AN HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT EGYPT CAMPAIGN "ABU KLEA" 4th DRAGOONS OFFICER CASUALTY NOTE BOOK & FIELD DIARY, CIGARETTE CASE & EARLY COINS.

RECOVERED ON THE ABU KLEA BATTLE FIELD FROM THE BODY of:
Captain Joseph Watkins William Darley.
KILLED IN ACTION. 17th JANUARY 1885.

Purchased recently as part of a later 1st Day of The Somme officer casualty group to the Darley family. This is a very important leather covered 'gilt edge' Victorian pocket field diary-note book & pencil which details the day-to-day situation of the 4th Dragoon Guards from their departure from camp at Brighton on 22nd September 1884 to their embarkation for Egypt on SS DECCAN from Portsmouth on 26th September 1884, their voyage via Alexandria to Cairo and the pyramids

During that part of the voyage he records that on Monday 13th October that a man called CLEMENTS from 'the Blues' fell overboard and was drowned. A man called 'Maguire' was court marshalled on the ship on 15th October (offence unknown).

The details record their passage via various Egyptian ports in the company of a old unreliable ship calked the "Damietta" which apparently broke down on Friday 17th October. They encountered two British men of war en-route to Asswan on 18th October & took a sick man on board for attention by the doctor. On Sunday 19th the Deccan ran short of coal at Keneh and "Damietta" was sent for more which delayed them overnight. A trip was then arranged to the temple of Denderah which Darley comments was "well worth seeing".

On Monday 20th October a steamship arrived and brought very welcome letters & newspapers.

He comments that the journey was "becoming very monotonous but the weather is simply lovely" and that, "it would be very pleasant barring the flies, mosquitoes and bugs which annoy us terribly" The arrived at Luxor on Tuesday 21st October at 3pm and first took part in a general parade on shore followed by a visit to the Temple of Carnac which he describes as, "very fine & extensive but not in such good preservation as the temple of Denderah".

The note book continues in excellent detail throughout the voyage down the River Nile and forward into the details of the marching points and the land campaign via entries for all of November and December 1884. It continues into early-mid January 1885 with Captain Darley's last entry for Tuesday 13th January which ends with a simple: "DAY OF REST"







Captain Joseph W.W. Darley was Killed in Action four days later on 17th January during the Battle of Abu Klea. The diary, cigarette case, two coins & tiny leather stamp wallet were recovered from his body

A probably unique & highly important day by day account of the journeys of the 4th Dragoon Guards on their voyage & march from England to the fatal Battle of Abu Klea. Captain Darley is entitled to the Egypt Medal with three clasps: 'Tel-el-Kebir, The Nile 1884-85 & Abu Klea with Khedives Star 1882.

£695 (SOLD)