Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Indian Mutiny 1857-59, no clasp (Surgeon E. B. Thring, 31st Regt. N.I.) good very fine £250-350

Edward Brouncker Thring was born on 22 March 1819 in Warminster, Wiltshire. He qualified as a L.S.A. in 1840, M.R.C.S. in 1841, and was appointed Assistant Surgeon on 24 April 1841 in the Bengal Medical Department. He arrived in Bengal on 28 August 1841 and was attached to the Artillery at Dum Dum. This was immediately followed by spells of duty with the 8th N.I. and the 49th N.I. before he was directed to hold himself in readiness to proceed and do duty with the transports about to sail for China with the Bengal Volunteers and the 6th N.I.

The Civil Assistant Surgeon at Midnapore countermanded this order and Thring was retained at Dum Dum with both civil and regimental duties before being posted to Dacca in charge of a wing of the 49th Native Infantry. Six months leave was due to him from December 1842, and upon his return in June 1843 he was attached to H.M. 62nd Foot regimental hospital at Dinapore. Recognition of his language skills came in December 1843 when he was pronounced as having a colloquial knowledge of the Hindustanee language.

Postings at Arrah and Sukkier in medical charge followed before he was sent on leave from October 1845 to February 1846 with the express purpose of travelling to Calcutta. On arrival he was sent to Meerut to help with the sick and wounded from the Sikh War. All of his regimental appointments were with various Native Infantry regiments except for one spell with the 2nd Troop 1st Brigade Horse Artillery.

His promotion to Surgeon came on 6th July 1855, and on the 8th December 1855 he was posted to the 31st Native Infantry, with whom he was to see much action during the Indian Mutiny, namely being under siege in the garrison for seven months when his regiment refused to mutiny. Thring was also confirmed in February 1857 as in medical charge of the 1st Company 3rd Battalion Artillery, and right wing of the 3rd Irregular Cavalry, plus the staff at Saugor.

Following the outbreak of the Mutiny the fort's complement was increased by one hundred and ninety women and children plus civilians and officers from the regiments who mutinied, putting a considerable medical responsibility on Surgeon Thring. The 31st N. I. was garrisoned with two other regiments at Saugor who mutinied and a succinct account of their exploits is contained in this letter which was written by the Commanding Officer, Lieut. Colonel W. P. Hampton on 4th October 1861 -

"In order to render the following detail of services more clear and comprehensible, it is necessary to explain, that at the commencement of the late mutiny, the Saugor garrison consisted of a company of European Artillery, the 31st, the 42nd Native Infantry and the 3rd Irregular Cavalry. Forty-six sepoys joined the mutineers of the 42nd N.L.I. in whose ranks they had friends and relations. Those present with the head quarters of the regiment and its detachments, were continuously employed from the 13th June 1857, up to the 21st July 1859, in operations against rebels in the Saugor district and Central India, when they were several times opposed to a combined force of rebels and mutineers.

During these operations, the aggregate loss sustained by the regiment was one European officer, and twenty-two native officers & men killed, or who subsequently died of their wounds, two European officers, and forty-three native officers & men wounded. The casualties from diseases contracted by exposure and hardships endured during the same period, consisted of sixty-eight native officers and men. Nearly all the rest both Europeans & natives suffered severely from loss of health, arising from the same causes.

The following were the principal affairs in which the regiment and its detachments were engaged, the minor ones being too numerous for detail. Capture of the rebel fort of Balabelta on 23rd June 1857. Attack on the mutinous 42nd N.L.J. and 3rd Irregular Cavalry, and their expulsion from the cantonments of Saugor on 7th & 8th July 1857. Defence of Beenaika against an overwhelming body of rebels on 21st July 1857. Capture of the fort and town of Hindooreeah on 22nd July 1857. Attack on a party of rebels at Kussooreeah, and their defeat & dispersion on 26th July 1857. Defence of Dumoh against a very large force of the Shahgurh Rajah's troops, on the 28th July & 4th August 1857. Attack on a strong position held by the rebels of Nurreeawlee on 8th-9th September 1857. Successful attack on rebels at Gurparah on the 10th November 1857, at Singpore on the 24th November 1857 and at Bhopail on the 14th December 1857. Defence of the post Rehlee against an attack made by the mutineers of the 52nd N.J. on the 20th December 1857. Successful attack on rebels at Jalinpore on the 1st March 1858.
Capture of the rebel forts of Shagurh and Buretta on the 29th March 1858 and of Patna on the 14th April 1858. Skirmish with rebels at Dulleepore on 4th May 1858. Defeat near Gurrankotah of a combined force of mutineers and rebels on the 19th August 1858. Capture on the 4th August of the rebel chief Tulwar Singh, for whose apprehension a large reward had been offered by Government. Co-operated with the Centra/India & Saugor & Nurbudhah field forces on various occasions in February, March & December 1858, and January 1859. Successful attacks on rebels at Jailpore on 6th July 1859. During the operations above detailed, the regiment captured eight pieces of ordnance, seven elephants, four hundred stand of arms, the colours and magazine of the 42nd NL.l. and a great quantity of native arms and ammunition."

Official recognition came in various letters and orders including being thanked by the Right Honourable the Governor General, in General Order's of 15 February 1858, for "Bravery and exemplary endurance during upwards of seven months", employed in the defence of Saugor.

The fine words did not translate into any tangible award for the ten officers of the 31st, in fact the Government refused the clasp 'Central India' even though the garrison had operated with the qualifying troops following the lifting of the siege. However, in April 1861 Thring was advanced to Surgeon Major, a reasonably short period from his previous promotion so perhaps some recognition of his Mutiny exploits entered into the equation.

He was attached to the 9th Punjab Infantry from February 1861, before joining the newly numbered 3rd Native Infantry in October 1861. There was no more campaign service for Thring, only his final promotion to Deputy Inspector General of Hospitals in January 1867. He served for another four years, except for the year commencing May 1869, when he had a medical certificate for a year's leave to Europe from the Governor General. He retired and left the service in December 1871, with just the Indian Mutiny medal to show for his thirty years service, albeit a hard earned award. Edward Thring died on 30th January 1882.