Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An exceptional and rare ‘Relief of Chitral’ C.B., ‘Great War’ C.B.E., ‘Chin-Lushai’ D.S.O. group of ten awarded to Brigadier-General H. P. Leach, Royal Engineers

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, C.B. (Military) Companion’s breast badge converted for neck wear, silver-gilt and enamels; The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, C.B.E. (Military) Commander’s 1st type neck badge, silver-gilt and enamels; Distinguished Service Order, V.R., silver-gilt and enamels; Afghanistan 1878-80, 1 clasp, Ali Musjid (Lieut. H. P. Leach, R.E.); Egypt & Sudan 1882-89, 2 clasps, The Nile 1884-85, Abu Klea (Capt. & Actg. D.A.G. Genl. H. P. Leach, R.E.); India General Service 1854-94, 2 clasps, Lushai 1889-92, Chin-Lushai 1889-90 (Major H. P. Leach, R.E.); India General Service 1895-1902, 1 clasp, Relief of Chitral 1895 (Col. H. P. Leach, R.E.); British War Medal (Brig. Gen. H. P. Leach); Delhi Durbar 1903, silver, complete with ribbon buckle; Khedive‘s Star 1884-6, the last eight mounted court style, slight chip to enamel on C.B.E., the medals with contact marks, otherwise generally very fine or better (10) £6000-8000

Harold Pemberton Leach was born in Londonderry on 14 April 1851, the fourth son of the late Lieutenant-Colonel Sir G. A. Leach, K.C.B., who had joined the Royal Engineers in 1837. Harold’s brother, Edward Pemberton Leach, was also a distinguished Royal Engineer, his honours including the V.C., K.C.B. and K.C.V.O.

Harold was educated at Sir Roger Cholmeley’s school, Highgate, where he was a foundation Scholar and distinguished himself equally in work and play, being both in the cricket and football teams in the year 1867. He afterwards went to Frosts in Kensington to complete his preparation for examination to the R.M.A., Woolwich. He passed into the R.M.A. in January 1868 and remained there for the full period of two and a half years, being gazetted to the Royal Engineers on 2 August 1871. He spent the next two years at the school of Military Engineering at Chatham learning the trade of a Royal Engineer.

On leaving Chatham in 1873, he was attached to the War Office for a short period and then embarked for India, where he joined the Bengal Sappers & Miners in 1874, at Rourkee. He remained there for four years, and in addition to his professional duties, did lots of big game shooting, pig sticking and polo, becoming quite a useful player in the latter game. In 1878 he had his first experience of active service, when he was attached to the 1st Division Peshawar Valley Field Force, in the Afghan War. As Officer Commanding the 8th Company, Bengal Sappers & Miners, he was present at the capture of Ali Musjid, the action at Deh Savak and the operations in the Bazaar Valley. Leach was mentioned in dispatches, General Maude reporting on the 26th of December that ‘Seeing the Afridis on top of a steep mountain become troublesome, he (Brig-General Tytler) directed Lieutenant H. P. Leach with his half company of Sappers, who had just reached the crest, along with a party of the 27th Native Infantry, to take the summit of the hill. This was gallantly carried by Leach and his men. Brigadier General Tytler also mentions Lieutenant Leach as one of the Officers to whom he was much indebted and who rendered him most valuable assistance’.

After the fall of Ali Musjid, Leach and the 8th Company, with the 2nd Company, tried to open an alternative route to India leading through Michni on the Kabul River, north east of the Khaibar. Leach constructed 15 miles of road at a ruling gradient of 1 in 5, but the project was soon abandoned and the 2nd Company started for Jalallabad, while the 8th Company returned to join the Garrison of Dakka. In December 1878 Leach and a detachment of the 8th Company were engaged in operations in the Bazaar Valley against the Zakka Khel Afridis, where they had some useful experience in demolishing the towers of the enemy’s walled villages which were of stone, solidly built and about forty feet in height; the only access was by a rope ladder to a door near the top.

Leach and the 8th Company were also engaged against the Shinwaris at Maidanak, 14 miles south west of Basawal on 18 March 1879, and also when a column from Basawal defeated the same tribe in a fight at Deh Savak, near Maidanak. Before this fight Harold Leach’s brother, Captain Edward P. Leach, won the Victoria Cross when covering the withdrawal of a survey party.

Lieutenant Leach afterwards served in the second phase of the campaign as assistant Field Engineer with the Kurrum Field Force, where he took part in the Zaimuckt expedition and was present at the assault of Zawa. He was mentioned in dispatches on 20 of December 1879, by Brigadier-General Tytler, who wrote ‘On moving up the defile I found the bed of the stream exceedingly rough, being strewn with boulders and the heights on either side being precipitous. It was mainly owing to the exertions of the Sappers & Miners under Lieut H. P. Leach that I reached the village of Bagh, distant three and a half miles from Chanarak by 3.30 pm.’ For his services in this campaign Leach received the thanks of Government and the Afghan Medal with Clasp Ali Musjid.

