Date Instituted: 1882.

Campaign: Egypt 1882-89.

Description: The obverse has the head of Queen Victoria and the legend ‘VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX’.  The reverse depicts a sphinx facing left with the word ‘EGYPT’ above and ‘1882’ in the exergue below.  Post 1882 awards were identical but with the 1882 date being omitted.  The suspender is straight with a claw mount sweated to the medal.

Metal: Silver.

Size: 36mm.

Clasps: ‘ALEXANDRIA’, ‘TEL-EL-KEBIR’, ‘TAMAAI’, ‘EL-TEB-TAMAAI’, ‘SUAKIN 1884’, ‘THE NILE 1884-5’, ‘ABU KLEA’, ‘KIRBERKAN’, ‘SUAKIN 1885’, ‘TOFREK’, ‘GEMAIZAH’ and ‘TOSKI’.

Ribbon: Five equal stripes of dark blue, white, dark blue, white and dark blue.

Naming: Those with the 1882 date usually have engraved sloping capitals while undated examples are impressed sloping capitals or large upright capitals for those issued to the Royal Marines.  Indian troops had their medals engraved in running script and those to Egyptian troops were named in Arabic.

Comments: The maximum number of clasps awarded to anyone person is seven but only one such example exists while six medals were issued with six clasps.  Medals with five clasps are rare but those with four or less are more common.  Medals with the clasps ‘ABU KLEA’ or ‘KIRBEKAN’ should always be accompanied with ‘THE NILE 1884-5’ and those with ‘TOFREK’ must always be accompanied by ‘SUAKIN 1885’.

Further Reading:

• Campaign of 1882 in Egypt
• Tel El-Kebir 1882
• Egypt 1882