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Frank Power
Frank Power (1858-1884), known to his friends as “Ghazi,” was an Irish journalist, writer, and artist who exhibited at the Royal Hibernian Academy. He wrote for the Freeman’s Journ...view moreFrank Power (1858-1884), known to his friends as “Ghazi,” was an Irish journalist, writer, and artist who exhibited at the Royal Hibernian Academy. He wrote for the Freeman’s Journal and The Irish Times.
When Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah declared a holy war against the Egyptian authorities in Sudan in 1883, and he and his Mahdist Sudanese forces surrounded Khartoum (a small British outpost), Edmund Dwyer—chairman of Freeman’s Journal’s and Frank Power’s boss—sent Power to the area just before crisis point.
During his time in Khartoum from August 1883 until September 1884, Power was made both the Times correspondent and Her Majesty’s Consul at Khartoum, and occupied the Government House, pending the arrival of General Gordon’s defending forces. Despite the siege, transport remained open on the Nile and the telegraph worked, so Power was able to communicate officially with London every day.
Khartoum eventually fell to the Mahdists on January 28, 1885 when General Gordon was killed fighting to lift the siege. Frank Power was killed on the banks of the Nile prior to this in September 1884 by members of the Hadenoda tribe, one of Ahmad bin Abd Allah’s allies.view less