Battle of Tel el-Kebir

The Battle of Tel el-Kebir was fought before dawn on 13 September 1882 between the British army commanded by Garnet Wolseley and Egyptian forces loyal to Ahmed ‘Urabi. Wolseley used the Suez Canal as his operational route and advanced across the desert from Ismailia toward the fortified Egyptian line.

A night march brought the British close to the defences before the attack, limiting the time available for the Egyptians to respond. The position was broken rapidly and Cairo was occupied soon afterwards. The defeat ended the main phase of the ‘Urabi revolt and opened the period of British military occupation in Egypt.

John Wilcox’s The Guns of El Kebir builds toward the battle, using Simon Fonthill and Jenkins as scouts whose intelligence work brings them into the centre of Wolseley’s campaign.