BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN, 1802-1898

Egypt with the Sphinx—Mandora, 1802—Marabout, 1802—Egypt, 1882—Tel-el-Kebir, 1882—The Nile, 1884-85—Abu Klea, 1885—Kirbekan, 1885—Suakin, 1885—Tofrek, 1885—Hafir, 1896—Atbara, 1898—Khartoum, 1898.

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Egypt (with the Sphinx).

On July 6, 1802, this distinction was conferred by King George III. on the regiments named below, "as a distinguished mark of His Majesty's royal approbation, and as a lasting memorial of the glory acquired to His Majesty's arms by the zeal, discipline, and intrepidity of his troops in that arduous and important campaign." So ran the Gazette.

Five-and-forty years later, after much discussion and not a little opposition, the grant of the Peninsular medal was extended to the survivors of the campaign. The regiments that bear this battle honour are the

11th Hussars.
12th Lancers.
Coldstream Guards.
Scots Guards.
Royal Scots.
Queen's.
King's Liverpool Regiment.
Lincolns.
Somerset Light Infantry.
Royal Irish.
Lancashire Fusiliers.
Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
South Wales Borderers.
Cameronians.
Inniskilling Fusiliers.
Gloucesters.
East Lancashire.
Dorsets.
South Stafford.
Royal Highlanders.
South Lancashire.
Northamptons.
Essex.
Royal West Kent.
Manchesters.
Cameron Highlanders
Royal Irish Rifles.
Gordon Highlanders.
Connaught Rangers.
Royal Irish Fusiliers.
102nd King Edward's Own Grenadiers.
2nd Queen's Own Sappers and Miners.
113th Infantry.

The only regiments of the Indian Army now left which accompanied the army under Sir David Baird in that memorable march across the desert from Kosseir to the Nile are the 102nd King Edward's Own Grenadiers, the 113th Infantry, and the 2nd Queen's Own Sappers and Miners, a grand offshoot of the Royal Engineers. This distinguished corps, known in olden days as the Madras Sappers and Miners, has no less than thirty-one battle honours on its appointments, all won between the Nile and the Peiho Rivers.

The object of the expedition to Egypt was to drive the French out of the country, to restore it to its rightful owners, the Turks, and to safeguard our Indian possessions, which were then threatened by attempts on the part of Bonaparte to enter into alliances with the independent Princes in Hindoostan. The command of the army was entrusted to Sir Ralph Abercromby, an officer who possessed the confidence of the army and of the country. He had recently effected the conquest of the West India Islands, and was one of the few Generals who had emerged from the late campaign in Flanders with an enhanced reputation. His army of 17,000 men was brigaded as under:

The artillery consisted of four batteries of 6-pounders, three batteries of 12 pounders, with a small siege-train. Only one battery was horsed, and although officers had been despatched many months before to purchase horses in Syria, the obstacles thrown in their way by the Turkish authorities had effectually prevented either artillery or cavalry taking the field properly equipped. When the army disembarked, the Cavalry Brigade consisted of 320 mounted men—

—whilst for the artillery there were but sixty-four horses, and this despite the promises of the Turkish Government that all horses necessary for the army should be delivered in Marmorice Bay before the army left for Egypt.

The disembarkation of the army on March 8, 1802, was effected under a heavy fire, there being 31 officers and 642 of all ranks killed and wounded. It was carried out by the Reserve, under Sir John Moore, and the Brigade of Guards with a gallantry that compelled the admiration of the whole army. The point selected had been decided on by the Commander-in-Chief in conjunction with the Admiral. By nightfall the whole of the army, with the exception of the horses, was on shore, and on the morning of the 13th Abercromby commenced his advance on Alexandria. The troops moved in three columns, Moore's brigade being on the right, marching parallel to the sea. The centre division was composed of the brigades of Craddock, Coote, and the Brigade of Guards. It was led by the 90th (Scottish Rifles). The left column consisted of Lord Cavan's brigade, a battalion of Marines, and the three foreign regiments; the 92nd (Gordon Highlanders) was in front. In the course of the march the French made a most determined attack, their cavalry charging down on the leading companies of the 90th. This corps and the 92nd, which bore the brunt of the fighting, behaved with the utmost steadiness, thus giving the regiments in rear time to deploy, when the French were driven back on their own position, from which they were driven with loss.

