| COLONEL ARTHUR GEORGE WEBSTER, C.B. |
| 19TH HUSSARS (late Bengal Cavalry) |
________________________________________________________________________________________
Arthur George Webster was born at Cheltenham on the 9th
of February, 1837, the third son of James Webster, D.L. and
J.P., of Hatherley Court, Cheltenham, a former officer in the
Madras Army, and his wife Emily Anne.
Arthur entered Cheltenham College in 1851, receiving a
classical and mathematical education. It is interesting to note
that all of his brothers also appear to have been educated at
the Cheltenham College and his father was a member of the
Board of Directors of the College from 1841 until 1855.
On the 3rd of December, 1856, Arthur was nominated a
direct cadet for the Bengal Cavalry by HEIC Director
Lieutenant-Colonel Oliphant at the request of Arthur’s
father. Arthur departed for India by the overland route on
the 20th of December, 1856, having been commissioned a
Cornet in the Bengal Cavalry the same day.
Arthur arrived at Fort William in Calcutta on the 2nd of
February, 1857. He was posted to the 8th Bengal Cavalry on
the 6th of February and on the 10th of March he was
promoted to Lieutenant. On the 27th of March Lieutenant
Webster transferred at his own request to the 3rd Bengal
Light Cavalry which was then stationed at the military
cantonment at Meerut in Northern India. This was to be a
fateful decision.
of February, 1837, the third son of James Webster, D.L. and
J.P., of Hatherley Court, Cheltenham, a former officer in the
Madras Army, and his wife Emily Anne.
Arthur entered Cheltenham College in 1851, receiving a
classical and mathematical education. It is interesting to note
that all of his brothers also appear to have been educated at
the Cheltenham College and his father was a member of the
Board of Directors of the College from 1841 until 1855.
On the 3rd of December, 1856, Arthur was nominated a
direct cadet for the Bengal Cavalry by HEIC Director
Lieutenant-Colonel Oliphant at the request of Arthur’s
father. Arthur departed for India by the overland route on
the 20th of December, 1856, having been commissioned a
Cornet in the Bengal Cavalry the same day.
Arthur arrived at Fort William in Calcutta on the 2nd of
February, 1857. He was posted to the 8th Bengal Cavalry on
the 6th of February and on the 10th of March he was
promoted to Lieutenant. On the 27th of March Lieutenant
Webster transferred at his own request to the 3rd Bengal
Light Cavalry which was then stationed at the military
cantonment at Meerut in Northern India. This was to be a
fateful decision.
 |
 |
 |
 |
On Saturday the 9th of May, 1857, a punishment parade was held at Meerut for 85 native sowars of Arthur’s new regiment, the
3rd Light Cavalry, who had been court-martialed for refusing to load their new Enfield rifles. The loading process involved
biting off the end of a paper cartridge and pouring the powder down the barrel of the muzzle-loading Enfield rifle. A false
rumor had been spread among the native troops in the military cantonments in the Bengal Presidency that these new cartridges
had been greased with a mixture of cow and pig fat. Biting cartridges on which this grease had been used violated the religious
taboos of both the Hindu and Moslem troopers and, as a result, 85 sowars of the 3rd L.C. refused a direct order to perform the
loading sequence during a rifle drill which had been held 15 days previously.
On Saturday, the 9th of May, these 85 men were sentenced to five to ten years of incarceration, shackled and marched off the
Parade Grounds in front of their fellow sowars. Lieutenant Arthur Webster, as one of the officers known to have been present
with the 3rd L.C. in Meerut that day, would have undoubtedly participated in the punishment parade.
Sunday, the 10th of May, 1857, was to go down in history as the start of the Great Indian Mutiny when the native regiments
stationed at Meerut broke into open mutiny against their European officers. On the evening of the 10th, the first act of
violence occurred when sepoys of the 11th Native Infantry shot to death their commanding officer, Colonel Finnis, after being
encouraged to do so by a sowar of the 3rd L.C. Other sowars of the regiment galloped to the goal and secured the release of
their 85 brethren who had been held there since the punishment parade on the previous day.
The entire cantonment was soon a virtual killing ground as native soldiers roamed through out, indiscriminately killing any
Europeans they came across. It was an unimaginable scene to many of the European officers who believed their troops would
remain true to their salt. Men like Colonel Finnis on the 11th Native Infantry sacrificed their lives testing their belief in the
loyalty of their men. How Lieutenant Webster managed to escape being injured or killed is unrecorded. However, several
officers of the natives regiments were killed, and the wives and children of some of the officers and NCOs of the native
regiment were also brutally butchered by the mutinous mob. The native troops subsequently marched off unopposed towards
Delhi. (For a more comprehensive discussion of the outbreak of the Mutiny at Meerut see Melville Clarke and Charles Hay
Fairlie, )
With the 3rd L.C. having ceased to exist, Lieutenant Webster volunteered to join the Meerut Volunteer Horse, the famed Khakee
Ressalah, which had been formed to help meet the urgent need for loyal cavalry following the revolt of virtually all of the
Bengal light cavalry regiments. Although a commissioned military officer, Lieutenant Webster without any troops to command,
like many of his fellow officers, was relegated to serving as a mere trooper in this quickly assembled yeomanry regiment under
the command of an official of the Indian Civil Service. Notwithstanding the potential deficits inherent in such a unit, the Meerut
Volunteer Cavalry did signal service in a time of great crisis.
