Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Indian Mutiny medal awarded to Drummer Thomas Perkins, 1/24th Foot, who was one of the oldest men of his regiment to be killed at Isandhlwana in January 1879

Indian Mutiny 1857-59, no clasp (1 Drummer T. Perkins 1st Bn. H.Ms. 24th Regt.) very fine £600-800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals to Welsh Regiments formed by the Late Llewellyn Lord.

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Thomas Perkins was enlisted on 30 December 1856 as a ‘Headquarters Recruit’ by special authority, and attested as a private on 1 January 1857. Assigned regimental number ‘1’ he served in India from January 1857 and was promoted to Drummer on 15 September 1857 to replace a drummer who had died of wounds. He was not present in the action at Jhelum when the 14th Bengal Native Infantry mutinied and caused many casualties in the regiment. He served at the Depot from 1860 to 1874 and was posted to South Africa on 25 November 1875. He was the oldest Drummer and certainly one of the oldest men in the regiment, to be killed in action at Isandhlwana on 22 January 1879. His effects, recorded for claim by his next of kin, included the Indian Mutiny medal without clasp and the South African medal with clasp ‘1877-8-9’. Sold with copied research.