1882-85



In August1882, the 2nd Battalion embarked from Ireland to join the Guards Brigade in Egypt, along with 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards and 1st Battalion Scots Guards. A large force under Sir Garnet Wolseley was sent to Egypt after an Egyptian Colonel by the name of Arabi Pasha had massacred 150 Europeans and was demanding independence for Egypt.
 
The first two weeks were spent in Ramleh securing the Suez Canal. They then moved forward with the remainder of the 1st Division. On the 25th August the Battalion took part in an engagement at Tel-el-Mahuta. On the 12th September the whole force concentrated at Kassassin, and that evening commenced a night march which culminated in the defeat of Arabi Pasha at Tel-el-Kebir and the occupation of Cairo.
 
The Battalion was quartered at Cairo until 31st October when they embarked for the UK.
 
British Troops were again sent to Egypt in 1884 to confront a religious rising led by the Mahdi who was the self-declared leader of the Muslim world. In October 1884, the specially-raised Guards Camel Corps was dispatched. The Guards Camel Corps consisted of a detachment from each of the three Foot Guards regiments, and the Coldstream contribution was 98 men of all ranks and the Commanding Officer, Lt Col E.T.H.Boscawen.
 
General Gordon was besieged in Khartoum and to relieve him a two pronged attack from the north. One column travelled down the Nile on Thomas Cook’s tourist steamers, and the other marched 150 miles across the desert. Unfortunately they arrived two days too late and found that Khartoum had fallen and that Gordon was dead.
 
In March 1885, the 1st Battalion arrived with the 3rd Grenadiers and 2nd Bn Scots Guards as part of a force to put down the remnants of the Mahdi’s army. The Guards Brigade was engaged at Hashin and Tofrek. On 2nd April, the Dervish Headquarters at Tamai were occupied and the Brigade returned to Suakin. In early July the Battalion moved to Cyprus where they remained until the end of August, when they returned to the UK.

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