Lieutenant Webster records confirm that he was present with the Meerut Volunteer Horse in the actions at Seekree, the Barote
(or Burout) and Guloutee and given the history of the Regiment was probably with them at the numerous other smaller
engagements they were involved in that went unrecorded. Lieutenant Webster received a Letter of Thanks from the Government
for his service with the Meerut Volunteer Horse, a substantial honor for a junior officer. Also serving with Webster in the
Meerut Volunteer Horse was Lieutenant Melville Clarke, his brother officer from the 3rd L.C. and a fellow survivor of the
outbreak of the mutiny at Meerut.
On the 18th of May, 1858, Lieutenant Webster was posted to do duty with Lind’s Mooltanee Horse, an irregular native cavalry
regiment raised during the Mutiny. Lieutenant Webster served with Lind’s Mooltanee Horse at the action at Kakraole, the
operations before and the capture of Bareilly, the action at Shahjehanpore and in the capture of Mohundee.
Lieutenant Webster is shown in the July, 1859 Quarterly Bengal Army List as a Lieutenant with the Left Wing of the newly
formed 1st Bengal European Light Cavalry, but still doing duty with the Mooltanee Horse.
For his services during the Indian Mutiny, Arthur Webster received the Indian Mutiny medal without clasp, named to him as a
Lieutenant in the 1st European Light Cavalry. In addition, as occasionally happened with officers who had served in more than
one regiment during the Mutiny, Lieutenant Webster also received a duplicate officially impressed Mutiny medal, this time
named to him as a Lieutenant in the 3rd Light Cavalry, the regiment he was serving in at Meerut at the time the Mutiny began.
Following the transfer of the military forces of the East India Company to the Crown after the suppression of the Mutiny, a
decision was made to no longer maintain European forces for only local service, i.e., service solely in India. In May of 1861, the
officers and men of the 1st European Light Cavalry were asked to volunteer for general service, which included the possibility
of service outside of India, which they did almost to a man.
On the 17th of August, 1861, the regiment was re-designated the 19th Light Cavalry (which was soon changed to the 19th
Hussars) and ordered to Lucknow. Lieutenant Arthur Webster was gazetted as one of the original officers in the newly formed
19th Hussars along with several other officers with whom he had served in the 3rd Light Cavalry.
On the 28th of November, 1863, the regiment moved to Meerut where it stayed until was ordered to Benares in 1867. Arthur
Webster was promoted to Captain in 1869. In January of 1870, the regiment was ordered to proceed to England. It embarked
on board the Jumma on the 14th of February, landing at Dover on the 22nd of March.
3rd Light Cavalry, who had been court-martialed for refusing to load their new Enfield rifles. The loading process involved
biting off the end of a paper cartridge and pouring the powder down the barrel of the muzzle-loading Enfield rifle. A false
rumor had been spread among the native troops in the military cantonments in the Bengal Presidency that these new cartridges
had been greased with a mixture of cow and pig fat. Biting cartridges on which this grease had been used violated the religious
taboos of both the Hindu and Moslem troopers and, as a result, 85 sowars of the 3rd L.C. refused a direct order to perform the
loading sequence during a rifle drill which had been held 15 days previously.
On Saturday, the 9th of May, these 85 men were sentenced to five to ten years of incarceration, shackled and marched off the
Parade Grounds in front of their fellow sowars. Lieutenant Arthur Webster, as one of the officers known to have been present
with the 3rd L.C. in Meerut that day, would have undoubtedly participated in the punishment parade.
Sunday, the 10th of May, 1857, was to go down in history as the start of the Great Indian Mutiny when the native regiments
stationed at Meerut broke into open mutiny against their European officers. On the evening of the 10th, the first act of
violence occurred when sepoys of the 11th Native Infantry shot to death their commanding officer, Colonel Finnis, after being
encouraged to do so by a sowar of the 3rd L.C. Other sowars of the regiment galloped to the goal and secured the release of
their 85 brethren who had been held there since the punishment parade on the previous day.
The entire cantonment was soon a virtual killing ground as native soldiers roamed through out, indiscriminately killing any
Europeans they came across. It was an unimaginable scene to many of the European officers who believed their troops would
remain true to their salt. Men like Colonel Finnis on the 11th Native Infantry sacrificed their lives testing their belief in the
loyalty of their men. How Lieutenant Webster managed to escape being injured or killed is unrecorded. However, several
officers of the natives regiments were killed, and the wives and children of some of the officers and NCOs of the native
regiment were also brutally butchered by the mutinous mob. The native troops subsequently marched off unopposed towards
Delhi. (For a more comprehensive discussion of the outbreak of the Mutiny at Meerut see Melville Clarke and Charles Hay
Fairlie, )
With the 3rd L.C. having ceased to exist, Lieutenant Webster volunteered to join the Meerut Volunteer Horse, the famed Khakee
Ressalah, which had been formed to help meet the urgent need for loyal cavalry following the revolt of virtually all of the
Bengal light cavalry regiments. Although a commissioned military officer, Lieutenant Webster without any troops to command,
like many of his fellow officers, was relegated to serving as a mere trooper in this quickly assembled yeomanry regiment under
the command of an official of the Indian Civil Service. Notwithstanding the potential deficits inherent in such a unit, the Meerut
Volunteer Cavalry did signal service in a time of great crisis.
