APPENDIX II
BRITISH OFFICERS IN THE EGYPTIAN ARMY
SINCE the previous pages were written a somewhat acute
controversy broke out over the measure of control to be
retained in the Egyptian Army by British officers in right
of the "reserved points."
The issue was raised by the recommendation of the
war committee of the Egyptian Parliament that the salary
of the Sirdar be suppressed. Since the assassination of
Sir Lee Stack no Sirdar had been appointed, and the
Inspector-General, Spinks Pasha, had been acting-
Sirdar. But he had never been accepted in this capacity
by the Egyptian Government, and his authority had been
almost nullified. It was now proposed to transfer the
Sirdar's functions to the Minister of War. Other recom-
mendations included increasing the infantry effectives and
the strength of the artillery and machine guns.
This was apparently accepted by the British Govern-
ment as a challenge by the Wafd of British authority,
for a note was delivered, and supported by the despatch
of three warships to Alexandria and Port Said because, as
Sir Austen Chamberlain explained to the House (June i,
1927), tc reports indicated that efforts were being made
to foment excitement/'
It was apparently feared by the British Government
that a systematic effort was being made by the Wafd to
get control of the army for political purposes and to
nullify the guarantees in the reserved points. While the
Egyptian Nationalists, for their part, feared that the
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