MILIARY FORCES IN EGYPT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2296, 2 November 1914, Page 6

MILIARY FORCES IN EGYPT

BRITISH GARRISON AND THB NATIVE ARMY The. British garrison, or army of occupation in Egypt, consists in times'of peace of a cavalry regiment, a horse artillery battery, a mountain battery, a company of-engineers, and four bat-' talions (one company iy. ; Cyprus), stationed in the Nile delta,' and; of, a bat- : talion of infantry,and detachment of. garrison artillery stationed in the AngloEgyptian Sudan. Tho establishment;» including Departmental services, 6067 of all/ ranks. •"' The Egyptian.'. Government contributes £150,000 towards the cost of theso troops. ' The British , garrison in Egypt has no doubt been considerably strengthened since the outbreak of war. .-■..■'■ On September 19. 1882 .(the year, of. British occupation) the existing Egyptian army was disbanded. Tho : organisation of a new army :.was entrusted: to a British general officer who was given the title of Sirdar. ' This_post is at present filled by General Sir Reginald Wingate. Service in tlie Egypt-' ian native army is oompuliiory, but owing to the small contingent required, only a fraction of the men who ! are, liable actually serve. Service is for three years. In the Sudanese battalions, service is voluntary and r ' exfended.' The army .consistE of five' squadrons of cavalry, a' camel corps;" five' batteries, 18 battalions or infantry (of which six are Sudanese, and one is a' * special "Equitorial" battalion), a rail- ,: way . battalion,, and varioua',depart-; ments. Most of the higher posts are. ! held by British officers. ! The strength ' of the army is about 17,000. : -;:: ■■': ■:.] Egypt has a population' of 11,300,000, and in addition there are '3,000,000 people in .the Sudan.:... . " . '• " r