The Build-Up to Conflict In 1867, King Theodore II of Abyssinia made a request to the British for munitions and military experts. He was a Coptic Christian who was regularly engaged in warfare with his Moslem neighbours. He thought that an infusion of expertise from the British could help his realm in this turbulent part of the world. With this in mind he dispatched a letter to Queen Victoria asking for help. As time passed by, it became clear that the British Foreign Office had completely ignored this particular request. This did not please the King at all. He became even further infuriated when he found out that the British Consul, Captain Charles Cameron, had just returned back to Abyssinia after a visit to neighbouring Egypt; A country that the King considered to be one of his enemies. Exasperated by this antipathy of the British, King Theodore decided to hold Captain Cameron, and others, as hostages until he received a reply to his letter. The Hostages At the time of this event, Gladstone and the Liberals were ruling party in Britain and they were deeply reluctant to get involved in any imperial adventures. This was despite the fact that their own inaction had helped to create this particular problem. Letters from Captain Cameron to the British press, and the fact that British women and children were numbered amongst the hostages, meant that the profile of this incident was high in the public imagination. It just so happened that a General Election was underway at the time and this incident played a small, but important, part in the campaign. During the campaign, the Conservative party milked the situation for all they could, but in doing so they had committed themselves to sending some kind of rescue expedition in order to retrieve the British hostages. When they were returned victoriously in the polls, Lord Derby and Benjamin Disraeli confessed that a military campaign had become unavoidable. Preperations were duly made to punish, in the minds of the British public, the petulant King in what was a classic case of the 'Small War' that would so characterise the Victorian military era. Chetta Ravine 4th Foot Results of Campaign Soldier from the 4th Foot

Location of Campaign Illustrated London News Commanding Officer Sir Robert Napier Actors Significant Individuals British and Imperial forces involved British Army 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards 4th (The King's Own Royal) Regt of Foot 26th (The Cameronian) Regt of Foot 33rd (Duke of Wellington's) Regt of Foot 45th (Sherwood Foresters) Regt of Foot Indian Army 10th Regt of Bengal Lt Cavalry 12th Regt of Bengal Cavalry 3rd Regt of Bombay Lt Cavalry 21st Punjab Regt Bengal Native Infantry 23rd Punjab Regt Bengal Native Infantry (Pioneers) 2nd Bombay Native Infantry (Grenadier) 3rd Bombay Native Infantry 10th Bombay Native Infantry 21st Bombay Native Infantry (Marine) 25th Bombay Native Light Infantry 27th Bombay Native Infantry (1st Baluch) No 1 Company of Bombay Native Artillery Corps of Madras Sappers and Miners Corps of Bombay Sappers and Miners Medals Abyssinian War Medal Battles Arogi Magdala Timeline 1908 Damascus linked to Medina by German backed railway 1916 Shariff Hussein initiates Arab revolt against Ottomans Sykes-Picot agreement 1917 Balfour declaration promises Palestine to Jews Faysal enters Aqaba 1918 Hashemite Emir Faisal enters Damascus 1919 Versailles discusses mandates 1920 Faysal takes throne of Syria French remove him by force Faysal's brother Abdullah plans invasion of Syria 1921 British persuade Abdullah to take over administration of Transjordan Cairo conference specifies Transjordan borders 1922 League of Nations confers mandate of Transjordan to Britain 1923 State of Transjordan declared by British Arab League formed 1924 British forces and Arab League beat back Wahhabi incursion 1925 Aqaba and Ma'an join Transjordan 1926 Transjordan Frontier Force (TJFF) created 1928 Treaty declares Transjordan independent from Britain (except in finance, military and foreign affairs) Constitution established 1929 First elections held 1930 Camel mounted Desert Mobile Force created 1934 Consular representation in other Arab countries 1941 Desert Mobile Force joins British in invading Iraq and Vichy Lebanon and Syria 1946 Treaty of London ends British mandate over Transjordan Transjordan renamed Jordan 1948 Britain withdraws from Palestine Israel created Treaty with Britain removes all restrictions on soverienty. Britain maintains base and transit rights and continues subsidy of Arab League 1956 British commanders dismissed from Arab Legion 1957 Anglo-Jordanian treaty terminated Casualties Suggested Reading Victorian Colonial Warfare: Africa by Donald Featherstone