Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Private H. Punter, 20th late 56th Regiments

Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (2648 Henry Punter, 56th Regt.) engraved naming corrected in places; Army L.S. & G.C., V.R., 3rd issue (1138 Henry Punter, 1st Battn. 20th Foot) some correction to naming, some edge bruising, very fine (2) £150-200

Henry Punter was born in Malmesbury, Wiltshire on 7 October 1824. A Carpenter by occupation, he enlisted for the 56th Regiment in 1845. The regiment was drafted to Crimea with those regiments increasing the British strength for the final push to capture Sebastopol and thus bring the costly war to an end. For his services Punter was awarded the Queen’s medal with clasp for Sebastopol and the Turkish medal (not with lot). On 8 August 1860 he attested for the 20th Regiment at Malmesbury, aged 33 years, and was allowed on 27 February 1861 to claim his previous 14 years service with the 56th Regiment. His overseas service with both regiments amounted to 1 year 4 months in the Crimea, 3 years, 290 days in Bermuda, 9 years 154 days in the East Indies and 4 years in Malta. He was discharged from Netley hospital due to ill health due to length of service on 12 October 1866. He was awarded the L.S. & G.C. Medal with a £5 gratuity in 1865. He died on 12 December 1896.

Punter married Susanna Pegler in Malmesbury Parish Church on 5 October 1842. It may be that the marriage was not a success, despite the birth of a daughter, as three years later he enlisted into the 56th Regiment. His discharge in 1859 was swiftly followed by his re-enlistment in the 20th Regiment during the following year. In 1866 he was discharged once more and then married for a second time, to Martha Cotterill at Malmesbury on 4 February 1869. The lady, a widow, had three young sons and went on to give Punter a further three boys and three girls! However, research with the lot strongly suggests that this second marriage was bigamous.

With copied research, including the article, ”Guilty Secret”, by Ken Marsh, that appeared in Medal News, September 2012.