A fine K.C.B. group of five awarded to Inspector-General Sir John Campbell Brown, Bengal Medical Service

The Most Honourable Order of The Bath, K.C.B. (Military) Knight Commander’s set of insignia, neck badge, gold and enamel, a ‘Georgian’ piece, no hallmarks on re-issue; breast star, silver, gold appliqué and enamel, with gold pin, in case of issue; Cabul 1842, unnamed as issued; Defence of Jellalabad 1842, Flying Victory, unnamed as issued, these two with contemporary replacement silver swivel ring and straight bar suspensions; Sutlej 1845-46, for Aliwal, 1 clasp, Sobraon (Afst. Surg., Nufseree Rifle Battn), engraved naming; Indian Mutiny 1857-58, 3 clasps, Delhi, Relief of Lucknow, Lucknow (Offg. Surgn.), the medals in a fitted leather case, minor contact marks, very fine and better (6) £5000-6000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals to the Medical Services formed by Colonel D.G.B. Riddick.

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John Campbell Brown was born in Langton, Berwickshire on 13 May 1813, the son of the Rev. John Brown, Minister of Langton and his wife Margery Graham. He was nominated as an Assistant Surgeon for Bengal in 1836, by Sir John Hobhouse (of the Board of Control) at the recommendation of the Marquis of Breadalbane. Travelling to India aboard the Java, he arrived in Calcutta in December 1836 - he was awarded 1000 rupees for his services in medical charge of British Army soldiers who were aboard the ship. In November 1840, after sundry positions with Indian units, he was appointed to medical charge of the Staff and H.Q. of the British Forces in Afghanistan. During the course of the war, he was involved in the defence of Jellalabad and in the actions against Akbar Khan on 7 April and 13 September 1842. Providing medical aid to troops of the Bengal Presidency and those of Shah Shuja based at Jellalabad and Gandamack, he was mentioned in Major-General Sale’s despatches (Jellalabad 16 April 1842, London Gazette 9 August 1842), ‘The medical duties of the garrison (Gandamack) have been ably fulfilled by ... Asst. Surg. .... Brown, late in charge of Irregulars’. Brown was appointed to medical charge of Simla in September 1842, a post he retained until January 1845 when he was appointed to take medical charge of the Nasiri Battalion. With them he served in the First Sikh War, being present at the battles of Aliwal and Sobraon. Promoted to Surgeon on 3 February 1850, his first posting was with the 66th (Gurkha) Bengal Native Infantry. Due to sickness he was on furlough in England from December 1850 until December 1854.

Returning to India, he served in the supression of the Indian Mutiny, seeing action at Badli-ka-Sarai and the siege and storm of Delhi (Mentioned in despatches), was with Sir Hope Grant’s flying column, seeing actions at Bulandshahr, Aligarh and Agra and the affairs at Kanauj and Banthora; served at the relief of Lucknow (Mentioned in despatches), at the battle of Cawnpore (Mentioned in despatches), at Khudaganj, at the reoccupation of Fatehgarh and the siege and capture of Lucknow (Mentioned in despatches). Brown was appointed Superintending Surgeon to the Field Force under the Commander-in-Chief in November 1857. For his numerous wartime services he was rewarded with the C.B. in March 1858 and promotion to Surgeon-Major on 1 February 1859. On 1 December 1859 he was appointed Deputy Inspector-General of Hospitals in the Bengal Presidency and on 6 September 1861 was appointed Honorary Surgeon to the Queen. Brown attained the rank of Inspector-General of Hospitals on 24 November 1870 and was awarded the K.C.B. on 29 May 1875. He retired on 15 February 1876 and died in Edinburgh on 27 July 1890. Sold with a quantity of copied research.