IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 141319 accession number: CM.1225-2009 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Monday 15 January 2024 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: The serious weakening of Ottoman Egyptian power under foreign influence led to increasing attempts to shed Egyptian dominion in the Sudan, where in 1881 Sheikh Muhammad Ahmad ibn al-Sayyid 'Abd Allah was proclaimed as Mahdi (the legendary final redeemer of Islam). Several serious defeats of Egyptian forces in 1884 by his forces led to a concerted British campaign in defence of Egyptian claims, but control could not be recovered. The British withdrew their forces to Egypt and to Khartoum, where General Gordon defended the city whilst awaiting a relief column that, beset by Mahdist attacks, arrived too late. One of the more unsual constituents of the relief expedition was a company of 384 Canadian voyageurs, expert raftsmen recruited to help get the whalers carrying the expedition up the treacherous rapids of the Nile. The irregular appearance of the Canadians was belied by their extraordinary labours with the boats, but most of them were allowed home after it was clear that Khartoum was lost. 2nd Foreman F. Delisle, one of the two commanders of the Caughnawaga Detachment appears to have been one of those who stayed, which allowed him to become of of only three of the voyageurs to participate in the capture of the Mahdist outpost at Kirbekan that earnt him the second bar to his medal. He was 50 years old at the time of the campaign. Lester Watson purchased his medal at some point before 1928. The Museum is grateful to Mr G. M. Stein for his researches and information on Foreman Delisle's part in the campaigns. title: Egyptian Medal NOTES ----- type: history note value: Gift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, bt before 1928 LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Coins and Medals collection: Lester Watson Collection creditline: Given by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009 STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141319 TECHNIQUES ---------- struck CATEGORIES ------ category: medal DATING ------ creation date: 1884 - 1890 creation date earliest: 1884 creation date latest: 1890 CREATORS -------- maker: Birmingham maker: Wyon, Leonard Charles maker: Pinches, John maker: Victoria (1837-1901) maker: Victoria regina et imperatrix DIMENSIONS ---------- dimension: Diameter units: mm value: 36.2 dimension: Weight units: g value: 42.73 CITATIONS -------- British Battles and Medals 7th edn British and other Campaign and Gallantry Medals From the Collection of Lester Watson (d. 1959) --- IMAGES surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0108_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 124 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0108_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 124 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0108_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 124 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0108_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 124 pixels surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0108_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 124 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0108_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 124 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0108_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 124 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0108_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 124 pixels