A rare 'Decorated for Burma' Royal Nepal Army 'World War's' medal group of 7: Sardar Fatteh Bahadur Panday, O.B.E., Second in Command Mahindra Dal Regiment, Nepalese Contingent, late Captain, Shree Nath Regiment, Royal Nepal Army

- Nepal: Assam-Burma Campaign Medal. Silver
- Order of the British Empire (Mily): 4th Class 'Officer' (O.B.E.) Type II. On 'Sterling' investiture pin
- British War Medal. Silver issue (4 Capt. Fatteh Bahadur Pande. Sree Nath.)
- The 1939-1945 Star. No clasp
- The Burma Star. No clasp
- Defence Medal
- War Medal (Sardar Fatteh Bahadur Panday, Nepalese Contgt.)

The OBE riband retaining its original 'sterling' marked investiture pin with pin & clasp fittings as issued. The BWM still mounted on it's medal mounting bar, and as-worn by the recipient during the inter-war years. The mounting brooch retaining it's original hinged pin and clasp fittings

Sold together with:

- Original, folded, bestowal document for the O.B.E. (this is intact and in overall fine condition except for a vertical stain that we opine could benefit from professional restoration by an archivist (a/f))

Note: Sree Nath Regiment of the Royal Nepal Army served on garrison duty in British India during the Great War, and was only entitled to award of the British War Medal. For the Second World War, the regiments of the Nepalese Contingent that served on active service in Assam / Burma, and who met the respective qualifying criteria were where eligible awarded the Burma Star quartet - including Defence Medal - with the War Medal's being the only awards to be issued officially named

Provenance: Collection of the late Lieutenant-Colonel 'Mike' Barrett, O.B.E., Queen's Gurkha Signals (Spink, 2022) - when it hammered at GBP 1000

Rarity: Only 3 x O.B.E.'s. were awarded to Officer's of the Nepalese Contingent for active service in Burma / India during the Second World War

O.B.E. verification: The award was published in the London Gazette issue of 2 November 1945, where the recipient is shown as Major (now Sardar) Fateh Bahadur Panday, late 2nd i/c Mahindra Dal Regiment. The gazette referred to included a total of three Royal Nepal Army officers who were to be Honorary Officers of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

Mahindra Dal Regiment in Burma 1944-45: The below following summary of the units 'Combat Operations' is is from the reference 'Nepal a Small Nation in the Vortex of International Conflicts (Prem R. Uprety, 1984)':

Quote,

The contribution of Mahindra Dal was significant both for their offences and holding their defensive line. This battalion, which fought for the British in the Lucknow siege of 1857, and in the North West Frontier in the Great War, was one of the first units of the Fourteenth Army to cross Chindwin in September and to enter into Central Burma. The most notable achievement of this battalion was the successful capture of the oil wells at Indaw.

Unquote.

The same source reports that the Battalion War Diary of Mahindra Dal, records that the regiment reconnoitered more than 12,000 miles while deployed on active service and patrolling in Burma 1944-45

Rarity: An exceedingly rare to unit medal group to a Nepalese Military Officer who served in both World War's, as Britain's most oldest and most staunch Asian ally

Condition: VF

Code: 23844