Egypt Medal
–
| Egypt Medal | |
|---|---|
  Obverse and reverse of the 1882 medal | |
| Type | Campaign medal |
| Awarded for | Campaign service |
| Description | Silver, 36 mm in diameter |
| Presented by | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Eligibility | British and Indian forces. |
| Campaign(s) | Egypt |
| Clasps |
|
| Established | 17 October 1882 |
 Ribbon bar of the medal | |
| Related | Khedive's Star |
TheEgypt Medal(1882–1889) was awarded for the military actions involving the British Army and Royal Navy during the1882 Anglo-Egyptian Warand in theSudanbetween 1884 and 1889.
Resentment at increasing British and other European involvement in Egypt since the opening of theSuez Canalin 1869 triggered an Egyptian army mutiny that threatened the authority of the British-backed Khedive of Egypt,Tewfik Pasha.The British military intervention was in response, to protect British interests. Once in Egypt, the British became involved in the conflicts in the Sudan, which Egypt had occupied since the 1820s.[1]
All recipients of the Egypt Medal were also eligible for one of the four versions of theKhedive's Star.[2]
Description
[edit]The medal had the following design:[3]
- Circular, in silver and 36 millimetres (1.4 in) in diameter.
- Obverse: the veiled head ofQueen Victoriawith the Latin legend "VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX". ('Victoria, Queen and Empress').
- Reverse: the Sphinx on a pedestal with the word 'EGYPT' above.[4]Medals for the 1882 campaign had the year "1882" below the Sphinx. Awards for service in the Sudan from 1884 to 1889 were undated, although those already in possession of the 1882 medal had the relevant clasp added to their existing dated medal.
- Naming: the recipient's number, rank, name and regiment are engraved on the edge.[4]
- Ribbon: 32 millimetres (1.25 in) wide, with three blue and two white stripes of equal width.
Clasps
[edit]A total of 13 clasps were awarded, two for the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882 and eleven for service in the Sudan between 1884 and 1889:[5]
- Alexandria 11 July(1882)
- Tel-El-Kebir(13 September 1882)
- Suakin 1884(19 February – 26 March 1884)
- El-Teb(29 February 1884)
- Tamaai(13 March 1884)
- El-Teb–Tamaai(29 February & 13 March 1884) For those present at both battles
- The Nile 1884–85For service south ofAssouanon or before 7 March 1885 as part of the expedition to relieve GeneralGordon,then under siege atKhartoum
- Abu Klea(17 January 1885) Only awarded in conjunction with clasp The Nile 1884–85
- Kirbekan(10 February 1885) Only awarded in conjunction with clasp The Nile 1884–85
- Suakin 1885(1 March – 14 May 1885)
- Tofrek(22 March 1885) Only awarded in conjunction with clasp Suakin 1885
- Gemaizah 1888(20 December 1888)
- Toski 1889(3 August 1889)
Medals without clasp were awarded to:
- those who served in Egypt between 11 July and 14 September 1882, but were not present at the bombardment of Alexandria or the Battle of Tel-El-Kebir;
- all troops employed south ofWadi Halfabetween 30 November 1885 and 11 January 1886 and south ofKoroskoon 3 August 1889.
Recipients
[edit]While most of those who received the Egypt Medal were members of theBritish Regular ArmyorRoyal Navy,other recipients included:
- Seventeen nurses who received the medal without clasp for their services in 1882 atAlexandria,Ismailiaand in the hospital ship Carthage, including three awarded to foreign nurses. These were the first British campaign medals awarded to women, although a number ofSouth Africa Medalswere later awarded to nurses for the earlier 1877–79 campaign.[6]
- 392 medals with clasp 'The Nile 1884–85', awarded to Canadianvoyageursemployed on theNile,of whom 46 also received the 'Kirbekan' clasp.[5][7]This was the first overseas expedition by Canadians in a British imperial conflict. Employed as civilians who did not wear uniform, the voyageurs included 86 members of theFirst Nations,mostlyCaughnawaga.[8]
- 720 medals with clasp 'Suakin 1885', awarded to a force fromNew South Wales.This was the first occasion that Australian units were sent overseas and served alongside Imperial troops.[5]
While few members of the Egyptian Army participated in earlier Sudanese campaigns, the majority of troops who received 'Gemaizah 1888' and 'Toski 1889' clasps belonged to the Egyptian Army, including newly raised Sudanese battalions,[5]with one squadron of the20th Hussarsbeing the only British unit present at Toski.[9]
Khartoum Siege Medal
[edit]An unofficial decoration related to the Egypt Medal, this award in three grades was designed, minted and presented by GeneralGordonto the officers, soldiers and civilians who participated in thesiege of Khartoum,1884–85. Based on the badge of theOttomanOrder of the Medjidieh,the awards were produced locally during the siege and were fairly crude in form.[10][11]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Michael Barthorp.War on the Nile.pp. 20–30. Published Blandford Press, London. 1984.ISBN0713713100.
- ^Joslin, Litherland and Simpkin. (1988).British Battles and Medals.p. 164. Published Spink, London. 1988.ISBN0907605257.
- ^Joslin, Litherland and Simpkin. (1988).British Battles and Medals.pp. 160–4. Published Spink, London. 1988.ISBN0907605257.
- ^ab"Egypt Medal 1882–89: Private W Divall, New South Wales Contingent to the Sudan.",Exhibition at the Australian War Memorial, (Accessed 7 July 2011)
- ^abcdJoslin, Litherland and Simpkin. (1988).British Battles and Medals.pp. 161–2. Published Spink, London. 1988.ISBN0907605257.
- ^P. E. Abbott and J. M. A. Tamplin. (1981).British Gallantry Awards.p. 259. Published Nimrod Dix & Co, London. 1980.ISBN0-902633-74-0.
- ^Veterans Affairs Canada,Egypt Medal
- ^Louis Jackson,Our Caughnawagas in Egypt.Drysdale & Co, Montreal. 1895.
- ^Michael Barthorp.War on the Nile.p. 134. Published Blandford Press, London. 1984.ISBN0713713100.
- ^Joslin, Litherland and Simpkin. (1988).British Battles and Medals.p. 183. Published Spink, London. 1988.ISBN0907605257.
- ^“For the Siege of Khartoum” – General Gordon’s Khartoum Star
