Aberdeen Medals

95 Items Found

Page: 1 of 10

0 Items in Basket

India General Service Medal 1854. Silver issue with clasp 'Persia' (Serjt F. Neville, Bombay Sappers & Miners)

Important: Medal and clasp verified per medal roll of the Bombay Sappers & Miners (Ref L/Mil/5/55). Total of 270 x medals to unit, of which only 22 to Europeans (Officers x 2 & Non Commissioned Officers x 20)

Frederick 'Frank' Neville, son of Thomas Neville, was a 'Man of Kent', where he is recorded as being born, circa 1819. On 30 January 1844, he enlisted at London, England, for a period of 'Unlimited Service' with the Bombay Army of the East India Company. He sailed for British india aboard the 'Herefordshire', and is recorded as having disembarked in Bombay, on 28 February 1846. He served variousy in the Bombay Presidency, and on 19 May 1853, while stationed at Poona Cantonment, Sergeant Assistant Overseer Frderick Neville, son of Thomas Neville, was married to Mary Louisa Hanson (born at Ahmednagar on 2 August 1833), daughter of Samuel Hanson (a former Steward at the Artillery Hospital for Bombay Artillery). Prior to being mobilized and embarking with his unit for the Persia Campaign in 1856, Sergeant Neville is shown on the East India Company's 'Town Major List' for the Bombay Presidency (dated 1 October 1855) as holding the rank of Sergeant Overseer, and having been attached from the 'Engineers' (sic for Bombay Sappers and Miners) to the Public Works Department. On his return from Persia, Frederick Neville, in common with most personnel of the Bombay Army, did not subsequently particpate in the supression of the Indian Mutiny, but did return to attachment on the 'Town Majors' list, serving widely on Public Works projects across the Bombay Presidency, including; Poona, Karachi and Munmar. Reflective of the dangers commonly encountered with such a long period of service in India, Frederick and Mary Neville suffered considerable personal tragedy. While the couple are recorded as having been blessed with four children, sadly no less then three of them; Edward Samuel, born at Poona, 10 February 1854; Alfred Ernest, born at Poona, 30 April 1855; Emily Gertrude, born at Poona, 2 July 1856, all sadly died in infancy due to various ill-health. A fourth child, Frank Henry Wilson, was born to the couple at Karachi, on 1 April 1862 Mary Louisa Neville, died at Karachi on 1862, at the age of only 29 years. Frederick Neville, by then a 'Conductor and Overseer' - and a Widower - died of the dreaded 'Cholera' at Sharanpur on 22 July 1864. At the time of his death Frederick Neville was only 46 years of age

Note: The 'Town Majors List' was the designation used in the East India Company Bengal and Bombay Armies to the select cadre of European non-commissioned officers who served extra-regimentally, mainly in the Ordnance, Commissariat and Public Works Departments. In the Madras Presidency they were known as Effective Supernumeraries. Recruited largely from non-commissioned officers of the Company's European Corps, and occasionally from non-commissioned officers of British Army regiments in India. Non-commissioned officers on the Town Major's List/Effective Supernumeraries were eligible for promotion to the warrant officer rank of Sub-Conductor. In 1859/60 the Town Major's List was replaced by the Unattached List.

Sold together with some copied research, including hard-copy extract pages from the IGS 1854 medal roll

A scarce and desirable documented 'Bombay Sappers' India General Service Medal for 'Persia'

Condition: About GVF

Code: 19528Price:

click for more images

India General Service Medal 1854-95. Silver issue with clasp 'Burma 1885-7' (562 Pte. G. Goldley 2d Bn. R. Sco. Fus.)

Important: Medal and clasp verified on the respective campaign medal roll of 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers (ref WO 100/69), wherein the recipient is recorded as still serving with the regiment when the medal roll was compiled and signed off on

The recipient was a British soldier holding the rank of Private while serving with the 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, an infantry regiment of the British Army

Note: The Royal Scots Fusiliers (late 21st Foot), is one of the very few British infantry regiments with lineage and multiple battle honours dating back to John Duke of Marlborough's brilliant victory's on the continent of Europe during the Wars of the Spanish Succession (the 21st earned the battle honours; Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet. Coincidentally, the Duke of Marlborough's famous descendent, Sir Winston Churchill, was for a period of time the Officer Commanding 6th Service Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers on the Western Front during the Great War, and whose tough 'Jocks' were much in awe of their commanding officers' frequent 'Trench Raids' and general 'sang froid' leadership....

