1882 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT BY NAVAL CAPTAIN OF THE BOMBARDMENT OF ALEXANDRIA AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE PORT

GEORGE JAMES TOMLIN, CAPTAIN ROYAL NAVY

Published by ABOARD THE HMS ALEXANDRA EGYPT, 1882

About this Item

On offer is the original manuscript eyewitness account of the Bombardment of Alexandria, Egypt between July 11th - 13th 1882 handwritten by participant Captain George James Tomlin, Royal Navy [1837 - 1906]. This is a superb primary source account by a Royal Navy Officer and a participant in the bombardment, augmented by photographic material and as such rare and unique. Captain George J. Tomlin, the second generation in a line of four men who all became Royal Navy Officers. He was on board HMS Alexandra during the British assault on Alexandria and provides a detailed first-hand account of the battle. He notes: 'the Alexandra was struck about 30 times to the hull. she had 1 man killed and 30 wounded'. The narrative describes the battle and both collectors and historians will be impressed by the details provided in the written manuscript. Tomlin lists the participating ships, their guns, losses, method of attack etc. and also comments on political figures such as Admiral Seymour, Prime Minister Gladstone and Colonel Urabi; 'during the bombardment 700 out of 1200 [Egyptians] were killed outright.' The Bombardment of Alexandria [1882] by the British Mediterranean Fleet took place on 11-13 July 1882. Admiral Sir Frederick Beauchamp Seymour was in command of a fleet of about 15 Royal Navy ironclad ships which sailed to Alexandria when a riot broke out and Europeans were killed. The Royal Navy arrived in the port city to protect the lives and property of British subjects. When the forces of Colonel Urabi began augmenting their port fortifications, the Admiral issued an ultimatum to stop and when the Egyptians didn't stop fortifying their positions, the fleet attacked. The one-day bombardment of the city was successful in defeating all of the Egyptian forts with no loss of British ships, but the next day a fire broke out and the areas of Alexandria in which Europeans made their homes were predominant burned down. This important, historic archive is befittingly contained in a stunning, contemporary, specifically made, premium folio sized folder made of marbleized papers, leather spine and gilt title treatment to protect the sixteen [16] leaves of the twenty [20] page narrative, together with one large photograph of Dutch House in Port Said with HMS Invincible and HMS Alexandra at anchor, one photograph of the Officers and Ladies of HMS Alexandra as well as one photograph of a formation of British Army soldiers as well as four [4] further photographs of various Europeans in Egypt. The manuscript and portrait are in very good condition. Photographs mounted on card stock and faded from age. Size: 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 0001171

Bibliographic Details

Title: 1882 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT ...

Publisher: ABOARD THE HMS ALEXANDRA EGYPT

Publication Date: 1882

Condition: Very Good

Book Type: Manuscript