Mandora, March 13, 1802.

This battle honour is borne by the Scottish Rifles and the Gordon Highlanders, and was conferred upon these two young regiments in recognition of the gallantry with which they met and repelled the attack of a vastly superior body of French, as related above. The total loss of the army on March 13 amounted to 6 officers and 153 men killed, 66 officers and 1,936 men wounded, the heaviest casualties being those of the two regiments who bear "Mandora" on their colours. The 13th (Somerset Light Infantry), which was in the immediate rear of the 90th, at once moved up to its support, and also suffered very heavily. The 90th (Scottish Rifles) were under the command of their junior Lieutenant-Colonel, afterwards better known as General Viscount Hill, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. He was badly wounded at Mandora, when the command of the regiment devolved on the next senior officer, Major Moncrieff, who a few days subsequently was given the command of the 44th (Essex), on its Colonel being killed. Thence he was moved, at Sir John Moore's request, to the 52nd, in order to train that distinguished corps as a light infantry regiment. Although the 90th at that time had not the designation of light infantry, its founder, Colonel Graham, afterwards Lord Lynedoch had from its earliest days trained it as a light infantry corps, impelled thereto because its predecessor, which had fought so well at the capture of Belleisle, Martinique, and Havana, was at that time (1759-1764) the only light infantry regiment in the British army, and the stout old Scotsman never rested until he had secured the same title for the new 90th.

Casualties of the 90th and 92nd at Mandora.

On March 21 the French made a third and final attack on Abercromby's army, now in the immediate vicinity of Alexandria. This again was repulsed, but our casualties were very heavy, amounting to 75 officers and 1,400 of all ranks killed and wounded, the heaviest loss falling on the 42nd (Royal Highlanders), a corps which in all three actions had shown the most consummate gallantry, its casualties in the three engagements being 506 killed and wounded. In the course of this action Sir Ralph Abercromby received a mortal wound, and the command of the army devolved upon General Hutchinson. Leaving a sufficient force to cover Alexandria, the new Commander-in-Chief at once commenced an advance on Cairo, and on June 13 he had the satisfaction of receiving the surrender of 13,000 French soldiers, who were massed at the capital. Of these, some 8,000 were effectives, and the task of guarding them on the return march to the sea was one that required much acumen, for the total number of British troops at this time at Cairo was barely 4,000. The army at Alexandria had, however, been reinforced by a strong brigade from the Mediterranean, made up of the 20th (Lancashire Fusiliers), 24th (South Wales Borderers), 25th (King's Own Scottish Borderers), 26th (Cameronians), and the 27th (Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers).

A further addition to the British army was now made in the shape of a division which had been despatched from India under the command of a tried and gallant officer, Sir David Baird. It comprised a squadron of the 8th Hussars, the 10th (Lincolns), 86th (Royal Irish Rifles), 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers), 88th (Connaught Rangers), four battalions of sepoys, some English gunners in the Company's service, and some native sappers. The 8th Hussars and 86th (Royal Irish Rifles) had landed at Suez, and marched direct across the desert to Cairo. The other regiments were disembarked at Kosseir, whence they marched to Keneh, on the Nile, a distance of 100 miles; then, taking native boats, they dropped down stream to Cairo. As soon as the convoy of prisoners had embarked to France, General Hutchinson was enabled to turn his attention to Alexandria, in which a considerable garrison was closely besieged.

Marabout, August 17, 1802.

This battle honour is borne by the Dorsetshires, and commemorates the service of the 54th Regiment in the operations outside Alexandria in the summer of 1802. The old 54th had been entrusted with the task of keeping watch and ward over the French garrison in Fort Marabout, and it was their successful capture of the redoubt at the tomb of a Moslem saint which brought home to General Menou the futility of further resistance. He hoisted the white flag, when he and his army were permitted a safe conduct to France, on giving an undertaking that they would not serve against England during the continuance of the war. The Treaty of Amiens followed soon after the surrender of Alexandria, and on the renewal of hostilities in 1803 the army of Egypt was once more free to act against us.