Condition: About GVF

Code: 19526Price:

click for more images

India General Service 1854-95, 3 clasps, Burma 1885-7, Burma 1887-89, N.E. Frontier 1891 (833 Sepoy Banbir Thapa (2d.) 44th. Bl. Infy.)

Note: Reference 'British Battles & Medals' (Seventh edition, 2006) the unit, a 'Gurkha' class regiment, is confirmed as being present in all the campaigns commemorated on this particular multi-clasp medal

The lower clasp with adpated lugs to mount the subsequent clasp is typical found on medals originally issued with flush clasps, that needed to be removed and or adpated to mount subsequent later issue clasps

The recipient was a Gurkha soldier serving as a Sepoy (Private) in the 44th Regiment, Gurkha (Light) Infantry of the Indian Army

The regiment was restyled as 8th Gurkha Rifles in 1903 - and a unit with a long and distinguished history of campaign service on the North East Frontier of India, Burma and in Tibet

Condition: About GVF

Code: 18711Price: 350.00 GBP

click for more images

Indian Mutiny Medal 1857-1859. No clasp (Private. Vittoo Saloonkey. Kolapr Infy)

The recipient was a Maratha soldier holding the rank of 'Private' while serving with the Kolapore Infantry Corps, a local corps raised and deployed for exclusive service within the Southern Maratha state of Kolapore (Kolhapur) in the region of the Bombay Presidency

Reference the article by R. G. Harris, published in the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research Vol. 71, No. 285 (Spring 1993), pp. 66-67;

Quote,

Kolapore was known to have had an native army from as early as 1766. The British Government however as guardians of the minor Raja, found it necessary in 1842 to interfere with the management of the State by removing certain Ministers and replacing them with men of their own choosing. This action led to an insurrection in 1844. After it was put down, and in order to prevent a repetition, it was ordered in February 1845 that the military force permitted to be retained by the State under the Treaty of 1829 (400 horse and 800 infantry) be disbanded and a Contingent Force be raised under British Officers. This force, numbering 500-600, was raised in 1845 and the Government directed that it be permanently located at Kolapore since it was specially raised for service in that territory.

Unquote.

During the subsequent suppression of the Mutineers of the 27th Native Infantry at Kolapore, several gallantry decorations were earned: Lieutenant William Alexander Kerr, a Scottish Officer of the 24th Bombay Native Infantry attached to the Southern Mahratta Irregular Horse, won a richly deserved Victoria Cross (his VC now resides in the Lord Ashcroft Collection of Victoria Crosses, held on display at the Imperial War Museum in London, while Naib-Risaldar Shumshodeen & Dafadar Gunput Rao Deokur, both of the Southern Mahratta Irregular Horse, each earned he Indian Order of Merit (3rd Class).

Note: The Kolapore Infantry Corps proved totally trustworthy during the Indian Mutiny, where it remained loyal in support of the British. Although the 27th Bombay Native Infantry of the Bombay Presidency Army had mutinied at Kolapore in July 1857, they were not however joined by the Maratha's of the Kolapore Infantry, which latter took command of the keys and locked the gates of the town, thus preventing the town being occupied by the mutineers

Reference G.O. 173/1858 Subadar-Major Ajoodia Sing, of the Kolhapore (sic) Infantry Corps was decorated with the Indian Order of Merit (3rd Class) 'In consideration of his exemplary loyalty to the State' - a unique award of the Indian Order of Merit to the Kolapore Infantry Corps

A very scarce seen medal to this 'local' Maharashtrian unit, and enhanced by being in better condition than most Mutiny medal seen on the market to Indian recipients

Condition: VF

Code: 19527Price: