THE EXCEPTIONAL AND EXTREMELY RARE EGYPT 1882 MEDAL AWARDED TO CAPTAIN WARDELL, ROYAL MARINE LIGHT INFANTRY, WHO WAS MENTIONED FOR HIS GALLANTRY DURING THE CAPTURE OF 2 KRUPP GUNS AT THE BATTLE OF KASSASSIN, FOUR DAYS LATER HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION LEADING HIS MEN THROUGH THE ENEMY TRENCHES AT TEL-EL-KEBIR. HIS BROTHER HAD BEEN KILLED 3 YEARS EARLIER LEADING A COMPANY OF THE 24TH FOOT AT THE BATTLE OF ISANDHLWANA

EGYPT AND SUDAN 1882-89, DATED REVERSE, CLASP, TEL-EL-KEBIR ‘CAPT. J. C. WARDELL, R.M.L.I.’

John Charles Wardell was born in Quebec, Canada, the son of William Wardell, a Major in the Royal Canadian Rifles; one of his brothers, George, commanded a company of the 24th Foot and was killed in action at Isandhlwana on 22 January 1879.

John Wardell was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Royal Marine Light Infantry in June 1865 and advanced to Lieutenant in August 1867. In the period leading up to his active employment in Egypt, he enjoyed a spate of seagoing appointments, among them H.M.S. Liverpool (1869-70), Valiant (1872-74) and Valorous (1876-78). After the disaster at Isandhlwana in January 1879, reinforcements were called for and among those formed was a battalion of Royal Marine Light Infantry, which in June, embarked in the troopship Jumna for South Africa. Lieutenant Wardell was one of those selected to join the battalion and was no doubt hell bent on avenging his brother’s death, however the battalion arrived too late to see any action during the war and returned home to Portsmouth.

Advanced to Captain in June 1880, in June 1882, with war with Egypt inevitable, a battalion of Royal Marines was formed and embarked on H.M.S. Orontes for Egypt. The battalion, consisted of 500 Royal Marine Light Infantry and 300 Royal Marine Artillery, Captain Wardell commanding one of the Light Infantry companies. During the campaign that followed, the Royal Marine battalion played a significant role, being present at all the major battles and sustaining far greater casualties than any other battalion to serve during the conflict.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Egyptian_War

Captain Wardell would distinguish himself in the action at the second battle of Kassassin, 9 September 1882, when with great skill he captured two of the enemy’s German-supplied Krupp guns. Likely due to his death shortly after, it seems Wardell’s role in the capture of these two guns (which were later gifted to Queen Victoria) was officially muted, though not as far as the Royal Marines were concerned. A most interesting letter published in the Army and Navy Gazette, 6 January 1883 gives the following…………..

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Condition NEF, sold with copy research.

A very rare Officer killed in action during the Egyptian campaign, being one of 11 killed in action, 9 of which were at Tel-El-Kebir.