Before quitting the subject of the Egyptian campaign of 1802, it appears pertinent to remark that there seems to exist no valid reason why the 8th Hussars should not be accorded this distinction. It may be urged that the headquarters of the regiment was not present. The 11th Hussars bear the honour, and but one troop was in Egypt, so that this contention does not hold good. Again, it may be urged that they were not engaged. This would bear with equal force against the infantry regiments which formed a portion of Sir David Baird's force. All these have been authorized to bear the distinction of "Egypt" (with the Sphinx). Why the 8th Hussars have been denied this privilege is one of the many anomalies which surround the question of battle honours.[10]

Casualties in the Three Principal Engagements in Egypt.

Egypt, 1882.

The following regiments have been authorized to add the above honour to their colours and appointments:

1st Life Guards.
2nd Life Guards.
Royal Horse Guards.
4th Dragoon Guards.
7th Dragoon Guards.
19th Hussars.
Grenadier Guards.
Coldstream Guards.
Scots Guards.
Royal Irish.
South Stafford.
Cornwall Light Infantry.
Royal Highlanders.
Royal Sussex.
Sherwood Foresters.
Royal Berkshire.
Royal West Kent.
Shropshire Light Infantry.
King's Royal Rifles.
Manchesters.
York and Lancaster.
Highland Light Infantry.
Seaforth Highlanders.
Gordon Highlanders.
Cameron Highlanders.
Royal Irish Fusiliers.
2nd (Gardner's Horse).
6th King Edward's Own Light Cavalry.
2nd Queen's Own Sappers and Miners.
13th (Watson's Horse).
7th Rajputs.
20th (Brownlow's Punjabis).
129th Baluchis.
Royal Malta Artillery.

In the year 1882 the chronic misgovernment in Egypt led to serious disturbances, which culminated in the assumption of power by the military party, and an organized attack on all Christians. So critical was the situation, that it was considered necessary to send the fleets of the allied Powers to Alexandria; and after an Arab mob had wreaked its vengeance on the city, the British fleet bombarded the forts and sent ashore landing parties to restore order. The British Government now determined to employ armed force to uphold the authority of the Khedive, and an Expeditionary Force, under the command of General Sir Garnet Wolseley, was organized for this purpose.

The Egyptian army, which had thrown off all allegiance to the Khedive, had taken up a strong position at Tel-el-Kebir astride of the railway, barring the advance on the capital. Sir Garnet, on landing at Alexandria, took steps to secure the safe passage of the Suez Canal, and on August 21 he was able to land the bulk of his troops at Ismailia, the halfway station between Port Said, the Mediterranean terminus, and Suez, the Red Sea terminus of the canal. After one or two minor actions at Kassassin and Tel-el-Mahuta, Sir Garnet advanced on Tel-el-Kebir.

The casualties sustained by the troops at the few engagements that took place during the operations (apart from those at Tel-el-Kebir) were insignificant:

Tel-el-Kebir, September 12, 1882.

The regiments named below are authorized to bear this battle honour:

1st Life Guards.
2nd Life Guards.
Royal Horse Guards.
4th Dragoon Guards.
7th Dragoon Guards.
19th Hussars.
Grenadier Guards.
Coldstream Guards.
Scots Guards.
Royal Irish.
Cornwall Light Infantry.
Royal Highlanders.
King's Royal Rifles.
York and Lancaster.
Highland Light Infantry.
Seaforth Highlanders.
Gordon Highlanders.
Royal Irish Fusiliers.
Cameron Highlanders.
13th (Watson's Horse).
2nd (Gardner's Horse).
2nd Queen's Own Sappers and Miners.
6th King Edward's Own Cavalry.
20th (Brownlow's Punjabis).
7th Rajputs.
129th Baluchis.

