Royal Berkshire. Queen's Own Sappers and Miners. 17th (Loyal Regiment). 15th Ludhiana Sikhs. 128th Pioneers. In the early morn of March 22 Sir John MacNeill, a gallant and experienced soldier, was sent out from Suakin with orders to form a halfway camp on the route to Tamai. The road lay through a dense thorn-bush, and the reconnoitring was unfortunately confided to the 5th Lancers, a young regiment with no experience of Eastern warfare. They were all unused to the glare of the Egyptian desert, and gave no timely warning of the proximity of the enemy. The brigade was attacked when half the men were busy cutting the jungle to form a breastwork, but there was no confusion until the camels, terrified by the onrush of the Soudanese, who commenced ham-stringing the animals, broke the line of the rear face of the hastily-formed square. The commanding officer of the regiment fell in rallying his men. In twenty minutes the rush of the tribesmen was repulsed, and though our losses were severe, those of the enemy were enormous. Over 2,000 were buried by our men. Such a lesson was taught them that from that day until the withdrawal of Sir Gerald Graham's force no further attacks were made on his camp. CASUALTIES AT THE ACTION OF TOFREK. +--------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |_Officers._| _Men._ | | _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |Naval Brigade | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | |5th Lancers | 1 | - | - | 5 | |Royal Artillery | - | 1 | - | 4 | |Roy. Engineers | 2 | 1 | 13 | 3 | |49th Berkshires | 1 | - | 22 | 30 | |Royal Marines | - | - | 7 | 16 | |Madras Sappers and Miners | 2 | 1 | 12 | 20 | |15th Sikhs | - | - | 9 | 11 | |17th Loyal Regiment | 1 | 1 | 20 | 33 | |128th Pioneers | 1 | 1 | 5 | 9 | +--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ HAFIR. This battle honour is borne only by the Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire) Regiment, and was awarded to them in recognition of their conduct during the operation leading to the action of Hafir, in the month of September, 1896.