It was later succeeded by the Somaliland Scouts that same year . Organization . In 1939 , on the brink of war , the Somaliland Camel Corps was organized as follows : Uniform . The troopers of the Somaliland Camel Corps had a distinctive dress which was based on the standard British Army khaki drill , but included a knitted woollen pullover and drill patches on the shoulders . Shorts were worn with woollen socks on puttees and " chaplis " , boots or bare feet . Equipment consisted of a leather ammunition bandolier and a leather waist belt . The officers wore pith helmets and khaki drill uniforms . Other ranks wore a " kullah " with " puggree " which ended in a long tail which hung down the back . A " chaplis " is typically a colourful sandal . A " kullah " is a type of cap . A " puggree " is typically a strip of cloth wound around the upper portion of a hat or helmet , particularly a pith helmet , and falling down behind to act as a shade for the back of the neck .