Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An Albert Medal 2nd Class for Saving Life on Land awarded to Havildar Major Rur Singh, 48th Pioneers, for endeavouring to save a number of men swept away by a torrent in the Shahur Tangi, Chagmalai, Waziristan, 18 October 1921

Albert Medal, 2nd Class, for Gallantry in Saving Life on Land, bronze and enamel, reverse inscribed, ‘Presented by His Majesty to Havildar Major Rur Singh, 48th Pioneers for Gallantry in Saving and Endeavouring to Save Life at Chagmalai on the 18th October 1921’, contact marks to reverse, very fine £6000-7000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Awards to the Indian Army from the Collection of AM Shaw.

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Ex Christies 23 February 1982.

A.M. 2nd Class for Saving Life on Land London Gazette 22 December 1922. ‘On 18 October 1921, in the course of operations in Waziristan, a party of men were crossing the Shahur Tangi, and had reached some high ground in mid-stream, when they were cut off by a sudden rise of the water. The river rapidly became a roaring torrent; five of the men were swept away and it seemed that the remainder were doomed. Havildar Major Rur Singh made several attempts to swim out with a rope, and eventually succeeded in reaching the men, but they were then exhausted and, the river rising still higher, the whole party was swept away. One man to whom the rope was handed by Rur Singh was pulled to the bank, while Rur Singh himself was washed ashore some distance down the stream alive, but considerably battered.’

With copied research.