Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Colonel H. M. Sinclair, Royal Engineers, a Pollock Gold Medal winner

Ashanti Star 1896, unnamed as issued; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal (Lt. Col., R.E.); British War Medal 1914-20 (Col.); Royal Military Academy, Pollock Medal, 2nd type, by B. Wyon, obverse: bust of Major-General Sir George Pollock facing left, in uniform, wearing the star of the Knight Grand Cross of the Bath and the Cabul Medal 1842, with the circumscription, ‘Pollock Cabul 1842’; reverse: ‘Royal Military Academy Pollock Prize, Founded by the British inhabitants of Calcutta to commemorate the eminent services of Major General Sir George Pollock G.C.B. and awarded to the Most Distinguished Cadet of the Season’, (Hugh Montgomerie Sinclair July 1874) gold, 45mm.,63.89g., second with contact marks, last with bruise/test marks, nearly very fine and better (4)
£2000-2400

Hugh Montgomerie Sinclair was born on 22 February 1855, son of the Rev. Canon W. Sinclair, Rector of Pulborough. He was educated at Malvern, Repton and Woolwich - wear he was a Pollock medallist. Private Secretary to the High Commissioner of Cyprus, 1881-86; passed Staff College with Honours, 1890; served in the Ashanti campaign of 1895-96 and was mentioned in despatches and received the brevet of Lieutenant-Colonel; was Military Secretary to the G.O. C.-in-C., Bengal, 1899; A.A.G. in India, 1899-1901; served in South Africa during 1900, seeing action at Zilikats Nek and was mentioned in despatches; A.Q/M.G. Western District and Southern Command, 1903-07; Chief Engineer, Scottish Command, 1908-12. He retired in 1912 but returned to service during the Great War, being Commandant of Railway Troops, R.E., Longmoor, 1914-19, for which he was again mentioned in despatches. For his many services he was awarded the C.B. in 1910, C.M.G. in 1917 and C.B.E. in 1919. Colonel Sinclair died on 10 July 1924.