supply of ammunition and Riel surrendered on May 15. Several smaller engagements followed, namely, the Battle of Frenchman’s Butte and the Battle of Loon Lake. The conflict concluded on July 2, 1885, with the surrender of Chief Big Bear.
Criteria: Awarded to officers and soldiers who participated in quelling the North-West Rebellion. Initially, only those members of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) who had served under fire were eligible for the medal. The criteria for this medal were gradually broadened with the passage of time and lobbying efforts on the part of various veterans. In 1900 an order-in-council was approved allowing for NWMP members not under fire to receive the medal. The last group to be awarded the medal was civilian members of the Transport Service, which occurred in April 1945. Recipients of the medal were also granted 320 acres of land and script worth $80. The clasp SASKATCHEWAN was awarded to those who participated in any of the three main engagements that took place during the rebellion, notably those at the Saskatchewan River (Cut Knife Hill), Fish River, and Batoche.
North West Canada Medal reverse.
Insignia: A silver medal 36 mm in diameter, the obverse bearing an effigy of Queen Victoria wearing a diadem and veil, circumscribed by the text VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX. The reverse displays a flourish of natural maple leaves in a wreath with the text NORTH WEST 1885 CANADA in the centre on three lines. The design concept was devised by Lord Lansdowne, the formal design of the obverse by L.C. Wyon, and of the reverse by Thomas Brock.
Saskatchewan Bar to the North West Canada Medal.
Suspender: A swivelling claw suspender with a straight bar.
Ribbon: A pearl grey ribbon 32 mm wide edged on each side by stripes of crimson inset 3 mm from the outer edge.
Clasps: A silver clasp 35 mm wide and 7 mm high with a double raised edge and the text SASKATCHEWAN. The medal was not always issued with a clasp.
Naming: This medal is found both unnamed and in a variety of naming styles.
Other: An unofficial clasp, BATOCHE, can also be found occasionally. Copies of both clasps are known to have been manufactured.
Number: 5,650 (1,753 with the clasp SASKATCHEWAN).
The Egyptian Medal (1882–89)
Egyptian Medal obverse.
Egyptian Medal reverse.
Origins: With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the strategic and commercial importance of Egypt became greatly enhanced. Egypt was ruled by the Ottoman Empire khedive, Ismail Pasha, who through financial mismanagement and corruption precipitated great political instability in the country that resulted in his removal by the Turks in 1879. That same year, Colonel Ahmad Arabi led a revolt against Tewfik Pasha, Ismail Pasha’s son and successor, and for three years the country was embroiled in further turmoil. After a squadron of British and French ships arrived in Alexandria’s harbour in 1882 demanding that Tewfik Pasha’s authority be restored, anti-European sentiment became intense, riots broke out in the city, and the European population was attacked.
By early June, rebellion broke out and the Egyptian authorities were unable to quell the disturbances or prevent a massacre. With this the British fleet bombarded Alexandria, the French having withdrawn. British forces subsequently landed and sought to restore Tewfik Pasha’s power and drive Arabi out of the country, which was achieved after the capture of Cairo in September 1882.
With the conquest of Egypt, Britain inherited Sudan, which was administered by Egypt and had long been a haven for the slave trade. While Britain and Egypt were at war, a religious fanatic known as the Mahdi rose to power in Sudan. By 1884 the British, along with their new Egyptian allies, marched through Sudan to rid the country of the Mahdi. The initial force was massacred with a loss of ten thousand men. Major-General Charles G. Gordon, a British army officer who had formerly served as governor general of Sudan, was placed in command of a force largely composed of the Egyptian Army. By March 1884, Gordon was besieged in Khartoum with no means of escape, and debate raged in Britain about what should be done. After nearly six months of discussion, General Wolseley was ordered to rescue Gordon.
The British government requested that Canada send troops to assist in the Egyptian campaign, an appeal already made to the colonial government in New South Wales (Australia). Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, however, declined to have the Canadian militia involved but did support Wolseley’s request for Canadian boatmen to navigate the rapids of the Nile River on specially constructed boats.
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