Army of india medal - 1799-1826

[Guest Darrell]

Well ... the slippery (no make that full scale avalanche) slope continues ... this one hurt the bank roll a lot. A nice Army of India Medal with BHURTPOOR clasp. Took me a while to find one that was in decent condition and this one came with a ton of paperwork which is rather unusual for a soldier in this time frame of the early 1800's. I'll posts some of the paperwork here but much I will not.

The incredible thing is this guy served for 32 years plus in 4 different Calvary Units.

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BACKGROUND ON THE MAN

Alfred Boston was born in the parish of Newton, Manchester in or about 1795 and joined the 21st Dragoons on December 05, 1812 aged about 17 years. He served with the 21st until discharged on disbandment of the regiment on 9th May 1820. Further service was eight months with the 14th Dragoons (11 May 1820 thru 11 June 1821) and 13 months (12 June 1821 thru 24 February 1822) with the 8th Hussars. He joined the 11th Hussars on 25 February 1822 until his discharge at Cawnpore 31 October 1837.

He served an incredible 32 years and 227 days with the Cavalry including some service in the Cape of Good Hope which first shows in the Muster Rolls during the quarter of 25 June 1814 thru 24 September 1814 (presumably as part of the draft from the UK), and 17 years in the East Indies including the siege of BHURTPOOR.

Amazingly enough he was discharged with comments like "Worn out through Climate and intemperate due to long service".

Alfred Boston received the Army of India Medal with BHURTPOOR Clasp for being present at the siege of Bhurtpoor in 1825-1826.

An amazing amount of research was available for a soldier from this era that started his military career during the last days of the Napoleon reign. This includes Service and Discharge papers and the Medal Rolls that state entitlement to the AOI Medal and Clasp.

The medal itself is the "Short Hyphen" type with officially impressed naming along the edge.

Below is a little background on the medal and a small synopsis on each of the 4 Calvary Regiments that Boston served with during his 32 years plus of service that includes details on the Siege of Bhurtpoor with the 11^th Light Dragoons.

Army of India Medal (AIM)

The Army of India Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1851 for issue to officers and men of the British Army and the Army of the Honorable East India Company.

The AIM approved on 21 March 1851 as a retrospective award by the Honorable East India Company to survivors of various actions during the period 1803–1826. This period encompassed four wars: the Second Mahratta War (1803–4), the Gurkha War (1814–16), the Pindaree or Third Mahratta War (1817–18), and the First Burmese War (1824–26). Each battle or action covered by the medal was represented by a clasp on the ribbon; twenty-one were sanctioned (although the maximum awarded to one man was seven). The medal was never issued without a clasp.

A point to note is that the medal was only awarded to survivors and, as such, there are substantially fewer medals issued when compared with the number of men who served during this period. This was largely due to the extreme lapse of time between the wars commemorated and the issue of the medal—forty-eight years had passed between the first battle commemorated — Allighur in 1803—and the date of issue, 1851. Some 4,500 medals were awarded in total—most with only a single clasp.

This medal followed on from the precedent set by the Naval General Service Medal and the Military General Service Medal, as retrospective awards for past campaign service.

Clasps

The following clasps were issued with the medal:

Allighur

Battle of Delhi

Assye

Asseerghur

Laswarree

Argaum

Gawilghur

Defence of Delhi

Battle of Deig

Capture of Deig

Nepaul

Khadki

Poona

Khadki and Poona

Seetabuldee

Nagpore

Seetabuldee and Nagpore

Maheidpoor

Corygaum

Ava

Bhurtpoor

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HISTORICAL REVIEW OF THE 4 CALVARY UNITS SERVED

The 21st (Beaumont's) Light Dragoons

After the French revolution of 1789, Britain, Holland and Spain sought to undermine the Republic, because they saw republicanism as a threat to their own monarchies. The French declared war on all three countries in February 1793. In response, Britain again increased the size of the standing army and in February 1794 the 21st Light Dragoons were raised for a third time.

Initially the Regiment was employed in Manchester, providing aid to the civil powers, but eventually received their first overseas posting. In 1795 the French troops garrisoning the West Indies Island of San Domingo joined forces with the plantation slaves and declared the island a Republic. As a result the plantation owners requested British aid in quelling the uprising. Because the West Indies was crucial for British commerce, troops were dispatched to San Domingo. The 21st Light Dragoons were part of this force, though once there, the Regiment suffered more from yellow fever than from enemy action. The British evacuated the island in April 1798.

