31
GROUPS AND SINGLE DECORATIONS FOR GALLANTRY
India General Service 1895-1902, 2 clasps, Punjab Frontier 1897-98, Samana 1897, second clasp loose on riband as issued (1741 Sepoy Thaman Singh 36 Sikhs) officially impressed naming; together with an Indian Order of Merit, Military Division, 1st type (1837-1912), 3rd Class, Reward of Valor, silver and enamel, reverse officially engraved on three lines ‘3rd. Class Order of Merit’, lacking integral silver riband buckle; suspension very loose and tightened on first, with heavy pitting, therefore fair, the IOM better (2) £1800-2200
---
I.O.M. Government Order No. 133, 4 February 1898 (in a joint citation with Lance-Naik Harnam Singh, and 12 other Sepoys, all of the 36th Sikhs):
‘For conspicuous gallantry at Fort Cavagnari on the 13 September 1897, on which occasion they took part in a daring sortie. The party, with the assistance of a reinforcement under Havildar Sundar Singh, drove the enemy from their sangars at the point of the bayonet, and captured three of their standards.’
Thaman Singh served with the 36th Sikhs in the Dongola Expedition of 1896, and in the subsequent operations on the North West Frontier, and was awarded the Indian Order of Merit 3rd Class for gallantry at the defence of Fort Cavagnari in September 1897:
‘At the time of the Afridi incursion into the Khyber and Saman ranges, Fort Cavagnari at Gulistan, four miles from Fort Lockhart, was occupied by 165 men of the 36th Sikhs. After the enemy had captured the small post at Saraghari, and annihilated the gallant Sikh garrison of 21 men, they proceeded to attack Fort Cavagnari, which was closely besieged for three days. The defence was conducted with great gallantry, the Sikhs responding nobly to the call. On one occasion a sortie was made from the walls and three of the enemy’s standards were captured. The little garrison was cut off from water and its ammunition had to be closely husbanded. The commander of the garrison had his anxieties intensified by the presence of his wife and family in the fort, but in the words of a brother officer, he was “the life and soul of the defence, guarding against every danger and showing an example of cheerfulness and steadfastness to all.” In the fighting 44 men were killed or wounded and the garrison was under attack continuously for 52 hours. Relief was eventually brought by General Yeatman-Bigg’s column, and the General congratulated the garrison of the 36th Sikhs on their splendid defence. As further confirmed by Yeatman-Bigg’s despatch, dated at Fort Lockhart on 21 September 1897, they had been up against a formidable enemy force: “I pressed on with all possible speed, as I did not know whether the Fort at Gulistan was holding out or not. On reaching the high ground overlooking Fort [Cavagnari at] Gulistan, I found that the fort was invested by about 6,000 Orakzias.”’
Thaman Singh was himself dangerously wounded by gunshot to the pelvis and hip joint during the defence of Fort Cavagnari, 12-14 September 1897. For their gallantry in the defence of Fort Cavagnari, the 36th Sikhs were conferred with the unique battle honour ‘Samana’.
Note: A named I.O.M. is known to this recipient, and the one in this lot has been added for display purposes.
-----
Click here to view this lot plus any additional images on the auctioneer's website.
India General Service 1895-1902, 2 clasps, Punjab Frontier 1897-98, Samana 1897, second clasp loose on riband as issued (1741 Sepoy Thaman Singh 36 Sikhs) officially impressed naming; together with an Indian Order of Merit, Military Division, 1st type (1837-1912), 3rd Class, Reward of Valor, silver and enamel, reverse officially engraved on three lines ‘3rd. Class Order of Merit’, lacking integral silver riband buckle; suspension very loose and tightened on first, with heavy pitting, therefore fair, the IOM better (2) £1800-2200
---
I.O.M. Government Order No. 133, 4 February 1898 (in a joint citation with Lance-Naik Harnam Singh, and 12 other Sepoys, all of the 36th Sikhs):
‘For conspicuous gallantry at Fort Cavagnari on the 13 September 1897, on which occasion they took part in a daring sortie. The party, with the assistance of a reinforcement under Havildar Sundar Singh, drove the enemy from their sangars at the point of the bayonet, and captured three of their standards.’
