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68-639: In 1881, an Egyptian army officer, Ahmed ‘Urabi (then known in English as Arabi Pasha), mutinied and initiated a coup against Tewfik Pasha , the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan , because of grievances over disparities in pay between Egyptians and Europeans, as well as other concerns. In January 1882 the British and French governments sent a "Joint Note" to the Egyptian government, declaring their recognition of

136-482: A 10 + 1 ⁄ 2 -hour bombardment of Alexandria on 11 July. The reasons why the British government sent a fleet of ships to the coast of Alexandria is a point of historical debate. In their 1961 essay Africa and the Victorians , Ronald Robinson and John Gallagher argue that the British invasion was ordered to quell the perceived anarchy of the ‘ Urabi Revolt , as well as to protect British control over

204-594: A fellah , or peasant background, would not have been possible without the modernising reforms of Khedive Isma'il , who had done much to eliminate the barriers between the bulk of the Egyptian populace and the ruling elite, who were drawn largely from the military castes that had ruled Egypt for centuries. Isma'il abolished the exclusive access to the Egyptian and Sudanese military ranks by Egyptians of Balkan, Circassian, and Turkish origin. Isma'il conscripted soldiers and recruited students from throughout Egypt and Sudan regardless of class and ethnic backgrounds in order to form

272-576: A "modern" and "national" Egyptian military and bureaucratic elite class. Without these reforms, ʻUrabi's rise through the ranks of the military would likely have been far more restricted. ʻUrabi served during the Ethiopian-Egyptian War (1874-1876) in a support role on the Egyptian Army's lines of communication. He is said to have returned from the war - which Egypt lost - "incensed at the way in which it had been mismanaged", and

340-678: A desire within one element of the ruling Liberal Party for a militant foreign policy in order to gain the domestic political popularity that enabled it to compete with the Conservative Party . Hopkins cites a letter from Edward Malet , the British consul general in Egypt at the time, to a member of the Gladstone cabinet offering his congratulations on the invasion: "You have fought the battle of all Christendom and history will acknowledge it. May I also venture to say that it has given

408-693: A dignified one but that of a titular ruler compelled to stand by while others discussed and managed the affairs of his country. The Sultan was his suzerain ; in Britain he recognized his protector: to the representative of each he endeavoured to show friendliness and esteem. As time went on his confidence in Baring increased, until at last he deferred to the British agent in almost everything. On occasion, however, he acted on his own initiative, as when in June 1888 he dismissed Nubar Pasha and summoned Riaz Pasha to form

476-422: A dozen casualties, Wolseley was so concerned about the quality of his men that he wrote Cambridge for reforms to recruiting. Nonetheless, these were the elite of the British army and, these skirmishes were costly. Legend and a poem "At Kassassin ", say the battle began as it was getting dark. On September 9, Urabi seized what he considered his last chance to attack the British position. A fierce battle ensued on

544-468: A firm line with the rebels, but his attitude was governed by his relations with Britain and France, and he was unable to control events. The dissatisfaction culminated in the anti-foreign movement headed by Urabi Pasha , who had gained complete command of the army. In July 1882 the attitude of Urabi, who was carrying out defensive works on a large scale, made the British admiral (Sir Beauchamp Seymour , afterwards Lord Alcester) to declare that he would bombard

612-419: A ministry, an action influenced, nevertheless, by Tewfik's knowledge of the divergence of views between Nubar and the British agent. Baring encouraged Tewfik to show his activity in matters of administration, and he took a great interest in all matters connected with irrigation, education and justice. He was not an imposing man, but he showed a genuine desire to govern his country for its own benefit. He understood

680-588: A national hero. He also inspired political activists living in Ceylon . Tewfik Pasha Mohamed Tewfik Pasha ( Arabic : محمد توفيق باشا Muḥammad Tawfīq Bāshā ; April 30 or 15 November 1852 – 7 January 1892), also known as Tawfiq of Egypt , was khedive of Egypt and the Sudan between 1879 and 1892 and the sixth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty . He inherited a state suffering under

748-607: A very important role in Egyptian history , with some historians noting that the 1881-1882 revolution laid the foundation for mass politics in Egypt. In July 1952, when Mohamed Naguib , one of the two principal leaders of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 , addressed crowds of supporters in Cairo's Ismailia Square on the toppling of King Farouk , he consciously linked this 20th century revolution to 'Urabi's revolt against