As a result of his experiences with camels, Leach wrote a pamphlet on ‘The Treatment and Management of Camels’, and it was owing to this fact that some four years later he was employed on the Nile expedition in the Transport Service. It so happened that in 1884 he was on leave from India when this expedition was being organised. His application to be employed as an Engineer Officer was not sanctioned, but coming away from the War Office, he met the General who was in charge of the transport and who asked him if he had not written a pamphlet on camels. On pleading guilty, Leach was promptly asked to join the transport branch of the force and he was officially lent to the home Government for this purpose.

Appointed to the Command of the 9th Company Commissariat Transport Corps, he was afterwards D.A.C.G. from September 1884 to June 1885. He marched with his Company across the Bayuda Desert with the Force under the Command of Sir Herbert Stewart. He was present and heavily engaged in the rear half of the square at the battle of Abu Klea and was also in the action at Gubat. He served with the Debbeh Field Force and on the march back to Cairo. It is evident from a diary which he kept at the time, that during the advance and retirement from Metemmah, that he was largely employed on Engineer duties as well as Transport work, putting villages in a state of defence, making entrenchments and other fortifications. For his services in this campaign he received the brevet rank of Major, the Egypt Medal with two clasps and the Bronze Star.

On his return to India, he resumed duty with the Bengal Sappers & Miners, until three and a half years later, when he was appointed Field Engineer and the senior Royal Engineer Officer with the Lushai expedition under the Command of Colonel V. W. Tregear, serving with the Chittagong Column from 11 January to 5 May 1889 (Mentioned in Dispatches).

On the Chin-Lushai expedition of 1889-90, Leach was appointed to be the Commanding Royal Engineer, again under the Command of Tregear, recently promoted to Brigadier-General. He was again mentioned in dispatches by the General, who reported: ‘Major H.P. Leach, the Commanding Engineer, has had very arduous duties to perform in the construction of the road from Fort Lungleh to Haka, the bridging of the Matt and Kolodyne Rivers and the building of the port at Fort Tregear and as was the case last expedition, a very heavy share of this years operations has fallen upon him. But it has been carried out with the same intelligence, energy and forethought, and he has again proven himself an excellent and most valuable Officer.’ For his services in connection with these expeditions Leach was mentioned in dispatches, received the brevet rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, was awarded the Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (London Gazette 30 May 1891) and also the India General Service Medal with two Clasps.

In June 1890 Leach was appointed Commandant of the Bombay Sappers & Miners, but did not hold this appointment for long as in October 1891 he was gazetted Military Secretary to the Commander in Chief, Bombay, General Sir George Greaves. In June 1893 Leach received the coveted appointment of Commandant Bengal Sappers & Miners, an appointment which he held until January 1900. During this period he also occupied several other temporary positions of importance. Thus, in 1895 he was appointed to be the Commanding Royal Engineer and Colonel on the Staff of the Chitral Relief Expedition, under the Command of Lieutenant-General Sir R. Low.

During the Chitral campaign Colonel Leach was engaged in the storming of the Malakand and the actions at the Swat and Panj Kore Rivers. Lieutenant-General Sir R. Low reported that ‘The campaign has been remarkable for the exceptional amount of Engineering work, and in carrying it out the services of Colonel H. P. Leach, D.S.O., has been of great value. He is an officer of conspicuous ability, wide experience, of great readiness of resource, and of remarkable activity and energy; and I consider that his presence with the expedition contributed materially to it’s success.’ He was mentioned in dispatches, created a Companion of the Order of the Bath, and the India Medal with Clasp Relief of Chitral 1895.

In 1896 Colonel Leach was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and officiated as General Officer Commanding, the Peshawar District for six months and again in 1898, and also in the same position in Lahore District in 1901, and as D.Q.M.G. Army Head Quarters, India in 1898. In 1900 he was given the command of the Presidency District (with Head Quarters in Calcutta), which he held for five years. Whilst holding this position he received the thanks of the Government of India for the good work done in connection with the dispatch of the Indian contingent to China.

Brigadier General Leach returned to England in 1905, when he retired from the Command of the Presidency District, and retired from the Army in 1908. He took up residence with his father, Sir George Leach, in London. After the outbreak of the Great War, Leach resumed active service and served as a group Commander of Surrey Volunteers and also assisting in training recruits at Finsbury and Elsewhere. He was then appointed to the Command of the 89th Infantry Brigade, afterwards the First Reserve Infantry Brigade, first stationed at Darlington and afterwards at Cannock Chase in the Northern Command. For his services during the Great War, Brigadier General Leach was awarded the C.B.E. and the British War Medal. After the Great War, Leach went back to retirement and living quietly, showing generous hospitality to all until he passed away on 22 September 1930, at his residence at 139 Gloucester Road, London S.W.

Sold with a quantity of research including copied photographs and an original printed Memoir of Brig.-General Harold P. Leach, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., by Major-Genl. Sir Richard Tuck, K.B.E.