Egypt Medal 1882

Egypt Medal 1882 - 1889

Mehemit Ali, Khedive of Egypt, notorious for his women, gambling and what the literature of the period guardedly calls "unnatural appetites" was obliged to sell his Suez Canal shares to Great Britain.

Shortly afterwards he was replaced by his son Tewfik who had inherited all his father's vices and invented some of his own. The state of the country worsened and in 1882 the army, which had not been paid or clothed for several years, mutinied under Arabi Pasha. Arabi threatened to seize the Suez Canal and began to strengthen the forts guarding Alexandria. On the 11th July 1882 after an ultimatum the British fleet bombarded the fortifications and landed seamen and marines to restore order.

Britain was now committed to restore law and order, and an attack was made on the rebel army who had entrenched themselves at Tel-el-Kebir. Guided by naval officers with compasses the British force made a night march across the desert and routed the enemy. An occupational force of 10,000 men was left in Egypt, and a General Order of 1882 granted a medal with appropriate bars to those engaged in the two battles.

Britain now found herself responsible for a country without revenue, an army or administration, At this awkward moment in time there appeared in the Sudan, nominally ruled by Egypt, the Mahdi or "Expected One", a religious fanatic whose puritanical control over his dervishes would have made Cromwell green with envy. To suppress the rebellion an Egyptian army of some 10,000 led by Hicks Pasha marched out against the dervishes. Although the force looked impressive on paper, many of the men had been released from prison following their part in the 1882 mutiny and 51 men of the Krupp battery managed to desert en route although chained to their guns. The result was a foregone conclusion and at the beginning of November the army was slaughtered and all their guns and nearly a million rounds of ammunition fell into the hands of the Mahdi. After a series of further engagements the British Government decided to withdraw from the Sudan. "Chinese" Gordon was appointed to undertake the evacuation of garrisons and civil staff, but by the end of 1884 Gordon was besieged in Khartoum. The relief column fought its way up the Nile, only to arrive forty-eight hours too late to prevent the fall of the city and Gordon's murder. During the course of the next five years, eleven more clasps were authorised for the Egypt medal and the medal itself was re-issued in 1884 but with a plain exergue.

The obverse of the medal is similar to that for Ashantee. The first reverse shows a simple design of the Sphinx with the word EGYPT above and the date 1882 below. The ribbon has three bright blue and two white stripes of equal width. Dated medals are engraved in sloping capitals, as are the second issue to British troops. Undated medals issued to Indian troops are engraved in small running script and those awarded to the Egyptian army are named in Arabic. The clasps are as follows.

Alexandria 11 July 1882

Tel-el Kebir 13 Sept 1882

(there are 12 more but all are after William Martin left the army)

The Khedive's Star. Five-pointed bronze stars were awarded by the Khedive to all recipients of the Egypt Medal.

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