Mohammed Ibrahim Farag
Ibrahim Farag Mohammed | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1908 |
| Died | April 4, 1941 (aged 32–33) |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of Italy |
Branch | Regia Marina |
Service years | 1925–1941 |
Rank | Boluk-bashi |
| Unit | Naval Askari |
Conflicts | Italian Somali Wars, World War 2 |
| Awards |   |
Mohammed Ibrahim Farag (Massawa, 1908 – Red Sea, April 4, 1941) was an eritrean serviceman—an Ascari of the Royal Navy—decorated with the Gold Medal of Military Valor.
Biography
Very little information is available regarding the private and military life of Farag Mohammed. The Italian Navy website states that he was born in 1908 in "It Atba (Massawa)," without specifying either the month or the day; however, if this were the case, it is worth noting that this village is located in central Eritrea—approximately 90 kilometers in a straight line from the sea and nearly 140 kilometers from Massawa. Some websites and texts cite 1919 as his year of birth[1][2] practically impossible having enlisted in the indigenous departments of the Royal Navy in 1925, embarked on the Regia Nave Campania, taking part on this naval unit in military operations along the coasts of Migiurtinia against the armed gangs of Sultan Osman Mahamuud. During one of these operations—on October 28, 1925—having landed on the beach at Bargal alongside other indigenous troops on an intelligence and reconnaissance mission, he was attacked by superior rebel forces. Forced to mount a defensive stand that lasted 22 hours, he remained entrenched inside a mosque, shielded by the interdictory fire of the Campania's artillery, which prevented the Mijurtini from closing in, until—the following day—a company of the 2nd Benadir Regiment arrived to provide relief, having disembarked from the gunboat Arimondi, which had arrived from Alula in the interim. Subsequently, in January 1927, a truncated column from that very mosque was erected as a monument to the Italians who had fallen during the occupation.[3]
For this feat of arms, Ibrahim Farag Mohammed was awarded the War Cross of Military Valor (Royal Decree of February 19, 1928) and promoted to the rank of Muntaz in the Royal Navy's Ascari Corps.[4] Subsequently promoted to the rank of Boluk-bashi, in March 1941 he embarked—along with four other Ascari stokers—aboard the destroyer Manin, with which he participated in the final, desperate mission against Port Sudan; this mission culminated in the sinking of the ship following heavy enemy air attacks. Finding himself shipwrecked alongside other survivors in the sole lifeboat that had been lowered into the sea, he gave up his own seat to a wounded sailor, choosing instead to cling to the outside of the boat and thereby allowing his comrades to remain safely inside. He remained clinging to the exterior of the boat for a day and a night until, utterly exhausted, he vanished beneath the waves, offering a final salute to his wounded commander.
Throughout the entire history of Italian colonialism, only two Gold Medals were awarded to indigenous soldiers—both posthumously. The first was bestowed upon Unatù Endisciau, an Amhara born in 1917 and a Muntaz in the Zaptié of the 79th Battalion; he died early in the Second World War during the Battle of Culqualber, having successfully carried his battalion's pennant to safety behind Italian lines following the defeat at Debra Tabor. In October 1941—with the approval of the Duce—he was posthumously awarded the gold medal for Military Valor. In the case of Ibrahim Faruq Muhammad, however, the gold medal for Military Valor was conferred via a decree dated December 6, 1947, signed by the Provisional Head of State, Enrico De Nicola; due to the circumstances, the formal proceedings could not be initiated until the return of the Manin's commander, Frigate captain Araldo Fadin.
Honors
| Gold Medal for Military Valor |
| "Having embarked just days earlier on a destroyer, he took part—distinguishing himself through his bravery—in a desperate attempt to attack an enemy naval base, during which the vessel was subjected to incessant aerial assaults that ultimately caused its sinking. Finding himself shipwrecked aboard a rowboat alongside over sixty survivors, he relinquished his own seat to ensure the safety of others, remaining clinging to the hull on the outside of the craft throughout the entire night. Exhausted by the ordeal, rather than asking to be relieved, he drifted away from the boat after thanking the Commander, facing certain death while offering a shining example of military virtue, spirit of sacrifice, and selflessness." — Mar Rosso, 4 aprile 1941[5] |
| War Cross for Military Valor |
| — Bargal February 19, 1928 |
See also
Notes
- ↑ The series of inaccuracies regarding Ibrahim Faruq's biography began with the volume *Le Medaglie d’Oro al V.M.* (Vol. I, Rome, Tipografia Regionale, 1965), in which Ibrahim Farag Mohammed is listed as having been born in 1919 in Massawa and cited as a Deck *Bulukbasci*.
- ↑ The date 1908 appears on the aforementioned Italian Navy website; 1909 is also a possibility, should the date 1919 be the result of a printing error. Currently, no documentation regarding Ibrahim Farag Mohammed can be located at the Directorate General for Military Personnel.
- ↑ Bertarelli, L.V. (1929). Possedimenti e colonie. Milano. p. 621 – via Touring Club Italiano.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ↑ Stella, Gian Carlo (1992). La Regia Marina in Africa: personale indigeno ed ascari al suo servizio. Roma: USMM.
Nel Bollettino d'Archivio USMM, vengono riportati anche i nomi e le motivazioni dei decorati in quel fatto d'arme; come l'autore avverte, per le già rilevate difficoltà nella trascrizione dei nomi indigeni, questi possono apparire di persone diverse e in questo caso, infatti, Ibrahim Farag Mohammed viene riportato come Mahmud Fokak.
- ↑ Quirinale.it.
Other Projects
External links
- "Quirinale".
- "Il Bulukbasci Della Regia Marina Ibrahim Farag Mohammed, M.O.V.M." (PDF). Rivista Marittima (in Italian). Roma: Ministero della difesa. November 2011.