This battle honour commemorates the first action in which the Household Cavalry were engaged since Waterloo. The hypercritical may claim that the composite regiment, under Brigadier Ewart, took part in the midnight charge on September 28, and this is strictly true; but Kassassin does not figure on the standards or appointments of the Household Cavalry, whereas Tel-el-Kebir does.

The Egyptian position at Tel-el-Kebir lay at right angles to the railway and the Sweet Water Canal. It was covered by a long line of trenches, flanked with powerful redoubts, and was held by some 30,000 men, with 60 guns. Sir Garnet's force barely numbered 15,000. To attempt the attack of such a formidable position in daylight would have been to court serious loss, and Sir Garnet, with a firm faith in his men, essayed the hazardous task of a long night's march, as a prelude to an attack on the entrenched position at dawn. At 11 p.m. the advance commenced, the First Division, under Lieutenant-General Willis on the right; the Second, under Lieutenant-General Hamley, on the left. Dawn was just breaking when the Highland Brigade reached the Egyptian trenches, and, with a mighty cheer, dashed over the parapet. Within a few minutes the first division attacked also, and the cavalry, sweeping round the rear, cut in on the flying enemy. An immediate pursuit was ordered, and on the evening of September 14 the citadel of Cairo was in our hands, the Cavalry Brigade having covered sixty-five miles in twenty-four hours. The promptitude with which Sir Garnet Wolseley followed up the victory of Tel-el-Kebir brought the rebellion to an end, but it was clear that the continuance of the Khedivial authority must henceforth rest on the protection that might be afforded him by the English army of occupation. For this purpose Sir Archibald Alison, who had commanded the Highland Brigade with conspicuous success during the course of the operations, was left in command of a British force, numbering some 10,000 men, whilst Major-General Sir Evelyn Wood was entrusted with the re-organization of the Egyptian army.

As will be seen from a perusal of the following list of casualties, the brunt of the fighting at Tel-el-Kebir fell on the Highland Brigade, which suffered more heavily here than it did at the historic Battle of the Alma.

Casualties at Tel-el-Kebir, September 12, 1882.

Following the precedent of the Crimean War, when British officers and soldiers were authorized to receive and to wear decorations and medals bestowed by our allies, the Queen sanctioned the acceptance of a very generous bestowal of orders of the Osmanieh and Medjidieh, whilst every officer and man received a bronze star commemorative of the campaign at the hands of the Khedive.

Turkish Decorations bestowed for the Campaign of 1882.

Nile, 1884-85.

This distinction was conferred on the regiments which, under Generals Earle and Sir Herbert Stewart, essayed to save General C. Gordon, R.E., then hemmed in by fanatical Moslems at Khartoum. The regiments entitled to bear the honour are the

19th Hussars.
Royal Irish.
Cornwall Light Infantry.
Royal Sussex.
South Staffordshire.
Royal Highlanders.
Essex.
Royal West Kent.
Gordon Highlanders.
Cameron Highlanders.

Looking back after the event, it is clear that the British Government did not appreciate the responsibilities they had assumed when they left Sir Archibald Alison in command of the army of occupation after the victory of Tel-el-Kebir. Not only was the authority of the Khedive gone in Egypt proper, but it had vanished in the far-off regions of the Soudan, which were now in the hands of a fanatical Moslem false prophet, who styled himself the Mahdi. At one time, in the days of the Khedive Ismail, the Soudan had been administered by General Charles Gordon, of the Royal Engineers. One of the most remarkable men of his generation, General Gordon was the type of the earlier Christian martyrs, and as a Christian martyr he died. At the request of the Khedive, and with the consent of the British Government, General Gordon assumed the Governorship of the Soudan, and set out for his post early in 1884. Into the history of Gordon's gallant defence of Khartoum it is no part of my province to enter. Towards the end of the year he was hard pressed, and, though ordered to abandon the Soudan, he declined to do so. It became necessary to organize a force, not merely to effect his rescue, but also to restore the authority of the Khedive in the Soudan and the Equatorial provinces of Egypt, where only the writ of the Mahdi was allowed to run.

