1885 Gallery

Battle of Abu Klea, 17 January 1885

Battle of Abu Klea, 17 January 1885. Oil on canvas signed and dated lower left: W B Wollen 1896, by William Barns Wollen (1857-1936), 1896. In a race against time to relieve General Gordon, besieged at Khartoum, a relief column under General Sir Garnet Wolseley set out from Cairo in October 1884. Realising that his infantry, travelling in boats up the Nile, might not reach Khartoum in time to save Gordon, Wolseley detached a Desert Column to travel overland by a faster but more dangerous route. On 17 Jan 1885 this Column, commanded by General Herbert Stewart, was attacked by the Mahdists at Abu Klea. The resulting battle was later described by Winston Churchill as the most savage and bloody action ever fought in the Soudan by British troops'. The British square broke and was closed only after desperate hand-to-hand fighting. The British suffered 168 casualties, the Mahdists about 1100. The Column finally reached Khartoum on 28 January, two days after the town had fallen. Date: 1885

© The National Army Museum / Mary Evans Picture Library

Training Ship Mercury, River Hamble, Hampshire

The Training Ship Mercury was established in 1885 by the London philanthropist Charles Hoare. The ship, a barque previously named Illova, was originally moored at Binstead on the Isle of Wight, but moved in 1892 to the River Hamble near Southampton. Boys aged 12-15 were trained in seamanship, with many going on to join the naval services

© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10418997

Training Ship Mercury and boys racing crew, River Hamble

The racing crew of the training ship Mercury with the ship itself in the background. The Mercury, established in 1885 by Charles Hoare, was originally based at Binstead, Isle of Wight, but moved in 1892 to the River Hamble, near Southampton, Hampshire. Boys aged 12-15 were trained in seamanship, with many going on to join the naval services

© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10472641