Lieutenant Webster records confirm that he was present with the Meerut Volunteer Horse in the actions at Seekree, the Barote
(or Burout) and Guloutee and given the history of the Regiment was probably with them at the numerous other smaller
engagements they were involved in that went unrecorded. Lieutenant Webster received a Letter of Thanks from the Government
for his service with the Meerut Volunteer Horse, a substantial honor for a junior officer. Also serving with Webster in the
Meerut Volunteer Horse was Lieutenant Melville Clarke, his brother officer from the 3rd L.C. and a fellow survivor of the
outbreak of the mutiny at Meerut.
On the 18th of May, 1858, Lieutenant Webster was posted to do duty with Lind’s Mooltanee Horse, an irregular native cavalry
regiment raised during the Mutiny. Lieutenant Webster served with Lind’s Mooltanee Horse at the action at Kakraole, the
operations before and the capture of Bareilly, the action at Shahjehanpore and in the capture of Mohundee.
Lieutenant Webster is shown in the July, 1859 Quarterly Bengal Army List as a Lieutenant with the Left Wing of the newly
formed 1st Bengal European Light Cavalry, but still doing duty with the Mooltanee Horse.
For his services during the Indian Mutiny, Arthur Webster received the Indian Mutiny medal without clasp, named to him as a
Lieutenant in the 1st European Light Cavalry. In addition, as occasionally happened with officers who had served in more than
one regiment during the Mutiny, Lieutenant Webster also received a duplicate officially impressed Mutiny medal, this time
named to him as a Lieutenant in the 3rd Light Cavalry, the regiment he was serving in at Meerut at the time the Mutiny began.
Following the transfer of the military forces of the East India Company to the Crown after the suppression of the Mutiny, a
decision was made to no longer maintain European forces for only local service, i.e., service solely in India. In May of 1861, the
officers and men of the 1st European Light Cavalry were asked to volunteer for general service, which included the possibility
of service outside of India, which they did almost to a man.
On the 17th of August, 1861, the regiment was re-designated the 19th Light Cavalry (which was soon changed to the 19th
Hussars) and ordered to Lucknow. Lieutenant Arthur Webster was gazetted as one of the original officers in the newly formed
19th Hussars along with several other officers with whom he had served in the 3rd Light Cavalry.
On the 28th of November, 1863, the regiment moved to Meerut where it stayed until was ordered to Benares in 1867. Arthur
Webster was promoted to Captain in 1869. In January of 1870, the regiment was ordered to proceed to England. It embarked
on board the Jumma on the 14th of February, landing at Dover on the 22nd of March.
According to The Times, on the 25th of April, 1873, Captain A. G.
Webster of the 19th Hussars was presented by Colonel C. V. Jenkins, the
Commanding Officer of the 19th Hussars, to the Prince of Wales at a Levee
held at St. James’ Palace. The Times further states that presentations to
the Prince of Wales at Court were considered the equivalent to
presentation to the Queen.
In June of 1876, the regiment was ordered to Ireland for garrison duty.
In November of 1880, a wing of the regiment under Captain Webster was
ordered to proceed to Ballinrobe, County Mayo, in aid of the civil powers.
The estate agent in County Mayo for Lord Erne was Captain Charles
Boycott, whose policies and attitudes had so infuriated the local tenants,
that having organized, they decided to ostracize Captain Boycott to such an
extent that not only would no one speak to him, but local restaurants and
stores refused to serve him and the postman even refused to deliver his
mail. More importantly, the tenants refused to harvest Lord Erne’s crops,
leaving them to potentially rot in the fields. Soon becoming an issue of
Irish nationalism, a group of Orangemen volunteered to save the harvest on
Lord Erne’s land and the 19th Hussars were ordered to join the troops of
the Royal Irish Constabulary in providing protection for the Orangemen
and Captain Boycott.
The Boycott affair was a cause célèbre at the time and received
considerable press coverage. The 19th Hussars involvement consisted
primarily of riot control and protection duty. The Times, however,
reported that during the crisis, numerous shots were fired at night into the
barracks where the officers and men of the regiment were housed, although
no casualties were sustained. Captain Boycott left Ireland on the 1st of
December and the entire crisis soon passed, but not before Boycott’s name
had passed into the lexicon.
Webster of the 19th Hussars was presented by Colonel C. V. Jenkins, the
Commanding Officer of the 19th Hussars, to the Prince of Wales at a Levee
held at St. James’ Palace. The Times further states that presentations to
the Prince of Wales at Court were considered the equivalent to
presentation to the Queen.
In June of 1876, the regiment was ordered to Ireland for garrison duty.
