Valentine Baker (also known as
Baker Pasha) (1827—1887), British soldier, was a younger brother of Sir Samuel Baker. He was educated in
GloucesterGloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
and in Ceylon, and in 1848 entered the Ceylon Rifles as an ensign. Soon transferred to the 12th Lancers, he saw active service with that regiment in the
8th Cape Frontier WarThe Xhosa Wars, also known as the Kaffir Wars or Cape Frontier Wars, were a series of nine wars between the amaXhosa people and European settlers from 1779 to 1879 in what is now the Eastern Cape in South Africa...
of 1852—1853. In the
Crimean WarThe Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire on one side and an alliance of the British Empire, France, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia on the other. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
Baker was present at the
Battle of Chernaya RiverThe Battle of the Chernaya River was a battle by the Chernaya River fought during the Crimean War on August 16, 1855. The battle was fought between Russian troops and a coalition of French and Sardinian troops...
and at the fall of
SevastopolSevastopol is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451...
, and in 1859 he became major in the 10th Hussars, succeeding only a year later to the command.
Valentine Baker (also known as
Baker Pasha) (1827—1887), British soldier, was a younger brother of Sir Samuel Baker. He was educated in
GloucesterGloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
and in Ceylon, and in 1848 entered the Ceylon Rifles as an ensign. Soon transferred to the 12th Lancers, he saw active service with that regiment in the
8th Cape Frontier WarThe Xhosa Wars, also known as the Kaffir Wars or Cape Frontier Wars, were a series of nine wars between the amaXhosa people and European settlers from 1779 to 1879 in what is now the Eastern Cape in South Africa...
of 1852—1853. In the
Crimean WarThe Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire on one side and an alliance of the British Empire, France, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia on the other. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
Baker was present at the
Battle of Chernaya RiverThe Battle of the Chernaya River was a battle by the Chernaya River fought during the Crimean War on August 16, 1855. The battle was fought between Russian troops and a coalition of French and Sardinian troops...
and at the fall of
SevastopolSevastopol is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451...
, and in 1859 he became major in the 10th Hussars, succeeding only a year later to the command. This position he held for thirteen years, during which period the highest efficiency of his men was reached, and outside the regiment he did good service to his arm by his writings.
He went through the wars of 1866 and 1870 as a spectator with the German armies, and in 1873 he started upon a famous journey through
KhorasanGreater Khorasan is a modern term for a historical geographic region spanning north-eastern and east of Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, western and northern Afghanistan and the North Western Areas of Pakistan...
. Though he was unable to reach the
Khanate of KhivaThe Khanate of Khiva was the name of a Central Asian state that existed in the historical region of Khwarezm from 1511 to 1920, except for a period of Persian occupation by Nadir Shah between 1740–1746. It was ruled over by the Kungrads, a branch of the Astrakhans, themselves a Genghisid dynasty,...
the results of the journey afforded a great deal of political, geographical and military information, especially as to the advance of
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in central
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
. In 1874 he was back in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and took up a staff appointment at
AldershotAldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about 60 km southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
. Less than a year later Colonel Baker’s career in the British army came to an untimely end. He was arrested on a charge of indecent assault upon a young woman in a railway carriage. He offered no defense, and was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment and a fine. He was then dismissed from service.
Two years later, having meanwhile left
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he entered the service of
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
in the war with Russia. At first in a high position in the
gendarmerieA gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military body charged with police duties among civilian populations. The members of such a body are called gendarmes. The term maréchaussée may also be used but is now uncommon.-Etymology:The word gendarme comes from Old French gens d'armes, meaning men-at-arms...
, he was soon transferred to
MehemetMehemet Ali, Pasha was a German-born Ottoman soldier.Mehemet Ali was born in Brandenburg an der Havel, Prussia, as Ludwig Karl Friedrich Detroit , but left home when young, traveled to the Ottoman Empire and embraced Islam. There, in 1846, Aali Pasha, later Grand Vizier, sent him to a military...
’s staff, and thence took over the command of a division of infantry. With this division Baker sustained the rearguard action of Tashkessan against the troops of Gourko. Promoted Ferik (lieutenant-general) for this feat, he continued to command Suleiman’s rearguard. After the peace he was employed in an administrative post in
ArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, where he remained until 1882. In this year he was offered the command of the newly formed Egyptian army, which he accepted. On his arrival at
CairoCairo is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab World. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a center of the region's political and cultural life...
, however, the offer was withdrawn and he only obtained the command of the Egyptian police. In this post he devoted by far the greater amount of his energy to the training of the gendarmerie, which he realized would be the reserve of the purely military forces.
When the
war in SudanDevelopments in Sudan during the late 19th century cannot be understood without reference to the British position in Egypt. In 1869, the Suez Canal opened and quickly became Britain's economic lifeline to India and the Far East. To defend this waterway, Britain sought a greater role in Egyptian...
broke out, Baker, hastening with 3500 men to relieve Tokar, encountered the enemy under
Osman DignaOsman Digna was a follower of the Mahdi in Sudan, and hailed from the Hadendoa tribe of the Beja people. His birthplace is unknown; both Suakin and Rouen, France were said to be the town where he was born. When he was called Osman Ali, Osman Digna lived in Alexandria, Egypt, where he dealt in the...
at
El TebEl Teb, a halting-place in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan near the coast of the Red Sea, 9 m. southwest of the port of Trinkitat on the road to Tokar. At El Teb, on 4 February 1884, a heterogeneous force under General Valentine Baker, marching to the relief of the Egyptian garrison of Tokar, was...
. His men became panic-stricken at the first rush and were slaughtered. Baker himself with a few of his officers succeeded by hard fighting in cutting a way out, but his force was annihilated. British troops soon afterwards arrived at
SuakinSuakin or Sawakin is a port in north-eastern Sudan, on the west coast of the Red Sea. In 1983 it had a population of 18,030 and the 2009 estimate is 43, 337.It was formerly the region's chief port, but is now secondary to Port Sudan, about 30 miles north. The old city built of coral is in ruins...
, and
Sir Gerald GrahamLieutenant General Sir Gerald Graham, VC GCB GCMG was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Early life:He was born in Acton, Middlesex, and after studying at...
took the offensive. Baker Pasha accompanied the British force, and guided it in its march to the scene of his defeat, and at the desperately-fought second battle of
El TebEl Teb, a halting-place in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan near the coast of the Red Sea, 9 m. southwest of the port of Trinkitat on the road to Tokar. At El Teb, on 4 February 1884, a heterogeneous force under General Valentine Baker, marching to the relief of the Egyptian garrison of Tokar, was...
he was wounded (See:
Battles of El TebThe Battles of El Teb took place during the British Sudan Campaign where a force of Sudanese under Osman Digna won a victory over an 3500 strong Egyptian force under the command of General Valentine Baker which was marching to relieve Tokar on the 4th...
). He remained in command of the Egyptian police until his death in 1887. Amongst his works may be mentioned
Our National Defences (1860),
War in Bulgaria, a Narrative of Personal Experience (
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, 1879),
Clouds in the East (
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, 1876).
Further reading
- Dorothy Anderson Baker Pasha: Misconduct and Mischance Michael Russell Publishing Ltd (May 1999) ISBN 0859552462 ISBN 978-0859552462
External links