Jimmy Durham

James Francis Durham (c. 1883 – 8 August 1910), originally named Mustapha (Arabic: مصطفي), was a Sudanese child found and adopted by the Durham Light Infantry after the Battle of Ginnis in 1885 during the Mahdist War. He is likely the first African soldier in the British Army.^[1][2]

James Francis Durham
James Francis Durham in 1909
Birth name	Mustapha
Born	c. 1883 Sudan
Died	8 August 1910(1910-08-08) (aged 26–27) Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland
Cause of death	Pneumonia
Buried	Fermoy Military Cemetery
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Years of service	1899 – 1910
Rank	Private first class
Service number	6758
Unit	Durham Light Infantry
Known for	First African soldier in the British Army
Spouse(s)	Jane Green
Children	Frances Durham

Biography

In 1885, a young Mustapha was found alone near the Nile by the 2nd Battalion of The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) after the Battle of Ginnis against the Mahdist State.^[3][4] Following the battle, a patrol led by Lieutenant Henry de Lisle found the child near a river barge on the Nile. The boy's father, a Sheik, had been killed in the battle, and his mother had fled, leaving him alone.^[1] The regiment adopted him, first naming him Jimmy Dervish before christening him James Francis Durham, named after two soldiers and the regiment itself,^[3] and he was raised within the battalion.^[1]

Initially treated as a regimental mascot, James quickly adapted, learning English and integrating into the DLI's life.^[3] The soldiers paid for his education as they travelled through Egypt and India, where he learned to play the bugle. In 1899, at approximately 14, he officially joined the DLI as a boy bandsman, an enlistment approved by Queen Victoria due to its unique nature. On 23 May 1899, James – Boy Soldier Number 6758 – became the first African soldier in the British Army.^[1][2]

Known for his athleticism and commitment to temperance, he managed the battalion's branch of the Army Temperance Association.^[3][1]

In 1908, James returned to England with the regiment, where he married Jane Green of Bishop Auckland, the daughter of a local blacksmith and sister of a Quartermaster Sergeant with the DLI. While stationed in Fermoy, Ireland, he died of pneumonia on 8 August 1910,^[5] just weeks before the birth of his daughter, Frances.^[3][6] He was buried in Fermoy Military Cemetery.^[2][7]