In November of 1880, a wing of the regiment under Captain Webster was
ordered to proceed to Ballinrobe, County Mayo, in aid of the civil powers.
The estate agent in County Mayo for Lord Erne was Captain Charles
Boycott, whose policies and attitudes had so infuriated the local tenants,
that having organized, they decided to ostracize Captain Boycott to such an
extent that not only would no one speak to him, but local restaurants and
stores refused to serve him and the postman even refused to deliver his
mail. More importantly, the tenants refused to harvest Lord Erne’s crops,
leaving them to potentially rot in the fields. Soon becoming an issue of
Irish nationalism, a group of Orangemen volunteered to save the harvest on
Lord Erne’s land and the 19th Hussars were ordered to join the troops of
the Royal Irish Constabulary in providing protection for the Orangemen
and Captain Boycott.
The Boycott affair was a cause célèbre at the time and received
considerable press coverage. The 19th Hussars involvement consisted
primarily of riot control and protection duty. The Times, however,
reported that during the crisis, numerous shots were fired at night into the
barracks where the officers and men of the regiment were housed, although
no casualties were sustained. Captain Boycott left Ireland on the 1st of
December and the entire crisis soon passed, but not before Boycott’s name
had passed into the lexicon.
|
Following Boycott’s departure from Ireland the crisis over and Captain Webster’s command was soon ordered to rejoin the main
body of the regiment which was then stationed at Dublin. Arthur Webster was promoted Major on the 1st of July, 1881.
The regiment was ordered to return to England from Ireland in June of 1882. While on the journey to Aldershot, the regiment
received orders to proceed to Egypt on active service. The London Gazette records that on the 4th of July, 1882, with an
effective date of the 14th of June, Lieutenant-Colonel K.J.W. Coghill was appointed to command the regiment and Major Arthur
George Webster was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel, vice Lieutenant-Colonel C.M.S. Fairbrother who had retired. Given the timing,
these changes appear to have been part of preparing the 19th Hussars for war service.
Following a coup in 1879, Egypt had been ruled by a puppet government under the control of England and France through the
nominal ruler known as the Khedive. In 1881, the officers of the Egyptian army threw their support behind Arabi Pasha, a fellow
Egyptian officer who began competing with the Khedive for political power. The British government could not allow this challenge
to its authority and in July of 1882, after lesser measures had failed, finally ordered a military expedition to Egypt under the
command of Lieutenant-General Sir Garnet Wolseley.
The 19th Hussars was one of the last regiments of the expedition to leave England, embarking at Southampton for Alexandra in the
Assyrian Monarch and the Montreal on the 10th of August. The total strength of the regiment was 33 officers, 553 non-
commissioned officers and men and 464 horses under the command of Lieutenant Colonel K.J.W. Coghill.
According to "The Nineteenth and Their Times", by Colonel Biddulph, (London, 1899) at page 236:
… They (the 19th Hussars) reached Ismailia on the 24th, and completed their disembarkation by the evening of the 26th. The duty
assigned to them was to act as Divisional troops ; the Right Wing, consisting of two squadrons under Lieutenant Colonel Coghill,
formed part of the 1st Division under Lieutenant General Willis; the remaining two squadrons, under Lieutenant Colonel A. G.
Webster, formed part of the 2nd Division under Lieutenant General Sir E. Hamley. One troop was detailed as escort to Sir
Garnet Wolseley throughout the campaign. The Right Wing joined the Head Quarters of the 1st Division at Tel-el-Mahuta, on the
evening of the 27th.
On the 28th, a demonstration was made by the enemy against Graham's force at Kassassin. The Right Wing of the 19th was ordered
in support to Mahsamah; but, on its being ascertained that no serious attack was intended they returned to Tel-el-Mahuta. Graham,
having been reinforced, and expecting the Heavy Cavalry Brigade to join him, made a general advance after sunset. The orders for
the heavy cavalry had, however, miscarried, and did not reach Major General Lowe for several hours. Making a wide sweep into the
desert, Lowe fell upon the left of the enemy in the dark, and charged, rolling up their infantry; the darkness made pursuit
impossible. The sound of the heavy firing, caused the Division at Tel-el-Mahuta to turn out again, but after a brief advance they
returned to camp, with the exception of the 19th Hussars, who pushed on to Kassassin, which they reached at daybreak. It was not
till noon, after visiting the scene of the previous night's encounter, that they were able to off-saddle and rest.
The following twelve days were spent in preparing for the advance on Tel-el-Kebir, 13 miles from Kassassin, where Arabi's army
had constructed a formidable line of entrenched works. During these days, the 19th Hussars and the Indian Native Cavalry were
employed in continual outpost and reconnoissance duties. On the 5th, Lieutenant Holland was badly wounded.
By the 8th, all was ready for massing the whole force at Kassassin preparatory to the advance on Tel-el-Kebir. Early on the 9th,
Arabi advanced in force on Kassassin, attacking in two separate bodies simultaneously, one in front from Tel-el-Kebir, and the
other in flank from Es Salihiyeh. Willis repelled the double attack with ease, and pushed the enemy back to within cannon shot of
Tel-el-Kebir, capturing four guns.