In 1806 the 21st were deployed to Cape Town, to protect the Indian trade route. In fact the closest the Regiment came to Napoleon and his armies was after the war ended in 1815, when the 21st furnished a troop to guard and escort the Emperor on the remote Atlantic island of St Helena.

Peace again saw a reduction of the Army and, as one of the new regiments; the 21st Light Dragoons were selected for disbandment in 1820. The troop guarding Napoleon was allowed to continue until the Emperor's death.

14th King's Hussars

The 14th King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated into the 14th/20th Hussars in 1922.

The regiment was raised in 1715 as a dragoon regiment, named for its first colonel as James Dormer's Regiment of Dragoons, and ranked as the 14th Dragoons. In 1751 it was formally renamed as the 14th Regiment of Dragoons. It became a light dragoon regiment in 1776, as the 14th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons, and was renamed for Princess Frederica in 1798 as the 14th (The Duchess of York's Own) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons.

The regiment went to join Wellington's Army in the Iberian Peninsula in 1808 following time spent in England. The regiment gained the battle honor Douro in May 1809 having been spared the retreat to Corunna in the same year; the only regiment having been spared this retreat. Hard action at the Talavera in 1809 followed with smaller actions at Barquilla and on the Coa river during 1810. The regiment also saw action at Fuentes d'Onoro in 1811. The following year was a very busy one for the 14th having fought at Villagarcia and Salamanca as well as covering the sieges at Badajoz and at Ciudad Rodrigo where Lieutenant-Colonel Talbot, along with 34 of his men, was killed.

During the Battle of Vitoria in 1813 the regiment captured a silver chamberpot belonging to King Joseph Bonaparte, brother of the Emperor Napoleon, which resulted in the regimental nickname of "The Emperor's Chambermaids". Minor actions in the Pyrenees followed, and supporting roles took them into France itself. The regiment went back to England at the end of the Peninsula War, but had to find two squadrons to send to North America. In North America the role of the regiment was limited in that they had arrived without their horses, although they did take part in the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815. Due to the action in North America the regiment took no part in the Waterloo Campaign.

They were renamed in 1830, to mark the coronation of William IV as the 14th (The King's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons. The title was simplified in 1861 to the 14th (King's) Hussars. After service in the First World War, the regiment retitled as the 14th King's Hussars in 1921, and was amalgamated with the 20th Hussars to form the 14th/20th Hussars the following year.

8th King's Royal Irish Hussars

The 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1693. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars in 1958.

The regiment was first raised in Ireland as Henry Conyngham's Regiment of Dragoons in Derry in 1693, and ranked as the 8th Dragoons. It was briefly disbanded from 1714 to 1715, and 1716 to 1719, reforming each time without any loss of precedence. In 1751, it was formally titled as the 8th Regiment of Dragoons, and designated light dragoons in 1775 as the 8th Regiment of Light Dragoons.

The regiment was renamed in 1777 for George III as the 8th (The King's Royal Irish) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons, and became hussars in 1822, as the 8th (The King's Royal Irish) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Hussars).

In 1814 the regiment marched North to deal with their third enemy, the Gurkhas, who were encroaching on the borders of India from their mountainous home of Nepal. This was the toughest enemy the British had faced in their campaign. The 8th had one of their most fierce engagements at the fortress of Kalunga, which, the now Major General Gillespie was attacking with four divisions. He died at the head of the storming party. The campaign had a beneficial ending; the British were so impressed with the Gurkhas, they were recruited into the British army. From 1815 to 1818 the 8th were involved in operations against Talukdars, Pindaris, Peshwa and the Marathas in minor insurrections before they returned to Meerut. Here, the regiment was passed to Lieutenant General Sir Banastre Tarleton, a cavalry commander who had risen through the ranks, from Cornet to Lieutenant General. In 1822, Tarleton received orders that his regiment was to become a Hussar Regiment, retitled the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars and reclothed with the glorious panoply of the Hungarian horsemen. They travelled back to England the following year with high praise from the governor-general of India and with the Battle honor of Hindoostan.

