The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals (Part 1)

Pair: China 1842 (C. H. Berthon, 1st Lieut. H.E.I.C.S. Atalanta); Punjab 1848-49, 1 clasp, Mooltan (Lieut., Ind. Flot.) good very fine and extremely rare to an officer (2)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals.

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Lieutenant Berthon was Second-in-Command of the Naval Detachment, under Captain F. T. Powell, which accompanied the Bombay column in late December 1848 to Mooltan. This naval party of 56 men, which was brigaded with the Bombay Artillery, laid down a battery made of sandbags and platforms with two 8-inch howitzers and four 18-pounders supplied from the park of artillery. On 27 December siege operations against Mooltan commenced, the naval battery’s fire being directed against the Delhi Gate. By 4 January 1849 only the citadel remained in the hands of the enemy and Berthon was ordered to resite his naval battery, armed now with six 18-pounders, in a position north of the city. By 8 January the sailors had dragged their guns through the trenches under fire described as ‘very sharp’, and were ready to commence their bombardment of the triple walled fortress. At three a.m. on 10 January 1849 an enemy shell from the citadel exploded in the confines of their battery, setting fire to it. Captain Powell reported that “..every exertion was made by Lieutenant Berthon and the officers and men under his command to extinguish the fire, but without avail, and it became necessary to move the guns out of the battery into the trench, when the enemy opened a very heavy fire of all arms upon them...three men were severely wounded, and Mr Elder, Acting Master, had his foot crushed by one of the guns...Quarter Master Alexander Johnstone died from wounds he received; this is the same man who was slightly wounded on 31 December and had gallantly returned to duty..”.

This small Indian Naval Brigade was speedily found a new sphere of usefulness after being formed into two breaching batteries, consisting of four and two 18-pounders each under the separate commands of Lieutenant Berthon and Acting Master W. H. Davies. Within the city they succeeded perfectly by their raking fire on the guns in the bastions of the fortress, which ‘..were a little efficacious against our working parties..’. On 22 January 1849, with defeat facing the rebels, since two breaches of practical use had been made on the fortress, the Governor, Dewan Moolraj, offered to surrender unconditionally.