Soon after dark on the I2th, the whole force consisting of 17,000 men, with 61 guns, moved out of camp to some high ground in
front of Kassassin, in preparation for an attack on Arabi Pasha's entrenched lines. At 1.30 in the morning, the troops moved silently
forwards through the desert, their march directed by a naval officer steering by the stars. The four infantry brigades, in two
lines, led the way, supported on the right by the heavy cavalry brigade and horse artillery, and on the left by the naval brigade. In
(the) rear of the naval brigade, followed the 19th Hussars under Lieutenant Colonel Coghill. One troop of the regiment remained at
Mahsamah, and another at Tel el Mahuta, to guard those points. At five in the morning the attack was delivered; after half an
hour's severe fighting, the British infantry was in complete possession of the lines. While the heavy cavalry pushed on to Zagazig to
cut off fugitives, the 19th, under Coghill, passed through an opening in the entrenchments, and seized the Tel-el-Kebir railway
station and bridge, cutting off a great number of fugitives. Thence the pursuit was continued for three hours, when the 19th
returned to the enemy's late camp. In the afternoon they started again in the track of the heavy cavalry, leaving a troop to protect
burial parties, and reached Belbeis that evening. On the following evening Cairo was taken possession of, and Arabi surrendered
himself. The only casualty in the regiment was Lieutenant Barclay who was struck by a fragment of shell from one of the first guns
fired by the enemy at Tel-el-Kebir.
The war was over. A medal, with clasp for Tel-el- Kebir, was given to all who took part in the campaign. The medals were presented
to the regiment by Lady Dufferin, in Her Majesty's name, in the following February. H.H. the Khedive also gave a star."
Colonel Webster, in addition to being mentioned in despatches, received the Egypt medal with clasp for Tel-el-Kebir, the fourth
class of the Order of Osmanleh and the Khedive’s Star.
On the 7th of August, 1883, the London Gazette had the following entry:
19th Hussars, Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur George Webster has been appointed to command the Regiment. Dated 25 July, 1883.
Although the regiment had expected to return to England following the British victory at Tel-el-Kabir, their service in Africa was
far from over. In May of 1881, a new challenge to the British control of Egypt arose when in the central Sudanese province of
Kordofan, Mahomed Ahmed proclaimed himself the Mahdi (the Messiah) and declared a religious war against the British. In April
of 1883, the British initially sent an Egyptian force under the command of Major-General Hicks against the Mahdi and his army of
followers. Hicks’ force was utterly destroyed and it was soon realized that the re-conquest of the Soudan would require a military
operation that was then impractical.
A complete withdrawal from western Soudan was ordered and General Gordon was ordered to Khartoum.
Soon, eastern Soudan was also threatened by forces loyal to the Mahdi. In early February of 1884, another Egyptian force under
the command of Major-General Baker, which had been sent to oppose the Madhi’s forces in the area of Suakin, was also destroyed
while advancing to the relief of the besieged garrison at Tokar. Sinkat quickly fell and only the presence of British men-at-war
saved Suakin from a similar fate.
A British force, organized at Cairo under the command of Major-General Gerald Graham, V.C., C.B., was dispatched from Suez. The
19th Hussars, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur G. Webster, left Cairo on the 17th of February on board the Osiris
and the Neera. Joining Major-General Graham’s forces at Trinkitat, they moved with the force to Fort Baker on the 28th of
February, but not before receiving news of the fall of Tokar.
On the 29th of February, the force under Major-General Graham advanced against the enemy at El Teb who were then occupying
an isolated ridge covered with bush scrub, and protected with parapets and rifle pits.. The cavalry’s role in the battle of El Teb is
well stated in The War in Egypt and Soudan, Vol. II, by Thomas Archer (London 1886) at page 279:
"During the early part of the battle the cavalry had been kept well in the rear of the infantry, but when the square was seen to be
forcing its way into the enemy’s lines, and the Arabs were seen to be withdrawing from their position, General Stewart, who was in
command of the cavalry division, swung round far to the right of the infantry, and let his men against a large body of Arabs visible
in the plain beyond the ridge.
They had halted after pursuing the flying for some little distance, when the news reached them that Colonel Webster, who with a
hundred men had formed the third line, had been attacked by a great number of the enemy on the right; the order “let about” was
sounded immediately.
The enemy soon showed in great force, some mounted, some on foot. As the cavalry neared them the footmen threw themselves
among the tufted hillocks and little mounds of which the whole plain was made up. As the cavalry swept over them, the horses
leaping the little hillocks and swerving at the sight of the dark figures lying among them, the Arabs sprang to their feet in the
intervals of the horsemen, and discharged their spears, or as they lay thrust them into the horses, and then as the animals fell
sprang upon the riders, and cut them down before they could gain their feet.
At the same time some thirty Arab horsemen rode boldly at the squadron. There was a short, sharp hand-to-hand fight, and but
three of the enemy made their way through the line, and these, turning the instant they had passed through, pursued the charging
squadron before whose swords the rest of their comrades had just fallen. Colonel Barrow was pierced by a spear which passed
through his arm and entered his body, but having lost their commander the squadron still charged on although the opposition they
encountered was becoming momentarily hotter and hotter.