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816-644: Is now the Orabi Pasha Cultural Center. During his time in Ceylon, ʻUrabi worked to improve the quality of education amongst the Muslims in the country. Hameed Al Husseinie College , Sri Lanka's first school for Muslims was established on 15 November 1884 and after eight years Zahira College , was established on 22 August 1892 under his patronage. In May 1901, Khedive Abbas II , Tewfik's son and successor permitted ʻUrabi to return to Egypt. Abbas

884-462: The Battle of Tel al-Kebir , had consented to the reforms insisted upon by Britain, and had assumed the position of a constitutional ruler under the guidance of Lord Dufferin , the British special commissioner. When cholera broke out, he insisted upon going to Alexandria. His wife accompanied him, and he went round the hospitals, setting an excellent example to the authorities of the city, and encouraging

952-454: The Kassassin lock arriving on 26 August. There they met the enemy. Heavily outnumbered, the two battalions with four guns held their ground until some heavy cavalry arrived when the force went onto the offensive, forcing ‘Urabi to fall back 5 miles (8.0 km) with heavy casualties. The main body of the army started to move up to Kassassin and planning for the battle at Tell El Kebir

1020-694: The Royal Navy warships in the harbor opened fire on the city's artillery emplacements after the Egyptians ignored an ultimatum from Admiral Seymour to remove them. The Battle of Kassassin was fought at the Sweet Water Canal , when on August 28, 1882, the British force was attacked by the Egyptians, led by 'Urabi. They needed to carve a passage through Ismailia and the cultivated Delta. Both attacks were repulsed. The Household Cavalry under

1088-615: The Suez Canal in order to maintain its shipping route to the Indian Ocean . A.G. Hopkins rejected Robinson and Gallagher's argument, citing original documents to claim that there was no perceived danger to the Suez Canal from the ‘Urabi movement, and that ‘Urabi and his forces were not chaotic " anarchists ", but rather maintained law and order. He alternatively argues that British Prime Minister William Gladstone 's cabinet

1156-588: The Suez Canal . Therefore, they and the French dispatched warships to Egypt to prevent such an eventuality from occurring. Tewfik fled to their protection, moving his court to Alexandria . The strong naval presence spurred fears of an imminent invasion (as had been the case in Tunisia in 1881 ) causing anti-Christian riots to break out in Alexandria on 12 June 1882. The French fleet was recalled to France, while

1224-451: The 24th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers ( Post Office Rifles ) and for the first time in British military history, post office clerks trained as soldiers provided a dedicated postal service to an army in the field. During the battle of Kassassin they became the first Volunteers to come under enemy fire. Prime Minister Gladstone initially sought to put ‘Urabi on trial and execute him, portraying him as "a self-seeking tyrant whose oppression of

1292-451: The British force advanced on Cairo which surrendered without a shot being fired, as did ʻUrabi and the other nationalist leaders. ʻUrabi was tried by the restored Khedivate for rebellion on 3 December 1882. He was defended by British solicitor Richard Eve and Alexander Meyrick Broadley . According to Elizabeth Thompson , ʻUrabi's defense stressed the idea that despite the fact that he had been illegally incarcerated by Riyad Pasha and

1360-413: The British government. The British fleet bombarded Alexandria from 11 to 13 July and then occupied it with marines . The British did not lose a single ship, but much of the city was destroyed by fires caused by explosive shells and, according to contemporary British sources, by ‘Urabists seeking to ruin the city that the British were taking over. Tewfik Pasha , who had moved his court to Alexandria during

1428-569: The Egyptian monarch seven decades earlier, reciting 'Urabi's words to Khedive Tewfik that the people of Egypt were "no longer inheritable" by any ruler. The new revolutionary government mimicked 'Urabi in declaring that Ismailia Square, the main public plaza in Cairo, henceforth be Tahrir Square ( Liberation Square ). During the tenure of Gamal Abdel Nasser , who led the Revolution with Naguib and succeeded him as Prime Minister and later President, ʻUrabi would to be hailed as an Egyptian patriot and

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1496-591: The Egyptian people still left him enough time, in his capacity as a latter-day Saladin, to massacre Christians." After glancing through his captured diaries and various other evidence, there was little with which to "demonize" ‘Urabi in a public trial. His charges were downgraded, after which he admitted to rebellion and was sent into exile. British troops then occupied Egypt until the Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence of 1922 and Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936 , giving gradual control back to

1564-418: The Egyptians were retreating, Alison ordered a probing attack on the evening of the 5th. This action was reported by 'Urabi as a battle, and Cairo was full of the news that the advancing British had been repulsed; however most historians describe the action as a reconnaissance -in-force that was never intended to seriously assault Egyptian lines. Regardless, the British abandoned the idea of reaching Cairo from

