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29/03/2024 07:09am

Khedive’s Sudan Medal 1896 - 1908

Conflict
 
The Sudan Campaign 1896 - 1908.
 
Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.
 
History
 
The Khedive’s Sudan Medal 1896 - 1908 was a British Empire campaign medal presented for service during the Sudan campaign of 1896 - 1908. The medal was instituted in February 1897 and was awarded by the Khedivate of Egypt - Abbas Hilmi Pasha - initially to commemorate the re-conquest of the Dongola province in 1896, but was then subsequently for later campaigns and actions up until 1908, consequently, the medal was awarded with fifteen different clasps.
 
While awards to British troops seldom have more than two bars, as many as ten clasps on a single medal have been documented.
 
Description
 
The medal is circular, 39mm in diameter and was struck in either silver or bronze. The obverse of this medal contains the Arabic inscription; 'ABBAS HILMI THE SECOND' and the date; '1314'.
 
The reverse contains the Arabic inscription; 'THE RECONQUEST OF THE SUDAN 1314', supporting a trophy of arms.
 
Over this is a centrally positioned oval shield decorated with stars and crescents - in the background is a display of lances and flags.
 
The ribbon suspender is of the plain, straight and swivelling style.
 
The medal was issued un-named, however many were privately named at regimental level in various styles including large serif capitals and running script.
 
Ribbon
 
 
The ribbon of the medal is 39mm wide and yellow in colour with a broad blue centre stripe - the yellow representing the sands of the Sudan and the blue representing the Nile.
 
Bars/Clasps
 
This medal was issued with the following clasps:-
 
Firket
Awarded for service connected with the re-conquest of the Province of Dongola who were serving at or to the south of Sarras between the 30 March and the 23 September 1896, and to the troops under Brigadier General C. C. Egerton, C.B., D.S.O., A.D.C., serving at Suakin between the same dates inclusive, who took part in the operations south of Akasheh on the 7 June 1896.
Hafir
As above but to those who took part in the operations south of Fareig on 19 September 1896.  (Civilian syces and servants received the award in bronze without the clasps Firket and Hafir.)
Sudan 1897
Awarded to all troops who had already been granted the medal and who served at and South of Kerma on the Nile or South of No. 6 Station on the Abu Hamed Railway between the 15 July and 6 November 1897.
Abu Hamed
Awarded for service during the capture of Abu Hamed, the re-conquest of the Province of Berber, the defeat of Emir Mahmud's army on the Atbara, and the final operations resulting in the overthrow of the Khalifa's troops in Khartoum who:-
I). Served at and south of Kerma on the Nile, between the 15 July and 6 November 1897.
II). Served at and south of No. 6 Station on the Abu Hamed Railway, between the 15 July and 6 November 1897.
III). Served at and south of Abu Hamed on the 8 April 1898.
IV). Served at and south of Assuan between 8 April and 2 September 1898…
…and took part in the engagement at Abu Hamed on the 7 August 1897.
The Atbara
As above but who took part in the battle at Atbara on the 8 April 1898.
Khartoum
As above but who took part in the battle near Khartoum (Omdurman) on 2 September 1898.
Gedaref
As above but who took part in the capture of Gedaref on the 22 September, 1898, and in the subsequent engagements in the neighbourhood.
Gedid
Awarded for service at the action at Gedid or its vicinity on 22 and 24 November 1899.
Sudan 1899
Awarded for service on the Blue and White Niles south of Khartoum during 1899.
Bahr El Ghazal 1900-02
Awarded service during the policing operations in the Bahr-El-Ghazal Province under the command of Sparkes Bey in 1900-1902.
Jerok
Awarded for service under the command of Miralai Gorringe Bey, C.M.G., D.S.O., who took part in the operations against the slave raider Ibrahim Wad Mahmud at and around Gebel Jerok between 11 February 1904 and 3 March, 1904
Nyam Nyam
Awarded for service under the command of Boulnois Bey who took part in the suppression of trouble in the Bahr-el-Ghasal Province between January and May 1905.
Talodi
Awarded for service under the command of Miralai O'Connell Bey who formed part of the garrison at Talodi between the 25 May - 12 June, 1906 and who took part in the fighting at Teira on the 15 and 17 June 1906.
Katfia
Awarded for service at the action of Katfia on the night of 1-2 May 1908.
Nyima
Awarded for service under the command of El Kaimakam Lempriere Bey who served at Dilling, or south and west of that place, between the 1 and 21 November 1908.
 
Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.
 
Dealer Retail Value */**
 
Khedive’s Sudan Medal un-named in silver
£175.00
Khedive’s Sudan Medal un-named in bronze
£150.00
Khedive’s Sudan Medal named to Royal Navy
£375.00
Khedive’s Sudan Medal named to British unit
£185.00
Khedive’s Sudan Medal named to Indian unit
£165.00
For valuations for medals with specific clasps, or, 1 or more clasps please ‘contact us’. ***
 
* It should be noted that the values quoted above reflect the average price that a medal dealer may expect to sell this medal for - please see the ‘things you should know’ web page for more details about valuing medals.
 
** The individual medal value will vary considerably based on the recipient’s details.
 
*** Due to the large number of clasps available for this medal, the value for medals which contains certain clasps will vary considerably.
 
Further Historical Context
 
This section contains information on:-
 
- The Mahdist War.
- The Battle Of Ferkeh.
- The Battle Of Hafir.
- The Battle Of Abu Hamed.
- The Battle Of Atbara.
- The Battle Of Omdurman.
- The Battle Of Gedaref.
- The Battle Of Roseires.
- The Battle Of Umm Diwaykarat.
 
The Mahdist War - The Mahdist War (also called the Mahdist Revolt) was a colonial war of the late 19th century. It was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese and the Egyptian and later British forces. It has also been called the Anglo-Sudan War or the Sudanese Mahdist Revolt.
 
The British have called their part in the conflict the Sudan Campaign. It was vividly described by Winston Churchill (who took part in its concluding stages) in 'The River War'.
 
This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.
 
The Battle Of Ferkeh - The Battle of Ferkeh (or Firket) occurred during the Mahdist War when an army of the Mahdist Sudanese was surprised and wiped out by the British and Egyptian forces under Sir Herbert Kitchener on 7 June 1896.
 
In 1896, as part of the Sudan campaign, Kitchener's Anglo-Egyptian force was advancing on Dongola, in Northern Sudan. Ferkeh was a small fortified village on the banks of the Nile. It was the first important Mahdist position they encountered. At the time, it was occupied by 3,000 Mahdist warriors, led by the Emirs Hammuda and Osman Azrak.
 
Kitchener's force, nominally in service of the Khedive of Egypt, but in fact under direct British control, was composed of Egyptian and Sudanese soldiers, led by British officers. It numbered 9,000 men, accompanied by three batteries of field guns and one battery of Maxim guns.
 
Kitchener divided his force into two columns. One was formed mostly of infantry, and had to march along the Nile to attack Ferkeh from the North. The other consisted of cavalry, camel-mounted infantry and horse artillery units and was sent through the desert to attack from the South-East. Both columns departed in the evening of the 6th, and marched through the night, deploying at dawn in the morning of the 7th.
 
The attack caught the Mahdists completely by surprise, and they made only uncoordinated attacks against the deploying Egyptians, during which Hammuda was killed. Many of the Mahdists then turned and fled.
 
The cavalry column should have cut off their retreat, but they were hidden from view by the terrain, and many made good their escape along the Nile, including Osman Azrak. Other Mahdists stayed in their fortifications in the village, and fought to the bitter end. The Egyptians had to clear the position with bayonets.
 
The battle lasted less than three hours - from 04:30 to 07:20 - and resulted in the deaths of 20 Egyptians and 800 to 1000 Mahdists. It was the first significant action during the Sudan campaign.
 
This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.
 
The Battle Of Hafir - The Battle Of Hafir 19 September was principally an action involving Kitchener’s gunboat flotilla against  Mahdist forces.
 
The Mahdist withdraw after an action opening the way to the capture of Dongola.
 
This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.
 
The Battle Of Abu Hamed - The Battle of Abu Hamed fought on the 7 August 1897 - was an engagement whereby a 'Flying Column' of the Egyptian Army under Hunter Pasha captures the strategic riverside town of Abua Hamed enabling the railway from Wadi Halfa to reach the Nile. Two British officers of 10th Sudanese Battalion were killed.
 
The Battle Of Atbara - The Battle of Atbara took place during the Second Sudan War. Anglo-Egyptian forces defeated 15,000 Sudanese rebels, called Mahdists or Dervishes. The battle proved to be the turning point in the conquest of Sudan by a British and Egyptian coalition.
 