Genereal Stewart, who was riding somewhat in advance of the left flank of the second line, seeing a large body of Arabs rushing
down on the right flank of the first squadron, galloped forward with his staff to arrest the further advance, followed closely by
the 10th Hussars, but before they could reach the first line they had to cut their way through the foes.
…
The enemy was now in full retreat, and although Colonel Webster, who with his squadron had made several brilliant charges at the
enemy, now joined the rest of the cavalry, it was not deemed prudent to press the pursuit further, as many thousands of the
defenders of the intrenchments (sic) were now moving across the plain."
The force next advanced on town of Tokar which it took without opposition. Embarking at Trinkitat, the force landed at Suakin on
the 7th. On the night of the 12th of March, the entire force bivouacked at Tamai, near Suakin, in front of the enemy’s position
with the infantry about one mile away and the cavalry in the rear. Returning to the The Nineteenth and Their Times, at page 244:
"… At eight the next morning, the advance commenced: the two infantry brigades in squares, the cavalry in rear of the left. The
Arab skirmishers, who had pelted the British encampment with rifle fire during the night, fell back, increasing in numbers as they
retired. Seeing a great number of the enemy in front of them, massed in a ravine, the front line of the 2nd brigade charged with
the bayonet, destroying the formation of their square. The active Arabs broke into the opening, stabbing and slashing at close
quarters. Numbers followed, and for a few minutes a catastrophe was imminent. The cavalry galloped forward on the left,
dismounted, and poured volley after volley into the flank of the advancing Arabs, while the bayonet and spear contended for
victory within the square itself. The 1st brigade, which had repulsed a similar charge, swept the right face of the 2nd brigade
square with its fire, and, in a few minutes, the last surviving Arab who had penetrated the square had paid the penalty. The ranks
were reformed, and the infantry advance was resumed, the cavalry clearing away the numerous small parties of the enemy who still
clung to the broken ground. The battle was over…
… The 19th embarked on the 1st April, and returned to Cairo on the 6th.
By General Order 10th of January, 1885, the regiment was permitted to add the date “1884” to the badges on it appointments. A
medal with clasps for El Teb and Tamai were granted to those present."
For his services during the Soudan campaign Lieutenant-Colonel Webster was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (London
Gazette, 21 May 1884) and received the clasps El Teb and Tamai for his Egypt medal.
The London Gazette of the 9th of September, 1884, reported:
19th Hussars, Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur George Webster, C.B., retires on half-pay. Dated 10th September, 1884.
Lieutenant-Colonel George Arthur Webster, C.B., half-pay, retires on retired pay, with the honorary rank of Colonel. Dated
10th September, 1884.
Upon his retirement at only 47 years only, Colonel Webster returned to England. In 1889 he married for the first time, to Mona,
the third daughter of the late Colonel Wyatt, C.B. of the 65th Regiment. Arthur and Mona had no children and are shown in the
1891 Census as living in Harwick, Essex. In 1901, the Census shows the couple living in New Forest, Southampton.
The Times reported the death of Colonel Arthur George Webster, C.B., on the 17th of May, 1916, at his residence at Ravenswell,
Banister’s Park, Southampton. He was 79 years old.
body of the regiment which was then stationed at Dublin. Arthur Webster was promoted Major on the 1st of July, 1881.
The regiment was ordered to return to England from Ireland in June of 1882. While on the journey to Aldershot, the regiment
received orders to proceed to Egypt on active service. The London Gazette records that on the 4th of July, 1882, with an
effective date of the 14th of June, Lieutenant-Colonel K.J.W. Coghill was appointed to command the regiment and Major Arthur
George Webster was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel, vice Lieutenant-Colonel C.M.S. Fairbrother who had retired. Given the timing,
these changes appear to have been part of preparing the 19th Hussars for war service.
Following a coup in 1879, Egypt had been ruled by a puppet government under the control of England and France through the
nominal ruler known as the Khedive. In 1881, the officers of the Egyptian army threw their support behind Arabi Pasha, a fellow
Egyptian officer who began competing with the Khedive for political power. The British government could not allow this challenge
to its authority and in July of 1882, after lesser measures had failed, finally ordered a military expedition to Egypt under the
command of Lieutenant-General Sir Garnet Wolseley.
The 19th Hussars was one of the last regiments of the expedition to leave England, embarking at Southampton for Alexandra in the
Assyrian Monarch and the Montreal on the 10th of August. The total strength of the regiment was 33 officers, 553 non-
commissioned officers and men and 464 horses under the command of Lieutenant Colonel K.J.W. Coghill.
According to "The Nineteenth and Their Times", by Colonel Biddulph, (London, 1899) at page 236:
… They (the 19th Hussars) reached Ismailia on the 24th, and completed their disembarkation by the evening of the 26th. The duty
assigned to them was to act as Divisional troops ; the Right Wing, consisting of two squadrons under Lieutenant Colonel Coghill,
formed part of the 1st Division under Lieutenant General Willis; the remaining two squadrons, under Lieutenant Colonel A. G.