Once more Sir Garnet Wolseley was selected for the chief command, and two expeditionary forces were organized, the one operating by the River Nile, the other from the Red Sea port of Suakin. The Commander-in-Chief accompanied the river column, which numbered some 5,500 men. On reaching Korti, about the end of November, Sir Herbert Stewart, with the camel corps, was detached to push across the desert and occupy the Jakdul Wells. This was successfully accomplished, and on December 8 he commenced another stage on the march to Khartoum; but on nearing the wells of Abu Klea, these were found to be in possession of the enemy, when was fought the action which is inscribed on the colours and appointments of but two regiments in the British army.

Abu Klea, January 28, 1885.

This battle honour was conferred on the 19th Hussars and the Royal Sussex Regiment for their services in the sharp action of January 28, 1885, when the commander of the force, Major-General Sir Herbert Stewart, received a mortal wound, dying a few days after the fight. Although the distinction was only granted to the two regiments above mentioned, the brigade under General Stewart's command comprised a naval brigade, under Captain Lord Charles Beresford, and a camel corps, made up of regiments of heavy and of light cavalry of the Household Cavalry and of the Brigade of Guards, and a force of Mounted Infantry: no less than twenty-two regiments were represented in the camel corps which fought so well at Abu Klea.

Casualties at Abu Klea.

Kirbekan, February 10, 1885.

This battle honour, which is borne by the South Staffordshires and the Royal Highlanders, commemorates the only action fought by what was known as the River Column in the advance up the Nile for the relief of General Gordon in the Soudan Campaign of 1885.

Whilst Sir Herbert Stewart with the camel corps was endeavouring to force his way to Khartoum by the desert route, Major-General Earle, a guardsman at the head of the River Column, was slowly moving south from Korti. On February 10 an indecisive action was fought with a small body of the enemy. Our losses were numerically insignificant, but they included the General in command, Major-General W. Earle, late of the Grenadier Guards, and the commanding officers of the two line regiments present.

The news of the death of General Gordon and the occupation of Khartoum by the Mahdi caused the Home Government to order the withdrawal of the British troops from the Nile, and the task of conducting the retirement was entrusted to Major-General Sir Redvers Buller.

Casualties at the Action of Kirbekan.

Suakin, 1885.[11]

This honour, which commemorates a short campaign in the Eastern Soudan, is borne by the

5th Lancers.
20th Hussars.
Grenadier Guards.
Coldstream Guards.
Scots Guards.
Royal Berkshires.
Shropshire Light Infantry.
9th Hodson's Horse.
2nd Queen's Own Sappers and Miners.
15th Ludhiana Sikhs.
17th (Loyal Regiment).
128th Pioneers.

Whilst the Mahdi himself was conducting his successful campaign against General Gordon at Khartoum, one of his Lieutenants, Osman Digna, a slave merchant of Suakin, was pursuing a no less successful career at Suakin, on the coast of the Red Sea. On two occasions Egyptian armies had been worsted by him, and in the month of December, 1883, a British officer, Colonel Valentine Baker, was routed by an inferior body of tribesmen in an endeavour to relieve the Egyptian fort at Tokar. Of his force of 3,700 men, no less than 2,375 were killed, including 11 British officers. In the spring of 1884 Major-General Sir Gerald Graham was despatched to Suakin to teach Osman Digna a much-needed lesson, and in the month of February Sir Gerald inflicted two severe defeats on the tribesmen at El-Teb and Tamai. A medal and clasp were granted for these services, but they have not been recorded on the list of battle honours of the army.

When the withdrawal from the Nile was decided on, instructions were despatched to Sir Gerald Graham at Suakin to prepare for an advance on Berber from Suakin. His force was brought up to a strength of 13,000 men, including a contingent from New South Wales and a brigade from India. This force was distributed as under:

To these must be added a battery of horse and two of field artillery, with a well-horsed, but only partially trained, battery of Australians. Sir Gerald's orders were to press on the construction of the railway to Berber, a feat which did not receive much encouragement on the spot, as it was felt that the nature of the country and the want of water on the route selected somewhat militated against success. The troops were much harassed by continuous night attacks, whilst the superior mobility of the enemy, who invariably shirked attack, prevented the General from inflicting any serious damage to the causes of the Mahdi. One action in this expedition has been rescued from oblivion, but it is open to question whether at the time it was considered a victory.

