+
-
Egypt War Medal 1882-89
Obverse: Head of Queen Victoria in a diadem and veil (left) Legend: 'VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX'. Reverse: the sphinx on an ornamental platform. Legend: 'EGYPT'. Exergue: '1882'. Bars: 'SUAKIN 1884', 'EL-TEB-TAMAAI 1884'. Inscription on edge: 'W.SLOPER GUNR. R.M.A. H.M.S. FALCON'. Suspended from a clasp and blue ribbon with two white stripes.
William Henry Sloper (1851-1910) was born in Tooting, London, the son of a blacksmith. He joined the Royal Marine Artillery on 15 August 1870. From 10 October 1872 to 3 July 1874 he served in ‘Narcissus’, then part of the ‘Flying Squadron’ - a group of unarmoured ships which undertook world-wide training cruises also designed to show the flag. His time in this ship included visits to the West Indies, Spain and the Mediterranean. Sloper was briefly in HMS ‘London’, a depot ship off Zanzibar, then in ‘Undaunted’ from 18 September 1876 until 18 December 1878 in the East India Station.
Egypt at that time, was a semi-autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire. The local ruler - the Khedive Tewfik Pasha, ran up heavy debts from developing national infrastructure including the Suez Canal. This led to the imposition of British and French financial control which resulted in a nationalist uprising under Ahmed Urabi. After the British had put this down and established a de facto protectorate in Egypt, they became involved with Mahdist Islamic and nationalist combatents opposing Egyptian rule in Sudan. Following a Mahdist defeat of British and Egyptian forces and the siege of the Red Sea port of Suakin, a counter expedition was landed in Suakin on 6th February 1884. Sloper took part in this campaign while on the books of HMS ‘Euryalus’ and ‘Falcon’, participating in subsequent battle of El-Teb on 29 February 1884 and a follow-up action at Tamai on the 13th March.
Sloper left the Royal Marine Artillery in 1891 and lived in Portsmouth working in the Royal Dockyard. He died there in 1910. He had married Annie Sarah Manners in 1893 and the couple had two children.
William Henry Sloper (1851-1910) was born in Tooting, London, the son of a blacksmith. He joined the Royal Marine Artillery on 15 August 1870. From 10 October 1872 to 3 July 1874 he served in ‘Narcissus’, then part of the ‘Flying Squadron’ - a group of unarmoured ships which undertook world-wide training cruises also designed to show the flag. His time in this ship included visits to the West Indies, Spain and the Mediterranean. Sloper was briefly in HMS ‘London’, a depot ship off Zanzibar, then in ‘Undaunted’ from 18 September 1876 until 18 December 1878 in the East India Station.
Egypt at that time, was a semi-autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire. The local ruler - the Khedive Tewfik Pasha, ran up heavy debts from developing national infrastructure including the Suez Canal. This led to the imposition of British and French financial control which resulted in a nationalist uprising under Ahmed Urabi. After the British had put this down and established a de facto protectorate in Egypt, they became involved with Mahdist Islamic and nationalist combatents opposing Egyptian rule in Sudan. Following a Mahdist defeat of British and Egyptian forces and the siege of the Red Sea port of Suakin, a counter expedition was landed in Suakin on 6th February 1884. Sloper took part in this campaign while on the books of HMS ‘Euryalus’ and ‘Falcon’, participating in subsequent battle of El-Teb on 29 February 1884 and a follow-up action at Tamai on the 13th March.
Sloper left the Royal Marine Artillery in 1891 and lived in Portsmouth working in the Royal Dockyard. He died there in 1910. He had married Annie Sarah Manners in 1893 and the couple had two children.
For more information about using images from our Collection, please contact RMG Images.
Object details
| ID: | MED0337 |
|---|---|
| Collection: | Coins and medals |
| Type: | War medal |
| Display location: | Not on display |
| Creator: | Wyon, Leonard Charles |
| Events: | Egypt War: Suakin Expedition, 1884; Mahdist War: Battle of Tamai, 1884 Mahdist War: Battles of El-Teb, 1884 |
| Vessels: | Falcon (1877) |
| Date made: | 1882 |
| People: | Queen Victoria; Sloper, William Henry |
| Credit: | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London |
| Measurements: | Overall: 36 mm |