Webster, formed part of the 2nd Division under Lieutenant General Sir E. Hamley. One troop was detailed as escort to Sir
Garnet Wolseley throughout the campaign. The Right Wing joined the Head Quarters of the 1st Division at Tel-el-Mahuta, on the
evening of the 27th.
On the 28th, a demonstration was made by the enemy against Graham's force at Kassassin. The Right Wing of the 19th was ordered
in support to Mahsamah; but, on its being ascertained that no serious attack was intended they returned to Tel-el-Mahuta. Graham,
having been reinforced, and expecting the Heavy Cavalry Brigade to join him, made a general advance after sunset. The orders for
the heavy cavalry had, however, miscarried, and did not reach Major General Lowe for several hours. Making a wide sweep into the
desert, Lowe fell upon the left of the enemy in the dark, and charged, rolling up their infantry; the darkness made pursuit
impossible. The sound of the heavy firing, caused the Division at Tel-el-Mahuta to turn out again, but after a brief advance they
returned to camp, with the exception of the 19th Hussars, who pushed on to Kassassin, which they reached at daybreak. It was not
till noon, after visiting the scene of the previous night's encounter, that they were able to off-saddle and rest.
The following twelve days were spent in preparing for the advance on Tel-el-Kebir, 13 miles from Kassassin, where Arabi's army
had constructed a formidable line of entrenched works. During these days, the 19th Hussars and the Indian Native Cavalry were
employed in continual outpost and reconnoissance duties. On the 5th, Lieutenant Holland was badly wounded.
By the 8th, all was ready for massing the whole force at Kassassin preparatory to the advance on Tel-el-Kebir. Early on the 9th,
Arabi advanced in force on Kassassin, attacking in two separate bodies simultaneously, one in front from Tel-el-Kebir, and the
other in flank from Es Salihiyeh. Willis repelled the double attack with ease, and pushed the enemy back to within cannon shot of
Tel-el-Kebir, capturing four guns.
Soon after dark on the I2th, the whole force consisting of 17,000 men, with 61 guns, moved out of camp to some high ground in
front of Kassassin, in preparation for an attack on Arabi Pasha's entrenched lines. At 1.30 in the morning, the troops moved silently
forwards through the desert, their march directed by a naval officer steering by the stars. The four infantry brigades, in two
lines, led the way, supported on the right by the heavy cavalry brigade and horse artillery, and on the left by the naval brigade. In
(the) rear of the naval brigade, followed the 19th Hussars under Lieutenant Colonel Coghill. One troop of the regiment remained at
Mahsamah, and another at Tel el Mahuta, to guard those points. At five in the morning the attack was delivered; after half an
hour's severe fighting, the British infantry was in complete possession of the lines. While the heavy cavalry pushed on to Zagazig to
cut off fugitives, the 19th, under Coghill, passed through an opening in the entrenchments, and seized the Tel-el-Kebir railway
station and bridge, cutting off a great number of fugitives. Thence the pursuit was continued for three hours, when the 19th
returned to the enemy's late camp. In the afternoon they started again in the track of the heavy cavalry, leaving a troop to protect
burial parties, and reached Belbeis that evening. On the following evening Cairo was taken possession of, and Arabi surrendered
himself. The only casualty in the regiment was Lieutenant Barclay who was struck by a fragment of shell from one of the first guns
fired by the enemy at Tel-el-Kebir.
The war was over. A medal, with clasp for Tel-el- Kebir, was given to all who took part in the campaign. The medals were presented
to the regiment by Lady Dufferin, in Her Majesty's name, in the following February. H.H. the Khedive also gave a star."
Colonel Webster, in addition to being mentioned in despatches, received the Egypt medal with clasp for Tel-el-Kebir, the fourth
class of the Order of Osmanleh and the Khedive’s Star.
On the 7th of August, 1883, the London Gazette had the following entry:
19th Hussars, Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur George Webster has been appointed to command the Regiment. Dated 25 July, 1883.
Although the regiment had expected to return to England following the British victory at Tel-el-Kabir, their service in Africa was
far from over. In May of 1881, a new challenge to the British control of Egypt arose when in the central Sudanese province of
Kordofan, Mahomed Ahmed proclaimed himself the Mahdi (the Messiah) and declared a religious war against the British. In April
of 1883, the British initially sent an Egyptian force under the command of Major-General Hicks against the Mahdi and his army of
followers. Hicks’ force was utterly destroyed and it was soon realized that the re-conquest of the Soudan would require a military
operation that was then impractical.
A complete withdrawal from western Soudan was ordered and General Gordon was ordered to Khartoum.
Soon, eastern Soudan was also threatened by forces loyal to the Mahdi. In early February of 1884, another Egyptian force under
the command of Major-General Baker, which had been sent to oppose the Madhi’s forces in the area of Suakin, was also destroyed
while advancing to the relief of the besieged garrison at Tokar. Sinkat quickly fell and only the presence of British men-at-war
saved Suakin from a similar fate.
A British force, organized at Cairo under the command of Major-General Gerald Graham, V.C., C.B., was dispatched from Suez. The
19th Hussars, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur G. Webster, left Cairo on the 17th of February on board the Osiris
and the Neera. Joining Major-General Graham’s forces at Trinkitat, they moved with the force to Fort Baker on the 28th of
February, but not before receiving news of the fall of Tokar.