By 1898, the combined British and Egyptian army was advancing down the Nile river into Sudan. The Sudanese Mahdist leader, the Khalifa Abdallahi ibn Muhammad ordered the Emir Mahmud Ahmad and his 10,000 strong army of western Sudan northward towards the junction of the Nile and Atbara rivers to engage the British and Egyptian army led by Herbert Kitchener.
 
Encamping on the banks of the Atbara river by March 20, Mahmud, with Osman Digna's group of Dervish warriors were within 20 miles (32 km) of the British camp outpost at Fort Atbara at the confluence of the Atbara with the Nile. On April 4, after seeing that the Mahdists were unwilling to attack, Kitchener quietly advanced with the British and Egyptian army towards the Mahdist fortified camp just outside the town of Nakheila.
 
The British attack began at 06:20 on April 8, 1898; two brigades, the British Brigade led by William Gatacre, and the Egyptian Brigade led by Archibald Hunter, led the attack. After a brief artillery bombardment of the Mahdist camp, the combined British and Egyptian brigades attacked. Soon, the British and Egyptian troops were in the Mahdist camp, often fighting hand-to-hand with the Mahdist warriors.
 
After 45 minutes, the battle was over as Osman Digna led a few thousand warriors on a retreat to the south, while most of the remainder were killed or captured, including Mahmud who was captured by loyal Sudanese troops of the Egyptian Brigade.
 
This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.
 
The Battle Of Omdurman - At the Battle of Omdurman (2 September 1898), an army commanded by the British General Sir Herbert Kitchener defeated the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi, Muhammad Ahmad. It was a demonstration of the superiority of a highly disciplined European-led army equipped with modern rifles, machine guns and artillery over a vastly larger force armed with older weapons, and marked the success of British efforts to re-conquer the Sudan. However, it was not until the 1899 Battle of Umm Diwaykarat that the final Mahdist forces were defeated.
 
The village of Omdurman was chosen in 1884 as the base of operations by the Mahdi, Muhammad Ahmad. After his death in 1885, following the successful siege of Khartoum, his successor (Khalifa) Abdullah retained it as his capital.
 
This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.
 
The Battle Of Gedaref - During the Turkiyah Egyptian rule, Gedaref became an administrative unit with a strong military garrison. The Mahdist forces preserved this statute when they occupied it in 1884 during the Mahdist Revolt, using it as a base to conquer other places in the area and neighbouring Ethiopia.
 
In September 1898 a British battalion led by Lieutenant-Colonel Parsons moved from Kassala toward Gedaref and clashed with a Mahdist Dervishes army composed of 3,500 men under the command of the Mahdist Emir Sa'ad-allah in a jungle located between the River Atbara and Gedaref town.
 
The fighting was fierce, but the forces of Parsons managed finally to defeat the Mahdist Dervishes. In the town a small garrison was left consisting of 200 soldiers led by the Mahdi Emir Nur Angara. The Mahdist Dervishes who fought bravely realized their defeat and retreated to the west of the city.
 
Most of the defeated army was composed of soldiers from the Darfur and Kordofan regions of western Sudan. They had no choice except to settle their status with the British to stay and live with their families in the western part of Gedaref, which later became the basis of the Mayoral Bakr, whose influence extends to the frontier town of Gallabat in the Sudanese Ethiopian border.
 
This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.
 
The Battle Of Roseires - Er Roseires is a town in eastern Sudan 60 km from the border with Ethiopia.
 
Lord Prudhoe mentions this town in the 1829 diary he kept while travelling in the Sennar. At the time it was the residence of one Sheikh Suliman, ruler of the lower reach of the Blue Nile (known as Bahr-el-azrek), for which he paid 1500 ounces of gold to the Egyptians out of his revenues. The Roseires Dam is located just upstream of the town
 
The Battle Of Roseires was fought here on 26 December 1898. During the battle Sudenese troops led by Lewis Bey defeated Ahmed Fadel. During the battle the 10th Sudanese Battalion suffered heavy casualties.
 
This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.
 
The Battle Of Umm Diwaykarat - The Battle of Umm Diwaykarat on November 25, 1899 marked the final obliteration of Muhammad Ahmad's short-lived Sudanese empire, when Anglo-Egyptian forces under the command of Lord Kitchener wiped out what was left of the Mahdist armies under the command of the Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, known as the Khalifa, after the equally disastrous Battle of Omdurman a year earlier.
 
This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.