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The 11^th Light Dragoons

Although the Light Troop had been disbanded some years before, each troop of the regiment had elements of light cavalry for reconnaissance work. But in 1783 the whole regiment changed from heavy to light cavalry. For the first year, the 11th Light Dragoons, as they were now called, wore their red coats cut short but in 1784 they were issued with the distinctive dark blue uniform that was to set them apart from the rest of the British Army. The head-dress was an improvement on the previous one, being a toughened black leather cap with brass edged peak and a large bearskin crest from front to back. The men and horses were slightly smaller than those of the heavy cavalry; the height for men to be between 5' 6" and 5' 8". Each troop consisted of a captain, a lieutenant, a quarter-master, 2 sergeants, 3 corporals, 2 drummers, a farrier and 60 men. Each man was armed with carbine, bayonet, pistol and sword.

The French Revolution signaled the start of 22 years of turmoil in Europe, with war spilling out to Egypt, Russia and North America. The 11th Light Dragoons sent two squadrons under Major George Michell to join the Duke of York's army in Flanders in April 1793. Very soon they were in action at the River Escaut, being ordered to attack a French baggage-train. The charged in, killed 50 and took as many prisoners along with 8 wagons and 30 horses. Although French cavalry counter-attacked they managed to make their escape with the loss of 3 men.

A great cavalry battle took place at Le Cateau on 26th April 1794. At one point a joint force of Austrian and British cavalry including the 7th Hussars and 11th Light Dragoons made a headlong charge into a large enemy column, killing many and capturing 10 guns and 11 wagons. At tourai on 10th May they were involved with another cavalry charge that resulted in 4000 French deaths. Seven men of the 11th were killed that day. Following a bad winter in January 1795 the British pulled back through Holland to Germany and the 11th came home.

The regiment returned in September 1799 under Lt Col Childers to fight alongside Russian troops in an attempt to force the French out of Holland. It was an unsuccessful campaign resulting in the regiment's embarkation from Den Helder. Because of a lack of space on the ships 152 horses had to be left behind, either to be handed over to their Russian allies or destroyed. Sadly, relations with the Russians was so bad that they chose to shoot them there on the beaches.

The Regiment's first brush with Napoleon took place in Egypt. General Abercrombie led an expedition there in 1800. His cavalry consisted of the 12th and 26th Light Dragoons and C squadron of the 11th. After a dreadful sea voyage their first battle, on 18th March 1801 was disastrous. At Beda they were cut down by French cavalry and had to retreat. Later Capt Money and Lieutenant Lutyens were sent on recce patrol to Cairo and made a good job of it. Both Cairo and Alexandra fell to the British and the 11th returned home. In recognition of their services they were given the honor of wearing the Sphinx on their appointments and C squadron has, ever since taken up position right of the line on parade.

After a spell in Ireland the 11th were sent to Spain and Portugal to reinforce Wellington's army. Their strength, normally around 300 in peacetime was raised to 725. They arrived in June 1811 and, as in Egypt, they had a bad start. A dawn attack by the French in woods between Elvas and the Guadiana forced the 11th to retire on to what they thought were friendly portugese lines. When they realized they were French, their commander Capt Lutyens ordered the charge. The shock tactic worked and they were able to drive their way through, but a second line of enemy troops was able to resist them. They lost 8 killed, 22 wounded and 77 taken prisoner.

The regiment had more success at El Bodon near Cuidad Rodrigo on 25th September. By this time they were commanded by Lt Col Cumming, a brave and efficient cavalry officer. A large force of French cavalry was threatening Allied infantry and artillery on the plain in front of the 11th and a squadron of the King's German Legion who were well placed on high ground. Although they were vastly outnumbered the 11th and KGL charged at the enemy again and again, 20 times in all.

The 11th were part of Wellington's great victory over Marmont at Salamanca on 22nd July 1812 but by 3rd April 1813 they had to give up their horses and embark for England much to the regret of Sir Stapleton Cotton who was in command of the cavalry in the Peninsula. It had been a hard two years for them having lost 417 men and 555 horses.

During their time in the Peninsula many changes had been made to the uniforms of the British Army. The Prince Regent had a keen eye for dress and with his newly acquired position of supreme power was determined to push through his ideas dased on continental military trends. The 11th exchanged it's light dragoon Tarleton helmet for a shako. The new jacket was still dark blue but had a buff plastron covering the chest, and white epaulettes, silver for officers.