1632-722: The Khedive Tewfik he had still responded in a manner allowed under Egyptian law and with the hopes that the khedivate remain after his intervention, thus demonstrating loyalty to the Egyptian people as required by his duties. In accordance with an understanding made with the British representative, Lord Dufferin , ʻUrabi pleaded guilty and was sentenced to death, but the sentence was immediately commuted to one of banishment for life. He left Egypt on 28 December 1882 for Ceylon (now Sri Lanka ). His home in Halloluwa Road, Kandy (formerly owned by Mudaliyar Jeronis de Soysa )

1700-472: The Khedive's authority. On 20 May, British and French warships arrived off the coast of Alexandria . On 11 June, an anti-Christian riot occurred in Alexandria that killed 50 Europeans. Colonel ‘Urabi ordered his forces to put down the riot, but Europeans fled the city and ‘Urabi's army began fortifying the town. The French fleet was recalled to France. A British ultimatum was rejected, and its warships began

1768-491: The Liberal Party a new lease of popularity and power." John Galbraith and Afaf Lutfi al-Sayyid-Marsot make a similar argument to Hopkins, though their argument focuses on how individuals within the British government bureaucracy used their positions to make the invasion appear as a more favourable option. First, they describe a plot by Malet in which he portrayed the Egyptian government as unstable to his superiors in

1836-410: The cabinet. On Galbraith and al-Sayyid-Marsot's reading, Malet naïvely expected he could convince the British to intimidate Egypt with a show of force without considering a full invasion or occupation as a possibility. They also dwell on Admiral Beauchamp Seymour , who they claim hastened the start of the bombardment by exaggerating the danger posed to his ships by ‘Urabi's forces in his telegrams back to

1904-496: The campaign as a logistical challenge as he did not believe the Egyptians would put up much resistance. Order of battle of the British Expeditionary Force This battle took place on 5 August 1882 between an Egyptian army under Ahmed 'Urabi and British forces headed by Sir Archibald Alison . To ascertain the strength of the Egyptian's Kafr El Dawwar position, and to test local rumours that

1972-628: The command of General Drury Drury-Lowe led the "Moonlight Charge", consisting of the Royal Horse Guards and 7th Dragoon Guards galloping at full tilt into enemy rifle fire. Their ranks were whittled down from the saddle, but still they charged headlong, ever forward. Sir Baker Russell commanded 7th on the right; whereas the Household was led by Colonel Ewart, c/o of the Life Guards. They captured 11 Egyptian guns. Despite only half

2040-584: The day before. At 8:30 am on 13 September, after the victory at the battle of Tell El Kebir, Wolseley used the telegram to send messages of his victory to Queen Victoria ; he received a reply from her at 9.15 am the same day. Once they had got connected to the permanent line, the Section also worked the Theiber sounder and the telephone. The forerunners of Royal Engineers (Postal Section) made their debut on this campaign. They were specially raised from

2108-528: The day of the battle (13 September) they ran a train into Tell El Kebir station between 8 and 9 am and "found it completely blocked with trains, full of the enemy's ammunition: the line strewn with dead and wounded, and our own soldiers swarming over the place almost mad for want of water" (extract from Captain Sidney Smith's diary). Once the station was cleared they began to ferry the wounded, prisoners and troops with stores to other destinations. In

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2176-572: The demonstrations in Alexandria of 1882 prompted a British bombardment and invasion which led to the capture of ʻUrabi and his allies and the imposition of British control in Egypt . ʻUrabi and his allies were sentenced by Tewfik into exile far away in British Ceylon , as a form of punishment . He was born in 1841 in the village of Hirriyat Razna near Zagazig in the Sharqia Governorate , approximately 80 kilometres to

2244-434: The dual control was reestablished by the governments of Britain and France. For over two years Major Evelyn Baring (afterwards Lord Cromer), Auckland Colvin , and Monsieur Ernest de Blignières practically governed the country, endeavouring to institute reforms while possessing no means of coercion. During all this time the disaffection in the Egyptian army was increasing. Tewfik had been blamed for his failure to take

2312-473: The experience turned him towards politics and decisively against the Khedive. He was a galvanizing speaker. Because of his peasant origins, he was at the time, and is still today, viewed as an authentic voice of the Egyptian people. Indeed, he was known by his followers as 'El Wahid' (the Only One), and when the British poet and explorer Wilfrid Blunt went to meet him, he found the entrance of ʻUrabi's house