Tofrek, March 22, 1885.

This battle honour records the services of the under-mentioned regiments in a sharp little fight outside the town of Suakin, on the Red Sea, in the campaign of the Eastern Soudan, in 1885. It is borne on the colours of the

Royal Berkshire.
Queen's Own Sappers and Miners.
17th (Loyal Regiment).
15th Ludhiana Sikhs.
128th Pioneers.

In the early morn of March 22 Sir John MacNeill, a gallant and experienced soldier, was sent out from Suakin with orders to form a halfway camp on the route to Tamai. The road lay through a dense thorn-bush, and the reconnoitring was unfortunately confided to the 5th Lancers, a young regiment with no experience of Eastern warfare. They were all unused to the glare of the Egyptian desert, and gave no timely warning of the proximity of the enemy. The brigade was attacked when half the men were busy cutting the jungle to form a breastwork, but there was no confusion until the camels, terrified by the onrush of the Soudanese, who commenced ham-stringing the animals, broke the line of the rear face of the hastily-formed square. The commanding officer of the regiment fell in rallying his men. In twenty minutes the rush of the tribesmen was repulsed, and though our losses were severe, those of the enemy were enormous. Over 2,000 were buried by our men. Such a lesson was taught them that from that day until the withdrawal of Sir Gerald Graham's force no further attacks were made on his camp.

Casualties at the Action of Tofrek.

Hafir.

This battle honour is borne only by the Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire) Regiment, and was awarded to them in recognition of their conduct during the operation leading to the action of Hafir, in the month of September, 1896.

Eleven years had elapsed since the engagements on the Nile and at Tofrek, and during those eleven years the process of reorganizing the Egyptian army had been ceaselessly carried on under the direction of the British officers lent to the Khedive. Sir Evelyn Wood had been succeeded by General Grenfell, and Grenfell by General Kitchener. Our Consul-General at Cairo occupied a unique position, for he was the virtual ruler of Egypt. A soldier by profession, and one of the earliest of the Staff College graduates, Sir Evelyn Baring had profited by his experience in many appointments, in all of which he had acquired ripe stores of priceless knowledge. Soldier, financier, diplomatist, he was facile princeps in all; and though Sir Herbert Kitchener was the General who broke the back of Mahdiism, the brain which devised and the hand which guided the machinery were those of Sir Evelyn Baring. During those eleven years the Egyptian army had on more than one occasion been pitted against the Mahdi's troops. The men had learnt self-reliance, and possessed the most boundless faith in their British officers. Step by step the army was converted into a battle machine. The battalions of fellaheen were stiffened with battalions of blacks from the Soudan. No better fighting material exists in Africa. And as it improved in value, so were the necessary measures taken to break the power of the Mahdi. The railway was pushed farther south up the Nile, a strong brigade of native troops was despatched from India to Suakin, and the Egyptian army, stiffened with but one British regiment, taught that it was now able to face the Mahdi's men. At Firket, in May, 1896, the first of these combats took place, and in September, at Hafir, a decisive success was gained, which opened the road to Dongola. The 64th (North Staffordshire) Regiment—the only corps which bears the honour on its colours—was not actually engaged, and suffered no casualties at the hands of the enemy; but it lost heavily by disease in the operation leading up to the action, and so has been authorized to assume the battle honour.

In the meantime the Khalifa was not idle. He recalled Osman Digna from Suakin, and personally superintended the organization of his troops at Omdurman, opposite Khartoum. Kitchener's force was gradually strengthened. No less than thirteen gunboats had been brought up the Nile in sections, and, being of shallow draft, were able to co-operate with the troops on the banks. The time had now come for the final attempt to reconquer the Soudan. In January, 1898, Kitchener's force was further reinforced by a brigade of British troops under Major-General Gatacre, an officer who had shown himself possessed of the highest attributes of a soldier in our Indian frontier wars. The army that now faced the Khalifa on the Atbara River comprised Gatacre's brigade (the Warwicks, Lincolns, Seaforth, and Cameron Highlanders), three brigades of Egyptian troops, with a brigade of Egyptian cavalry and the camel corps. On April 5 the Sirdar made a careful reconnaissance of the Khalifa's position, and on the early morning of the 8th commenced a severe bombardment of the entrenchments behind which the Khalifa's forces lay.

