Battle of Suakin [SEP] point in time
Battle of Suakin
The Battle of Suakin (also known as the Battle of Gemaizah), part of the Mahdist War, occurred on 20 December 1888 when General Francis Grenfell defeated a Mahdist, or Dervish, force near Suakin, a chief port of Sudan. 
The Mahdist force, under Osman Digna, had advanced on Suakin with an intention to invest it. From Suakin, General Grenfell launched a sortie against the Mahdists, who were attempting to capture the Water Forts. After one and a half hours of fighting,
20th Battalion was re-raised in New South Wales, around Parramatta, and was again placed under the command of the 5th Brigade, 2nd Division. Upon formation, the new 20th Battalion drew personnel from the 20th Infantry Regiment, and through this link it inherited two battle honours: "Suakin 1885" and "South Africa 1899–1902". Territorial designations were introduced in 1927, at which point the battalion adopted the title of the "Paramatta and Blue Mountains Regiment"; at the same time the motto of "Pro Patria