Four: Mr. J. M. Edwards, 2nd Engineer of the gunboat Melik, who served on the White Nile and Bahr-el-Ghazal rivers during the ‘sudd’ clearances, and was awarded a Royal Humane Society bronze medal for attempting to rescue a soldier from the Nile at Mongalla

Order of the Nile, 5th Class breast badge by Lattes, silver, gilt and enamels, in its Lattes case of issue; Khedive’s Sudan 1896-1908, 1 clasp, Sudan 1899, unnamed as issued; Royal Humane Society, bronze medal (unsuccessful), (J. M. Edwards, Nov: 7. 1904), complete with buckle in its case of issue; together with a silver sports medal inscribed on the obverse ‘A.G.S. 1895’, and on the reverse ‘J. M. Edwards, Victor Ludorum’, hallmarked Birmingham 1889, extremely fine (4) £450-550

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Allan and Janet Woodliffe Collection of Medals relating to the Reconquest and Pacification of The Sudan 1896-1956.

View
Collection

R.H.S. Case 33715: ‘On the 7th November 1904, a gunner belonging to the Egyptian Gunboat Melik fell into the Nile at Mongalla. Edwards, at great risk, jumped in, but was unable to reach him, and he was drowned.’

Medal presented by the Sirdar at Khartoum.

Gunboats on the Nile

Gunboats became more powerful machines of war during General Gordon’s time when the Mahdi began his jihad to liberate the Sudan from the Egyptian yoke. At the time of this crisis some of the Egyptian fleet of river steamers were modified to carry weaponry, including machine guns and artillery pieces. When Lord Kitchener began his campaign of re-conquest twelve years after the death of Gordon, he realised the advantages of having powerful warships dominating the river, and eventually deployed a flotilla of ten gunboats, several of which were specifically designed and built for service on the Nile.

Kitchener began the campaign with four old converted shallow draft (2ft 6in) stern wheel paddle boats, which were named after earlier battles. These were the Metemmah, Tamaai, El-Teb and the Abu Klea, which was later renamed Hafir. The first of the new purpose built gunboats, built by Forests at Wivenhoe on the river Colne, near Colchester, and shipped out in sections, was the Zaphir (Victorious) which arrived in September 1896, followed after by the Fateh (Conqueror), and Nasir (Majestic). The more powerful armoured gunboats, Melik (King), Sultan and Sheik, built and tested on the Thames by Thornycroft and Yarrows, dismantled, sent to the Sudan in sections, and rebuilt on the Nile, joined the flotilla in July 1898.

These gunboats had an unusual mix of crews. Each was commanded by a British officer, who was either loaned from the Royal Navy or the Royal Engineers. The machine-guns and artillery pieces were commanded by two Royal Marine Artillery N.C.Os, with a team of Egyptian gunners. The boats themselves were operated by a mixture of senior R.N. ratings and civilian engineers, with locals acting as firemen for the boilers. These civilians were a mixed bag of many nationalities including Armenians, Egyptians, Greeks and Maltese, as well as British. All who served on the gunboats were entitled to the Khedive’s Medal in silver.