WITHDRAWAL OF OUTLYING BRITISH TROOPS IN EGYPT. (1886, March 24). The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), p. 2. Retrieved December 28, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9119398
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Continued from page 20...
...This practically (ended?) the events in Egypt. As it was then decided to withdraw the troops from...
Part II page 21 (pencil)
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And rather abruptly, Charles King ended his memories of his trip to Egypt with the last sentence shown above. He left me with questions about his trip home....
After March 1886 the British troops were pulled back to Wadi Halfa and Charles began the process of obtaining a discharge from the army. While near Assouan he stayed in a camp called Tagoog Heights. It took me several days to decipher his handwriting and pin down an exact location near Assouan. After some considerable research, I found a small article in the British Medical Journal (The Theory of Airborne Typhoid in Armies/Assouan and London: H. E. Leigh Canney, M.D. August 24, 1901) that mentioned conditions at this camp at the time my Great Great Grandfather was there. "In 1886 the sites 'North End', 'Tagoog Heights' and 'Shelial' were occupied simultaneously...in a distance of four miles on one bank there were three camps all with enteric cases (enteric fever was another name for Typhoid)...these men bathed in or washed in the river at each camp...water was taken for convenience...and recommendations for boiling and filtering were not effectually carried out. Therefore (the camps) gained the reputation of being not so nearly healthy". These camps were downstream from Assouan itself. Intense heat also factored into the health of the troops, as was recorded by the Cameron Highlanders while 'under canvas' at Assouan. Several deaths occurred due to heat stroke until the regiment embarked for Cairo on the 27th of April, 1886. Private Francis Ferguson (20th Hussars) was invalided at Assouan, which he regarded as "the most unhealthy station" in Egypt with "3 or 4 funerals every day sometimes as many as 9". Between the heat, dysentery and typhoid many lives were lost after the retreat to Assouan. (The Victorian Soldier in Africa/Reconquering the Sudan: Edward M. Spiers). Charles was lucky to make it to Cairo and be formally discharged from the army.
A scenic delight, this tour visits Darjeeling and Gangtok both offering gorgeous views of the Himalayan mountain peaks as well as tea plantations, forests, and old Buddhist monasteries. https://www.goway.com/trip/asia/foothills-himalayas/
Getaways to the Himalayas are still popular.
Did Charles King travel to the Himalayas? He may well have journeyed to "the jewel in the crown of the British Empire"...namely the Himalayan foothills where many British hill stations and plantations were located. At the time, the foothills and nearby mountains were an adventure destination of choice for Victorian travelers. Did he visit Darjeeling or Gangtok? His scant sentence is very intriguing, and I so wish he had continued with his narrative! He also mentioned "calling" at Cypress and Gibralter. I hope that he had more time to sightsee on his way home now that he was no longer a soldier in the British army.
This is my Great Great Grandfather's obituary from The Union. He passed away on July 12, 1943 in Grass Valley, California at the age of 80 years. His participation in the 1884-5 Expedition was still being celebrated by his family and friends some 50 plus years later. His medals remain in the family and are as treasured now as they were when he was awarded them. Charles King lived the rest of his life dedicated to his faith, his family and his profession as a builder and carpenter. I imagine he used the many skills and life lessons he learned in Egypt as a young man throughout the remainder of his life's journey.
It is my hope that his thoughts and memories, both written in his own hand and now presented on line, will keep his service as a Royal Engineer serving under Queen Victoria preserved for our family and family to come. It has been a labor of love to present his journal to all of you.
Charles King with his Egypt Medal (left) and his Khedive Star (right). The Egypt Medal was awarded for his participation in the Sudan campaign, specifically the Nile Expedition of 1884-5. All recipients of the Egypt Medal were also eligible for a Khedive Star. His is dated 1884-6 for his service in Egypt and the Sudan. In the safe keeping of JKuhwarth and Family.
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I would like to dedicate this blog to my family and especially to my Auntie Claire, who passed away just a few months ago. She was the keeper of the family history for many years, along with Auntie Joan. It is my privilege to continue with their work of research and especially of preservation.
I would also like to thank Pam who started this project in the first place. I am so thankful I had the time to help finish it. I hope I went in the direction you were headed when you started out. It was a little daunting at first, but we got it done!
I would hope that someday a great great grandchild of mine would discover this history and embrace it as much as I have. I don't think Charles King ever thought that great great grand children of his would be interested in his writings or experiences down through time. But, I'm so glad we were!
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