With the return of Napoleon in March 1815 the war with France resumed and the 11th arrived at Ostend on 2nd April. They were in Vandeleur's brigade with the 12th and 16th and had an unprecedented strength of 947 men. They came under heavy attack at Quatre Bras but did not suffer badly. On the 18th June 1815 the Battle of Waterloo began after a terrible night of torrential rain. It was a frustrating morning for the British cavalry who had to stand and watch an infantry battle. Against Wellington's wishes, the heavy cavalry made a brilliant charge that was spoiled by it's failure to re-form. The 11th under the command of Lt Col Money were sent into action when it looked as if the enemy were breaking up. They broke a French infantry square and carried on with the pursuit of Naploeon's fleeing soldiers.

Wellington entered Paris in triumph on 7th July escorted by the 11th and others. The regiment bivouacked on the Champs Elysees and became part of the army of occupation in France and Belgium. On 20th November they eventually arrived home after 3 years on the continent. A new regimental depot was set up at Maidstone.

They did not have much time to enjoy their home country because in February 1819 they were shipped off to India. They were stationed at Cawnpore and Meerut and did not see serious fighting until 1825 when they took part in the siege of Bhurtpoor. This was an apparently impregnable fortress garrisoned by 15,000 anti British Indians under the leadership of Doorjun Saul. The British, led by Sir Stapleton Cotton, now Lord Combermere, had 30,000 men. The enemy were aided by a British deserter, Bombardier Herbert who instructed the Indian artillery making them more effective. The cavalry was commanded by General Sleigh, an ex-11th officer, the brigade was commanded by Col M Childers, also ex-11th, and the regiment itself by Major Bellingham Smith.

After a five week siege, the mining endeavors of the engineers and bombardment by the artillery had weakened the defenses enough for Combermere to order an attack. Bellingham Smith led 80 men and 2 Lieutenants into the fortress after an enormous explosion had created a breach big enough to storm through. The explosion killed many inside and some outside the walls. Enemy resistance did not last long and large groups fled on horseback pursued by the 11th Light Dragoons. They took many prisoners and captured the unfortunate Herbert who was hanged from the nearest tree. The regiment's casualties were 2 men killed, one officer and 12 men wounded and 4 horses killed.

Despite all the battles that the 11th had gone through, the most famous event of the regiment's existence was the arrival of a new Commanding Officer in October 1837. Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Brudenell, later to become Lord Cardigan, took over from Colonel Brutton who was considered the kindest and most popular commanding officer the regiment had ever had. By contrast Brudenell was arrogant and cruel. But he was also very rich (he paid £40,000 for the position) and was determined to have the smartest cavalry regiment in the army.

King William who came to the throne in 1830 was very fond of red and he took offence at any units dressed in blue. So the light dragoon regiments had to change their blue jackets for scarlet. The officers' lace in the 11th changed from silver to gold and the tall shakos worn throughout the 1820s were changed to the lower bell-topped variety. The change to red lasted as long as William did because Queen Victoria changed them back to blue. But for the 11th the change was even more startling.

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Obverse:

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BHURTPOOR Clasp:

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Obverse Closeup:

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Reverse:

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Closeup of Reverse (Short Hyphen type):

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Four shots of the "Officially Impressed" Naming along the rim.

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A couple of pictures of the Medal Rolls where it shows Alfred Boston entitled to both the Medal and the BHURTPOOR Clasp.

First one off the Army Of India CD Rolls:

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Second one (same) of the roll that was actually photocopied at the Archives. Note the lower quality resolution:

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A couple of scans from the Muster Rolls of the 21st Dragoons (the first Calvary he joined at the tender age of 17). These show his service as well as the date of his leaving the Regiment upon it's disbandment in 1820.

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Second one from the 21st showing similar entries.

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Some photocopies of the entries while he was in his next Calvary Unit the 14th Hussars which he joined in May 1820.

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There was nothing copied from his time in the 8th Hussars which he joined and left Jan 1821 and Feb 1822 respectively. Nothing much of significance.

He left the 8th Hussars in Feb 1822 and joined his final Calvary Corp the 11th Light Dragoons which he served until October 1837 being discharged due to being "unfit for service".

A few entries over time with the 11th:

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e.