2380-431: The financial and political mismanagement of his predecessor Isma'il . Disaffection in the Egyptian army as well as Anglo-French control of the state in the 1880s culminated in the anti-foreign Urabi revolt . Tewfik also took interest in matters concerning irrigation, education and justice; as well as selling his father's female slaves and closing the court's harem quarters. He was the oldest son of Khedive Isma'il , and

2448-462: The forts of Alexandria unless they were handed over to him. Before the bombardment began it was suggested to Tewfik that he should leave the city and embark either upon a man-of-war belonging to one of the neutral powers, or in his own yacht, or in a mail steamer which was then in the port. His answer was, "I am still Khedive, and I remain with my people in the hour of their danger." At his palace of Qasr el-Raml, three miles (five kilometers) from

2516-647: The government of Egypt. Hopkins argues that Britain continued its occupation of Egypt after 1882 in order to guarantee British investments: "Britain had important interests to defend in Egypt and she was prepared to withdraw only if conditions guaranteeing the security of those interests were met—and they never were." Consistent with this view, investment in Egypt increased during the British occupation, interest rates fell, and bond prices rose. Ahmed %E2%80%98Urabi Ahmed Urabi ( [ˈæħmæd ʕoˈɾɑːbi] ; Arabic : أحمد عرابي ; 31 March 1841 – 21 September 1911), also known as Ahmed Ourabi or Orabi Pasha ,

2584-477: The hastily created common law government based on popular sovereignty. Feeling threatened, Khedive Tewfik requested assistance against ʻUrabi from the Ottoman Sultan , to whom Egypt and Sudan still owed technical fealty. The Sublime Porte hesitated in responding to the request. The British were especially concerned that ʻUrabi would default on Egypt's massive debt and that he might try to gain control of

2652-470: The importance to Egypt of British assistance and support; his natural shrewdness made him accept the British conditions; his natural good feeling kept him from any inclination to intrigue. He was courteous and amiable, he had no desire to keep up the unapproachable state of an oriental ruler. In many ways his manners and habits were less oriental than European. He married in 1873 his ethnic Albanian kinswoman, Emina Ilhamy , with whom he lived very happily. She

2720-401: The insistence of Britain and France , was deposed by Sultan Abdul Hamid II , who sent orders at the same time that Tewfik should be proclaimed Khedive. The new khedive was so displeased by the news of his accession that he soundly boxed the ears of the servant who first brought the tidings to him. Egypt and Sudan at that time was involved in financial and political troubles brought about by

2788-539: The law was repealed. In 1879 they formed the Egyptian Nationalist Party in the hopes of fostering a stronger national identity. He and his allies in the army joined with the reformers in February 1882 to demand change. This revolt, also known as the ʻUrabi revolt , was primarily inspired by his desire for social justice for the Egyptians based on equal standing before the law. With the support of

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2856-520: The main objective at Tell El Kebir where another battle was fought, the Battle of Tell El Kebir . In September a British army landed in Alexandria but failed to reach Cairo after being checked at the Battle of Kafr El Dawwar . Another army, led by Sir Garnet Wolseley , landed in the Canal Zone and on 13 September 1882 they defeated ʻUrabi's army at the Battle of Tell El Kebir . From there,

2924-809: The nationalist Khedive Abbas II would form an alliance with the Ottoman Empire against the United Kingdom during the First World War , the British administration in Egypt deposed him in favour of his uncle, Hussein Kamel . The legal fiction of Ottoman sovereignty was terminated, and the Sultanate of Egypt that had been destroyed by the Ottomans in 1517 was re-established, with Hussein Kamel as Sultan . No longer an Ottoman vassal state, Egypt

2992-510: The new arrangement as applying strictly to the eldest son. Tewfik therefore became heir-apparent . He was given a palace near Cairo to live in, and for twelve years he led an uneventful life, farming and establishing a reputation for good sense and fair dealing with his fellow tenants. In Cairo on 15 January 1873 he married Princess Emina Ilhamy ( Constantinople , 24 May 1858 – Bebek , Istanbul, 19 June 1931), daughter of Prince Ibrahim al-Hami and Parlanta Qadin. In 1878 he

3060-449: The north of Cairo . ʻUrabi was the son of a village leader and one of the wealthier members of the community, which allowed him to receive a decent education. After completing elementary education in his home village, he enrolled at Al-Azhar University to complete his schooling in 1849. He entered the army and moved up quickly through the ranks, reaching lieutenant colonel by age 20. The modern education and military service of ʻUrabi, from