Thaman Singh served with the 36th Sikhs in the Dongola Expedition of 1896, and in the subsequent operations on the North West Frontier, and was awarded the Indian Order of Merit 3rd Class for gallantry at the defence of Fort Cavagnari in September 1897:
‘At the time of the Afridi incursion into the Khyber and Saman ranges, Fort Cavagnari at Gulistan, four miles from Fort Lockhart, was occupied by 165 men of the 36th Sikhs. After the enemy had captured the small post at Saraghari, and annihilated the gallant Sikh garrison of 21 men, they proceeded to attack Fort Cavagnari, which was closely besieged for three days. The defence was conducted with great gallantry, the Sikhs responding nobly to the call. On one occasion a sortie was made from the walls and three of the enemy’s standards were captured. The little garrison was cut off from water and its ammunition had to be closely husbanded. The commander of the garrison had his anxieties intensified by the presence of his wife and family in the fort, but in the words of a brother officer, he was “the life and soul of the defence, guarding against every danger and showing an example of cheerfulness and steadfastness to all.” In the fighting 44 men were killed or wounded and the garrison was under attack continuously for 52 hours. Relief was eventually brought by General Yeatman-Bigg’s column, and the General congratulated the garrison of the 36th Sikhs on their splendid defence. As further confirmed by Yeatman-Bigg’s despatch, dated at Fort Lockhart on 21 September 1897, they had been up against a formidable enemy force: “I pressed on with all possible speed, as I did not know whether the Fort at Gulistan was holding out or not. On reaching the high ground overlooking Fort [Cavagnari at] Gulistan, I found that the fort was invested by about 6,000 Orakzias.”’
Thaman Singh was himself dangerously wounded by gunshot to the pelvis and hip joint during the defence of Fort Cavagnari, 12-14 September 1897. For their gallantry in the defence of Fort Cavagnari, the 36th Sikhs were conferred with the unique battle honour ‘Samana’.
Note: A named I.O.M. is known to this recipient, and the one in this lot has been added for display purposes.
-----
Click here to view this lot plus any additional images on the auctioneer's website.
Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Sale Date(s)
Venue Address
General delivery information available from the auctioneer
If you are successful in purchasing lot/s being auctioned by us and opt for the item/s to be sent to you, we will use the following methods of shipment:
Within the UK
If you live within the UK, items will be despatched using Royal Mail Special Delivery. This service provides parcel tracking (via the Royal Mail website) and next weekday delivery (betwen 9am and 1pm). Items delivered within the UK are covered by our insurance company. Heavy and bulky lots will be sent by courier, in discussion with the client.
Outside of the UK
If the item/s being sent are worth under £1000 in total they are sent using Royal Mail’s Signed For International service. This ensures the item must be signed for when it is delivered.
If the item/s being sent are valued at over £1000 in total they will be sent using FedEx. This service allows next day delivery to customers in many parts of the US and parcels are fully trackable using the FedEx website.
Shipping Exceptions
Certain lots such as those containing glass or sharp implements, etc., may not be suitable for in-house shipping within or outside of the UK. Please contact Noonans with any queries.
Important Information
Buyers Premium: 20%
Other Information: Please visit www.dnw.co.uk for more information
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL BUYERS
All lots in DNW auctions are automatically reserved at the bid step which reflects 80% of the lower estimate figure, unless otherwise instructed by the vendor.
All multiple lots (lots containing two or more items) with the exception of designated sets of notes, are sold as viewed and not subject to return. Buyers are recommended to view such lots.
Lots marked ‘x’ in dark blue are subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the EU.
Important Notice Advance Bidding Facility
Please note that our easy-to-use advance bidding facility, which replaces the ‘old-fashioned’ commission bid system, provides all bidders with total control over their bids right up to the point that the lot is offered for sale.
Bids made online cannot be seen by others and do not go live until the actual moment that the lot in question is being offered for sale. All bids can be easily altered or cancelled by the bidder prior to this point. An automated confirmatory email will be sent confirming all bids and alterations.
Anyone with a valid email address can easily register to bid online.
There is no additional charge for online bidding and it is not necessary to pre-register a payment card in order to do so.
It is recommended that all bidders execute their own bids, either prior to the auction by using this facility or live as the auction is taking place.
Whilst we are still happy to execute all bids submitted in writing or by phone, fax or any other method, it should be noted that all bids left with us will be entered at our offices using the same bidding facility to which all our clients now have access. There is, therefore, no better way of ensuring the accuracy of your advance bids than to place them yourself online.
For any support queries please contact: Ian Anderson ian@dnw.co.uk (+44) 20 7016 1751