The Khedive's Sudan Medal was a

campaign medal A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of an armed force who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater. Campaign medals are very similar to service medals but carry a high ...

awarded by the

Khedivate of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ota, خدیویت مصر ') was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, established and ruled by the Muhammad Ali Dynasty following the defeat and expulsion of Napoleon Bonaparte's forces which brou ...

to both Egyptian and British forces for service during the reconquest of the

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, the final part of the

Mahdist War The Mahdist War ( ar, الثورة المهدية, ath-Thawra al-Mahdiyya; 1881–1899) was a war between the Mahdist Sudanese of the religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided On ...

. Established 12 February 1897 by

Khedive Khedive (, ota, خدیو, hıdiv; ar, خديوي, khudaywī) was an honorific title of Persian origin used for the sultans and grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire, but most famously for the viceroy of Egypt from 1805 to 1914.Adam Mestyan"Kh ...

Abbas Hilmi Pasha Abbas II Helmy Bey (also known as ''ʿAbbās Ḥilmī Pāshā'', ar, عباس حلمي باشا) (14 July 1874 – 19 December 1944) was the last Khedive ( Ottoman viceroy) of Egypt and Sudan, ruling from 8January 1892 to 19 December 191 ...

, this medal was initially to commemorate the reconquest of the

Dongola Dongola ( ar, دنقلا, Dunqulā), also spelled ''Dunqulah'', is the capital of the state of Northern Sudan, on the banks of the Nile, and a former Latin Catholic bishopric (14th century). It should not be confused with Old Dongola, an ancien ...

province in 1896. It was subsequently authorised for later campaigns and actions until 1908. The medal was awarded with fifteen different clasps. All those who received the Khedive's Sudan Medal for service on the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...

during 1896-98 also received the

Queen's Sudan Medal The Queen's Sudan Medal was authorised in March 1899 and awarded to British and Egyptian forces which took part in the Sudan campaign between June 1896 and September 1898. The campaign reflected the British desire to reverse the defeats of the Ma ...

Appearance

The medal is circular, 39 millimetres in diameter, and awarded in silver to soldiers of the Egyptian and British armies, and in bronze to a small number of non-combatants, mainly grooms from the Indian Army and officers’ servants. The obverse bears the Arabic cypher of the Khedive, and the

Hijri year The Hijri year ( ar, سَنة هِجْريّة) or era ( ''at-taqwīm al-hijrī'') is the era used in the Islamic lunar calendar. It begins its count from the Islamic New Year in which Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Yathrib ...

1314. The reverse shows an oval shield superimposed over a trophy of flags and arms. The medal hangs from a straight bar suspension. For British troops, the recipient's name and details were engraved on the medal's edge. Those awarded to Egyptian and Sudanese recipients were named in Arabic script, although some, particularly later issues, were awarded unnamed. The ribbon of the medal is 38 mm wide. It is yellow with a broad centre stripe of blue, representing the Nile flowing through the desert.

Clasps

As many as ten clasps on one medal have been documented to members of the Egyptian Army. The medal is seldom seen with more than two clasps to British regiments since, apart from a number of small detachments, no British unit was present at more than two actions, the principal ones being the

Atbara Atbara (sometimes Atbarah) ( ar, عطبرة ʿAṭbarah) is a city located in River Nile State in northeastern Sudan. Because of its links to the railway industry, Atbara is also known as the "Railway City'. As of 2007, its population is 11 ...

and

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

.
Fifteen different clasps were authorised and awarded: * Firket (7 June 1896) *Hafir (19-26 September 1896) * Abu Hamed (7 July 1897) *Sudan 1897 * The Atbara (8 April 1898) * Khartoum (2 September 1898) (For the

Battle of Omdurman The Battle of Omdurman was fought during the Anglo-Egyptian conquest of Sudan between a British–Egyptian expeditionary force commanded by British Commander-in-Chief (sirdar) major general Horatio Herbert Kitchener and a Sudanese army of the M ...

) *Gedaref (7 September to 26 December 1898) *Gedid (22 November 1899) *Sudan 1899 *Bahar-ed-Ghazal 1900-02 *Jerok (January to March 1902 *Nyam-Nyam (January to May 1905) *Talodi (2-15 June 1905) * Katfia (April 1908) *Nyima (1-21 November 1908) A number of medals were awarded with no clasp, including for service during 1896 to an

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

force based at

Suakin Suakin or Sawakin ( ar, سواكن, Sawákin, Beja: ''Oosook'') is a port city in northeastern Sudan, on the west coast of the Red Sea. It was formerly the region's chief port, but is now secondary to Port Sudan, about north. Suakin used to b ...

, and to the crews of

HMS Melita Three ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Melita'', named after the island of Malta: * , launched in 1888 was a composite screw sloop, the only Royal Navy warship ever built in Malta. She swapped names with HMS ''Ringdove'' in 1915 and ...

and HMS Scout, that served off the Sudanese coast during the same period.

References

{{reflist

External links

Obverse and reverse of the medal
OMSA Medal Database. Orders, decorations, and medals of Egypt Awards established in 1897 1897 establishments in Africa