3128-421: The north, and shifted their base of operations to Ismailia . Wolseley arrived at Alexandria on 15 August and immediately began to move troops to and through the Suez Canal, to Ismailia, which was occupied on 20 August without resistance. Ismailia was quickly reinforced with 9,000 troops, with the engineers put to work repairing the railway line from Suez. A small force was pushed along the Sweet Water Canal to

3196-520: The patients by kind and hopeful words. Egyptian Fundamental Ordinance of 1882, a constitution, followed an abortive attempt to promulgate a constitution in 1879 . The document was limited in scope and was effectively more of an organic law of the Consultative Council to the khedive than an actual constitution. In 1884, Sir Evelyn Baring (Lord Cromer) went back to Egypt as diplomatic agent and Consul-General of Britain. His first task

3264-456: The peasants as well, he launched a broader effort to try to wrest Egypt and Sudan from foreign control, and also to end the absolutist regime of the Khedive, who was himself subject to European influence under the rules of the Caisse de la Dette Publique . The Arab-Egyptian deputies demanded a constitution that granted the state parliamentary power. The revolt then spread to express resentment of

3332-483: The policy of Isma'il, and the situation was made worse by the inaction of Britain and France for some months following Tewfik's accession. Tewfik's people were dissatisfied, his army disaffected; his advisers were nearly all of the adventurer class, with their own ends to gain; and he himself had neither the character of a strong ruler nor the experience that would have enabled him to secure an orderly administration of affairs. Disorder prevailed until November 1879, when

3400-474: The railway line at 7 am. General Willis sallied out from emplacements to drive back the Egyptians, who at 12 pm returned to their trenches. Thereupon Sir Garnet Wolseley arrived with the main force, while the Household Cavalry guarded his flank from a force at Salanieh. A total force of 634 officers and 16,767 NCOs and men were stationed at Kassassin before they marched on September 13, 1882, towards

3468-467: The town, he was beyond reach of the shells, but his life was nevertheless imperiled. When the rebel soldiers attacked the palace he managed to make his escape and to reach another palace after passing through the burning streets of Alexandria. Here he was obliged to agree that a guard of British bluejackets should protect him from further risk. He showed his courage equally during the cholera epidemic at Alexandria in 1883. He had gone back to Cairo after

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3536-493: The undue influence of foreigners, including the predominantly Turko- Circassian aristocracy from other parts of the Ottoman Empire. ʻUrabi was first promoted to Bey , then made under-secretary of war, and ultimately a member of the cabinet. Plans were developed to create a parliamentary assembly. During the last months of the revolt (July to September 1882), it was claimed that ʻUrabi held the office of Prime Minister of

3604-452: The unrest, declared ‘Urabi a rebel and formally deposed him from his positions within the government. ‘Urabi then reacted by obtaining a fatwa from Al Azhar shaykhs which condemned Tewfik as a traitor to both his country and religion, absolving those who fought against him. ‘Urabi also declared war on the United Kingdom and initiated conscription. The British Army launched a probing attack at Kafr El Dawwar in an attempt to see if it

3672-685: The wake of the advancing columns, telegraph lines were laid on either side of the Sweet Water canal. At 2 am on 13 September, Wolseley successfully sent a message to the Major General Sir Herbert Macpherson on the extreme left with the Indian Contingent and the Naval Brigade. At Tell El Kebir a field telegraph office was established in a saloon carriage, which Arabi Pasha had travelled in

3740-465: Was a nationalist in the vein of his grandfather, Khedive Isma'il the Magnificent , and remained deeply opposed to British influence in Egypt. ʻUrabi returned on 1 October 1901, and remained in Egypt until his death on 21 September 1911. While the British intervention was meant to be a temporary state of affairs, British forces continued to occupy Egypt for decades afterwards. In 1914, fearing that

3808-434: Was an Egyptian military officer. He was the first political and military leader in Egypt to rise from the fellahin (peasantry). Urabi participated in an 1879 mutiny that developed into the ʻUrabi revolt against the administration of Khedive Tewfik , which was under the influence of an Anglo - French consortium . He was promoted to Tewfik's cabinet and began reforms of Egypt 's military and civil administrations, but

3876-434: Was appointed president of the council after the dismissal of Nubar Pasha . He held this office only for a few months; but this was long enough to show that he had the wisdom to refrain from taking part in the intrigues which then dominated the political life in Egypt and Sudan. He went back to his estate, and settled down once more to a quiet country life. He was undisturbed only for a short time. On 26 June 1879, Isma'il, at

