Criteria: Service on active duty in the regular and colonial forces during the Fenian Raid in 1866, the Fenian Raid in 1870, or participation in the Red River Expedition in 1870. The service required as set by AO 32/January 1889 specified that the medal would only be awarded to survivors who “during the operations specified … performed under competent authority 1) active service in the field, or 2) served as guards at any point where an attack from the enemy was expected, or 3) who were detailed for some specific service or duty.”
Insignia: A silver medal 36 mm in diameter bearing on the obverse a veiled effigy of Queen Victoria circumscribed by the text VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX, the reverse displaying a wreath of natural maple leaves around the Canadian Red Ensign with the text CANADA at the top. Obverse design by T. Brock; reverse by George William de Saulles.
Suspender: A swivelling claw suspender with a straight bar.
Ribbon: A 32 mm wide ribbon divided into equal portions of red, white, and red.
Clasps: A clasp measuring 8 mm by 35 mm with a raised edge. Thee clasps were issued with this medal, individually and in various combinations:
• FENIAN RAIDS 1866.
• FENIAN RAIDS 1870.
• RED RIVER 1870.
Naming: Impressed or engraved upper and lower case letters, rank, initials, surname, and unit.
Other: Specimens engraved with CWM SPECIMEN also exist.
Number: 17,644.
• Fenian Raid 1866: 11,221.
• Fenian Raid 1870: 4,510.
• Red River: 355.
• Fenian Raid 1866 and Fenian Raid 1870: 1,411.
• Fenian Raid 1866 and Red River 1870: 120.
• Fenian Raid 1870 and Red River 1870: 15.
• All Three Clasps: 12.
The North West Canada Medal (1885)
Origins: After the failure of the Red River Rebellion of 1870, the Métis leader Louis Riel went into exile, only to return with much encouragement from the Métis and other settlers in July 1884. The expansion of the Canadian Pacific Railway into the Canadian West and dwindling bison population had the effect of further marginalizing the Métis and First Nations peoples. Despite the repeated entreaties of the Métis and First Nations to secure certain rights and land, the dominion government ignored the situation. In an effort to force the government to negotiate, Riel formed the Provisional Government of Saskatchewan at Batoche.
North West Canada Medal obverse.
The situation escalated rapidly, with the Métis attacking a detachment of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) and Prince Albert Volunteers at Duck Lake. Ottawa realized that a full-scale uprising was in the offing. As a result, the militia was mobilized and a force was dispatched to suppress the rebellion. After the Battle of Duck Lake, Battleford was looted by a Cree raiding party, which was followed by the Frog Lake Massacre, where nine locals were killed, including a government official. At Fort Pitt, Cree intercepted a NWMP scouting party, and the town garrison surrendered. The Battle of Fish Creek halted General Middleton’s advance on Batoche, the Métis having defeated a much larger force of government troops. Outside Battleford, the Battle of Cut Knife Hill took place, and again government forces were defeated, this time by the Cree.
The key battle of the rebellion took place on May 9, 1885, with the Battle of Batoche where the Métis, greatly outnumbered, exhausted their 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