On the 29th of February, the force under Major-General Graham advanced against the enemy at El Teb who were then occupying
an isolated ridge covered with bush scrub, and protected with parapets and rifle pits.. The cavalry’s role in the battle of El Teb is
well stated in The War in Egypt and Soudan, Vol. II, by Thomas Archer (London 1886) at page 279:
"During the early part of the battle the cavalry had been kept well in the rear of the infantry, but when the square was seen to be
forcing its way into the enemy’s lines, and the Arabs were seen to be withdrawing from their position, General Stewart, who was in
command of the cavalry division, swung round far to the right of the infantry, and let his men against a large body of Arabs visible
in the plain beyond the ridge.
They had halted after pursuing the flying for some little distance, when the news reached them that Colonel Webster, who with a
hundred men had formed the third line, had been attacked by a great number of the enemy on the right; the order “let about” was
sounded immediately.
The enemy soon showed in great force, some mounted, some on foot. As the cavalry neared them the footmen threw themselves
among the tufted hillocks and little mounds of which the whole plain was made up. As the cavalry swept over them, the horses
leaping the little hillocks and swerving at the sight of the dark figures lying among them, the Arabs sprang to their feet in the
intervals of the horsemen, and discharged their spears, or as they lay thrust them into the horses, and then as the animals fell
sprang upon the riders, and cut them down before they could gain their feet.
At the same time some thirty Arab horsemen rode boldly at the squadron. There was a short, sharp hand-to-hand fight, and but
three of the enemy made their way through the line, and these, turning the instant they had passed through, pursued the charging
squadron before whose swords the rest of their comrades had just fallen. Colonel Barrow was pierced by a spear which passed
through his arm and entered his body, but having lost their commander the squadron still charged on although the opposition they
encountered was becoming momentarily hotter and hotter.
Genereal Stewart, who was riding somewhat in advance of the left flank of the second line, seeing a large body of Arabs rushing
down on the right flank of the first squadron, galloped forward with his staff to arrest the further advance, followed closely by
the 10th Hussars, but before they could reach the first line they had to cut their way through the foes.
…
The enemy was now in full retreat, and although Colonel Webster, who with his squadron had made several brilliant charges at the
enemy, now joined the rest of the cavalry, it was not deemed prudent to press the pursuit further, as many thousands of the
defenders of the intrenchments (sic) were now moving across the plain."
The force next advanced on town of Tokar which it took without opposition. Embarking at Trinkitat, the force landed at Suakin on
the 7th. On the night of the 12th of March, the entire force bivouacked at Tamai, near Suakin, in front of the enemy’s position
with the infantry about one mile away and the cavalry in the rear. Returning to the The Nineteenth and Their Times, at page 244:
"… At eight the next morning, the advance commenced: the two infantry brigades in squares, the cavalry in rear of the left. The
Arab skirmishers, who had pelted the British encampment with rifle fire during the night, fell back, increasing in numbers as they
retired. Seeing a great number of the enemy in front of them, massed in a ravine, the front line of the 2nd brigade charged with
the bayonet, destroying the formation of their square. The active Arabs broke into the opening, stabbing and slashing at close
quarters. Numbers followed, and for a few minutes a catastrophe was imminent. The cavalry galloped forward on the left,
dismounted, and poured volley after volley into the flank of the advancing Arabs, while the bayonet and spear contended for
victory within the square itself. The 1st brigade, which had repulsed a similar charge, swept the right face of the 2nd brigade
square with its fire, and, in a few minutes, the last surviving Arab who had penetrated the square had paid the penalty. The ranks
were reformed, and the infantry advance was resumed, the cavalry clearing away the numerous small parties of the enemy who still
clung to the broken ground. The battle was over…
… The 19th embarked on the 1st April, and returned to Cairo on the 6th.
By General Order 10th of January, 1885, the regiment was permitted to add the date “1884” to the badges on it appointments. A
medal with clasps for El Teb and Tamai were granted to those present."
For his services during the Soudan campaign Lieutenant-Colonel Webster was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (London
Gazette, 21 May 1884) and received the clasps El Teb and Tamai for his Egypt medal.
The London Gazette of the 9th of September, 1884, reported:
19th Hussars, Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur George Webster, C.B., retires on half-pay. Dated 10th September, 1884.
Lieutenant-Colonel George Arthur Webster, C.B., half-pay, retires on retired pay, with the honorary rank of Colonel. Dated
10th September, 1884.
Upon his retirement at only 47 years only, Colonel Webster returned to England. In 1889 he married for the first time, to Mona,
the third daughter of the late Colonel Wyatt, C.B. of the 65th Regiment. Arthur and Mona had no children and are shown in the
1891 Census as living in Harwick, Essex. In 1901, the Census shows the couple living in New Forest, Southampton.
The Times reported the death of Colonel Arthur George Webster, C.B., on the 17th of May, 1916, at his residence at Ravenswell,
Banister’s Park, Southampton. He was 79 years old.