In reserve was the Rawul Pindi Brigade, composed of: 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry; 1st Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry; 2nd Hyderabad Infantry; 27th Bombay Infantry, and the Jodhphur Lancers.
Matabeleland, 1893.—The first Matabele War, which broke out in 1893, will always be remembered for the brave but unavailing stand made by Major Wilson's little band at the Shangani River. Then Lobengula was defeated, and things settled down—as they generally did in South Africa—for a time, for within three years a second Matabele War had to be contended with until by December 31st, 1896, the natives in Rhodesia had been quietened again. In this latter war Prince Alexander of Teck took part with his regiment, the 7th Hussars.
Bechuanaland.—At Christmastide a rebellion broke out at Pokwani in Bechuanaland, about 40 miles north of Kimberley. The Cape Mounted Police and the Diamond Fields Police set out on Christmas Eve to deal with the recalcitrant natives, and after manœuvring in the pouring rain all Christmas Day, the chief's stronghold was attacked and carried on Boxing Day, and the rising was entirely crushed by December 27th, 1896. For this short campaign the Cape Government, with the approval of the Home Government, issued a medal in 1900 to those who had participated in this and other campaigns against the natives, and bars were issued for service in Basutoland in 1880-1, and Transkei, 1880-1, including Griqualand East and Tembuland.
The Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal.—The medal awarded is entitled the Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal; it is 17∕16 in. in diameter, and bears on the obverse the bust of Queen Victoria facing left, with the inscription VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX. On the reverse are the arms of Cape Colony, and the motto SPES CONA. It is suspended from a 1¼ in. blue ribbon, with a broad yellow stripe down the centre. The bars issued with the medal are, reading upwards from the medal, BASUTOLAND, TRANSKEI, BECHUANALAND. The only soldiers connected with the Imperial forces who received this medal with any of the bars were officers serving with the Colonial troops. A medal with the single bar "Transkei" has realised £3 2s. 6d. in the sale-room; with two bars, "Transkei" and "Basutoland," £2 15s. The medals are generally engraved in rather large square Roman capitals.
The Dongola Expedition.—The Dongola expedition took place in 1896, and for this the Khedive of Egypt ordered a medal to be issued to all the British and native troops who served at, and south of, Sarras between March 30th and September 23rd, 1896, and at Suakin under Brigadier-General Egerton during the same period. Two bars were awarded; one inscribed HAFIR for services south of Fareia on September 29th, and the other FIRKET for those engaged south of Akashen on June 7th, each name being inscribed in English and Arabic on a single bar. The medal bears on the reverse an oval shield, charged with three crescents, and stars above, backed by a trophy of arms and flags, and a panel below bearing an inscription in Arabic reading "The recovery of the Sudan, 1314 H." On the obverse is the cypher of the Khedive Abbas Hilmi II, and 1314 H.—A.D. 1897. It is suspended from an orange-coloured watered ribbon, with a broad blue stripe down the centre, by means of a straight clasp. The medal was issued unnamed; bronze medals without bars were issued to camp followers and non-combatants. This being a foreign decoration it was necessary for Queen Victoria to give her troops permission to wear the medal. The first British regiment to receive it was the 1st Batt. North Staffordshires. Later the following regiments received the medal without bars, which were added afterwards: 1st Seaforth and Cameron Highlanders; half a battalion of the 1st Lincolns; 21st Lancers; a detachment of the 16th Company Eastern Division R.A.; 32nd Field Battery R.A.; 2nd Company Royal Engineers. To those who took part in the operations at and about Kerma, on the Nile, in 1897, the Khedive's medal was given with a bar inscribed SUDAN 1897, and to those who were engaged at and near Assouan and Abu-Hamed the medal with bar for ABU-HAMED was awarded; the bars only being issued to those already in possession of the medal.
Matabeleland, 1893, and Rhodesia, 1896.—In 1896 Queen Victoria authorised the granting of a medal by the British South Africa Company to its own forces and details from British regiments and the local Mounted Rifles and Police. All who took part in hostilities between October 16th and Christmas Eve 1893 were awarded the medal for MATABELELAND, and those only of the Queen's officers who had received permission to take part in the operations were allowed to accept and wear the medal. It is 17∕16 in. in diameter, and has on the reverse a representation of the British lion boldly charging, though wounded in the chest with an assegai. In the exergue, in tall thin Roman capitals, is BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY, and above either MATABELELAND 1893 or RHODESIA 1896. On the obverse is a rather poor effigy of Queen Victoria. The suspender is very ornate, the rose, shamrock, and thistle having been used in a weak sort of manner to decorate it. This clasp or suspender is the most unsuitable and least beautiful of any in the whole series. The ribbon, 1-1\4 in. wide, is composed of three blue and four yellow stripes. It is the first instance of a chartered company being authorised to award a medal since the H.E.I. Co. gave the Mutiny medal. A bar for Rhodesia 1896 was given to those already in possession of the medal. The bar for MASHONALAND 1897 was added the following year, but those who did not possess the medal were awarded one with the name and date on the reverse as explained above. In this campaign the only Imperial troops employed were detachments of the 2nd Hampshires and the 7th Hussars.
Regiments Engaged.—Among those who received the medal for Matabeleland were a company of the 2nd W. Riding Regiment; 1 officer and 18 men of the 1st Batt. "Black Watch"; 3 men of the 2nd York and Lancaster Regiment; a detachment of the 3rd Dragoon Guards; Cape Mounted Rifles and British Bechuanaland Police. Those entitled to wear the medal for services in Rhodesia between March 24th and December 31st, 1896, were details of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Royal Rifles; 2nd and 4th Rifle Brigade; 1st Royal Irish; 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers; 2nd Royal Irish Fusiliers; 1st Derbys; 1st Leicesters; 2nd Norfolks; 2nd Hampshires; 2nd Royal West Kent; 2nd W. Riding Regiment; 2nd York and Lancasters; 24th, 25th, and 26th Western Division Royal Artillery; Army Ordnance and Army Service Corps. The 7th Hussars was the only cavalry regiment employed.
THE SUDAN
The battles of Toski in 1889, or Tokar in 1890, did not settle the unrest in Egypt. It smouldered and again broke into serious flame in 1897. Thanks, however, to the admirable organisation of the Egyptian army by Earl (then Sir Herbert) Kitchener, and the prompt measures which he took to deal with the Dervishes, the British flag and the Egyptian crescent soon flew over what remained of the Residency of Khartoum. Before, however, this was achieved the battles of the Atbara and Omdurman had to be fought, and for these bars bearing the legends THE ATBARA and KHARTOUM were issued with the medal to those who took part in the fights.