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Egypt 15th Hussars Nile Camel Regiment

Egypt Medal, undated, The Nile 1884-85, 1879 Private John Foord, 15th Hussars, 1 of only 42 men & 2 Officers attached to the Light Camel Regiment in the Nile Expedition.

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SKU: J7925 Category:
Origin: United Kingdom
Extremely Fine

Description

Egypt Medal, undated, The Nile 1884-85, 1879 Private John Foord, 15th Hussars, 1 of only 42 men & 2 Officers attached to the Light Camel Regiment in the Nile Expedition.

 

Very rare to this unit. Very clean and crisp unworn condition as he was discharged as soon as he returned home.

 

Officially engraved: “1879 Pte. J. Foord. 15/Husrs” Confirmed on the medal roll.

 

It has been many years since a good example has surfaced to the 15th Hussars.

 

Please note, picture not included, but it is a great illustrative work of the “Light Camel Corps” by the Military Artist Harry Payne (1858-1927).

 

Private John Foord, first enlisted into the 15th Hussars on 28th June 1882.

 

He saw posted to Egypt for service in the war and took part in the Nile Expedition, during which time he was amongst the 42 men, along with 2 Officers, that were furnished from the 15th Hussars to from part of the composite unit, the famous “Light Camel Regiment”.

 

“The men had all to be marksmen, or first-class shots, twenty-two years old at least, of course medically fit, and of as good character as possible. In fact, they were as good men as could be got anywhere, and a finer shipload than those on
board the Deccan never left England.” – Count Gleichen recalls the recruitment of the Camel Corps.

 

A personal account of the expedition was provided by Count Gleichen, who was at the time a Lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards, and was with the Guards Camel Regiment, in the book “With the Camel Corps Up The Nile.”

 

After a rough time in the Desert riding round on Camels, the men returned back home to England.

 

The Light Camel Corps all arrived home on 23rd July 1885 on board the Hired Transport Queen.

 

The 32 Officers and 486 men were then presented and inspected before by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge, who gave a good speech welcoming them home.

 

Private Foord was evidently not too pleased with his experience, as soon as he had the chance, he purchased his own discharge out of the Army.

 

The discharge books for late 1885, record that 1879 Pte John Foord, of the 15th Hussars, chose to Purchase his own discharge early at the high cost of £18, paid to the Paymaster on 13th October 1885.

 

The average wage Per Diem for a cavalry man was approximately 2 shillings, so this was at least 6 months of wages at the time.

 

He was then released from service at the Canterbury Depot on 21st October 1885, having seen a memorable 3 years of service.

 


The Formation of the Camel Corps, from “With the Camel Corps Up the Nile.”:

 

“ONE day in September, 1884, on coming off one of those numerous guards in Dublin that make a subaltern's life a burden to him, I found the joyful news awaiting me that I was to go out to the Soudan at once with the Camel Corps detachment of my battalion.

 

As everybody knows, this sudden despatch of troops to the Nile was due to the Government having suddenly taken into its head the idea that it was necessary to rescue General Gordon from his perilous position at Khartoum, which he had held since the previous February.

 

"Better late than never" accordingly an expedition was equipped to proceed up the river, in pursuance of a determination which ought to have been carried out at least three months earlier.

 

The idea had only recently been started that, in order to allow of troops acting with any success up the Nile, it was absolutely necessary that a certain proportion of them should be mounted on camels, both for facility of transport across the desert (if necessary) to Khartoum, and for rapidity of action.
Accordingly a Camel Corps was organised, drawn half from the Cavalry and half from the Infantry.

 

The Cavalry part was to be composed of detachments from all the Cavalry regiments in Great Britain at the time, subdivided into "Heavies" and "Lights; "the Infantry part of detachments from the Brigade of Guards and from the regiments already out in Egypt, these last to go by the name of (Camel) Mounted infantry.

 

Each detachment was to consist of 2 officers, 2 sergeants, 2 corporals, A bugler (or trumpeter), and 38 men. The " Heavies" numbered 10 detachments, from the 1st and 2nd Life Guards, Blues, Bays, 4th and 5th Dragoon Guards, Royals, Scots Greys,
5th and 16th Lancers : total, 23 officers and 431 men.

 

The "Lights," from the 3rd, 4th, 7th, 10th, 11th, 15th, 18th, 20th, and 21st Hussars, numbered (9 detachments) 21 officers and 388 men.

 

The Guards
numbered 7 detachments, from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd
battalions Grenadiers, 1st and 2nd Coldstream, and 1st and 2nd Scots Guards : total, 17 officers and 302 men.
Each of these divisions, Heavies, Lights, and Guards, had (included above) a staff of Commanding Officer, Adjutant and Quartermaster, and Surgeon.

 

The grand total that left England was therefore 61 officers and 1121 men.

 

The men had all to be marksmen, or first-class shots, twenty-two years old at least, of course medically fit, and of as good character as possible. In fact, they were as good men as could be got anywhere, and a finer shipload than those on
board the Deccan never left England.