3944-409: Was blocked with supplicants. When Khedive Tewfik issued a new law preventing peasants from becoming officers, ʻUrabi led the group protesting the preference shown to aristocratic officers (again, largely Egyptians of foreign descent). ʻUrabi repeatedly condemned severe prevalent racial discrimination of ethnic Egyptians in the army. He and his followers, who included most of the army, were successful and

4012-467: Was born on April 30 or November 15, 1852. His mother was Princess Shafaq Nur Hanim . He was not sent to Europe to be educated like his younger brothers, but grew up in Egypt. He spoke French and English fluently. In 1866 Isma'il succeeded in his endeavour to alter the order of succession to the Khedivate of Egypt . The title, instead of passing to the oldest living male descendant of Muhammad Ali ,

4080-504: Was declared a British protectorate . Five years later, nationalist opposition to the United Kingdom's continued dominance of Egyptian affairs sparked the Egyptian Revolution of 1919 , prompting the British to formally recognise Egypt as an independent sovereign state in 1922. ʻUrabi's revolt had a profound and long-lasting impact on Egypt, surpassing even the efforts of resistance hero Omar Makram in its significance as an expression of nationalistic sentiments in Egypt . It would later play

4148-450: Was little time to arrange them. ‘Urabi's forces possessed 60 pieces of artillery and breech loading rifles. Wolseley made several personal reconnaissances, and determined that the Egyptians did not man outposts in front of their main defences at night, which made it possible for an attacking force to approach the defences under cover of darkness. Wolseley sent his force to approach the position by night and attacked frontally at dawn. Surprise

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4216-489: Was motivated by protecting the interests of British bondholders with investments in Egypt as well as by pursuit of domestic political popularity. Hopkins cites the British investments in Egypt that grew massively leading into the 1880s, partially as a result of the Khedive's debt from construction of the Suez Canal , as well as the close links that existed between the British government and the economic sector. He writes that Britain's economic interests occurred simultaneously with

4284-636: Was not achieved; rifle fire and artillery from redoubts opened up when the range was 600 yards (550 m). Continuing the advance, the defending troops were hampered by the smoke from their weapons blocking their vision of the advancing British. The three battalions arrived in the enemy trenches all together and with little loss, resulting in a decisive victory for the British. The British Army lost 900 troops while killing approximately two thousand Egyptians. Some British troops captured by Egyptians were brutally tortured to death. The ‘Urabi forces were routed, and British cavalry pursued them and captured Cairo, which

4352-466: Was now to descend from father to son. Ismail sought this alteration mainly because he disliked his uncle, Halim Pasha , who was his heir-presumptive , and he had imagined that he would be able to select whichever of his sons he pleased as his successor. But he found, after the change had been made, that the Great Powers ( Britain , Germany , Austria-Hungary , and the Ottoman Empire ) interpreted

4420-634: Was possible to reach Cairo through Alexandria. Afterwards, they determined it would not be possible to reach Cairo from this direction as Egyptian defences were too strong. In August, a British army of over 40,000, commanded by Garnet Wolseley , invaded the Suez Canal Zone . He was authorised to destroy 'Urabi's forces and clear the country of all other rebels. The engineer troops had left England for Egypt in July and August 1882. The engineers included pontoon, railway and telegraph troops. Wolseley saw

4488-528: Was to demand that Tewfik should abandon the Turco-Egyptian Sudan . Tewfik gave his consent with natural reluctance, but, having consented, he did everything he could to ensure the success of the policy which Baring had been sent to carry out. He behaved with equal propriety during the negotiations between Sir H. Drummond Wolff and the Turkish envoy, Mukhtar Pasha , in 1886. His position was not

4556-498: Was undefended. Power was then restored to the Khedive, the war was at an end and the majority of the British army went to Alexandria and took ship for home, leaving, from November, just an army of occupation. Lieutenant William Mordaunt Marsh Edwards was awarded a Victoria Cross for his gallantry during the battle. During the buildup to the battle at Tell El Kebir the specially raised 8th Railway Company RE operated trains carrying stores and troops, as well as repairing track. On

4624-422: Was undertaken. Skirmishing took place but did not interfere with the build-up. On 12 September, all was ready and during that night the army marched to battle. On 13 September, ‘Urabi redeployed to defend Cairo against Wolseley. His main force dug in at Tell El Kebir, north of the railway and the Sweet Water Canal , both of which linked Cairo to Ismailia on the canal. The defences were hastily prepared as there

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