Atbara, April 8, 1898.

This battle honour is borne by the

Royal Warwicks.
Lincolns.
Seaforth Highlanders.
Cameron Highlanders.

It commemorates the action fought by the army under Sir Herbert Kitchener, prior to the capture of Khartoum and the overthrow of Mahdiism. In our earlier dealings with the forces of Mahdiism, even when they were opposed to British troops, we had always found the enemy ready to meet us. At El Teb and Abu Klea, at Tamai and Tofrek, they had never hesitated to charge our squares. Now a different system of tactics was inaugurated, showing that they had learnt a bitter lesson. The fact that the Mahdists awaited them behind entrenchments, instead of charging down sword or spear in hand, naturally infused courage into our own black troops, and when, after an hour's bombardment, Kitchener stormed the enemy's position, Egyptian fellaheen vied with kilted Highlander as to who should lead the way to the front. Our success was complete: over 3,000 of the enemy were killed, our losses totalling 88 killed and 472 wounded, in both British and Egyptian forces.

Khartoum, 1898.

This battle honour, which records the services of the army commanded by Sir Herbert Kitchener at the capture of the stronghold of Mahdiism, is borne by the

21st Lancers.
Grenadier Guards.
Northumberland Fusiliers.
Royal Warwicks.
Lincolnshire.
Lancashire Fusiliers.
Seaforth Highlanders.
Cameron Highlanders.

The decisive success achieved at the Atbara on April 8, 1898, opened the road to Khartoum. The railway was now pushed on to the Atbara River, and fresh reinforcements sent out from home, bringing up Sir Herbert Kitchener's force to nearly 26,000 men, thus distributed:

In addition, there were 2 batteries of Royal Artillery, 5 Egyptian batteries, 20 machine guns, a flotilla of 10 gunboats, under Commander Keppel, R.N., the 21st Lancers, with a brigade of Egyptian cavalry and the camel corps, making a total force of 8,200 British and 17,600 Egyptian troops, with 44 field, 12 mountain, and 22 machine guns. The flotilla of armoured gunboats mounted 36 guns in addition, and these in the final action contributed not a little to the success of the day.

Late in August the whole force was concentrated at Metemneh, the site of one of the actions between the little force under Sir Herbert Stewart and the Mahdi's troops in January, 1885. On the left bank of the river lay the British force, on the opposite bank a large levy of friendly tribes eager to throw off the despotism and tyranny of the Khalifa. On September 4 the British force encamped four miles from Khartoum, and Sir Herbert Kitchener, who was not the man to leave anything to chance, threw up a strong breastwork, and bivouacked for the night. On the morrow the gunboats bombarded the fort of Omdurman. The Khalifa, stung into action, delivered a fierce attack on the zareba, but was repulsed with heavy loss. Kitchener then left its shelter, and advanced towards Omdurman; but the spirit of the Mahdiists was by no means broken. Twice did they attack the British troops, but all was of no avail. The training of the British officer now bore good fruit. Under its incomparable leader, Brigadier Hector Macdonald, his brigade of black troops manoeuvred with all the coolness of veterans, and the 21st Lancers, seizing their chance, charged into the struggling mass of the enemy, who met them with the utmost gallantry. The day was well won, and ere nightfall the British flag was flying over the walls of the Khalifa's capital. His black flag was amongst our trophies, and 10,000 of his misguided followers lay dead on the sand-hills outside the accursed city. The results of the battle, in which we lost some 500 of all ranks, killed and wounded, were the destruction of the Khalifa's army, and the restoration to the Khedivial Government of those provinces which had thrown off his rule in the great upheaval of 1884.

Casualties at the Battle of Khartoum.