Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Army of India 1799-1826, 5 clasps, Allighur, Battle of Delhi, Laswarree, Battle of Deig, Capture of Deig (W. Eleanor, 76th Foot.) short hyphen reverse, officially impressed naming, edge bruising, otherwise very fine and extremely rare £12000-15000

Provenance: Whitaker Collection 1897; Glendining’s September 1955 and December 1969.

Only 9 medals issued with 5 clasps, including 4 to the 76th Foot who were the only British regiment so entitled. At the first four actions the 76th were the only British infantry regiment engaged, and at the Capture of Deig just two companies were present along with two companies of the 22nd Foot.

The 76th Foot were the only British infantry in the army under General Lord Lake who is quoted as saying ‘Bring me my boots and the 76th Regiment of Foot and I am ready to go anywhere.’ The regiment played a prominent part in the outstanding victories gained at Allighur, Delhi, Laswarree and Deig. Such were the casualties suffered by the 76th that they became known as the ‘Immortals’. At Laswarree in particular, having marched 25 miles in extreme heat in just eight hours, the regiment had some 200 killed or wounded, about a quarter of the total number of casualties in Lake’s force in what was one of the bloodiest battles in the history of British warfare in India.

William Eleanor (spelt variously as Ellinor, Ellinour and Elinor), is first shown in the musters as a ‘recruit arrived from Europe at Fort William, 28 December 1800. In November 1804 he is mustered at Fort William, in March 1805 at Burtpore (sic) shown as sick, and in August 1805 at Futtepore. He was appointed Corporal in September 1805 and in the muster for the following December he is included in a list of men under ‘casualties since last return’, all of whom were transferred to another regiment upon the 76th leaving India. Some 280 men volunteered for the 75th Foot and about 100 for the HEIC’s European Regiment. Eleanor was among a further 92 men who volunteered for the HEIC’s European Regiment in December 1805 at Fort William. Service papers might possibly be found in the India Office Collection at the British Library.