Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The rare 4-clasp Second Mahratta War medal awarded to Private George Gardiner, 76th Foot, one of Lord Lake’s ‘Handfull of Heroes’

Army of India 1799-1826, 4 clasps, Allighur, Battle of Delhi, Laswarree, Battle of Deig (G. Gardiner, 76th Foot.) short hyphen reverse, officially impressed naming, nearly extremely fine £12000-15000

Provenance: Murray Collection 1908; Phillips Collection 1925; Needes Collection 1940; Ritchie Collection 2005.

Only 23 medals issued with 4 clasps, including 5 with this combination, all of which were to the 76th Foot, the only British infantry regiment engaged at these actions.

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.

George Gardiner, H.M’s 76th Regiment of Foot, was wounded in the Hindustan Campaign. He was absent without leave on 22 April 1805, but returned to his unit a month later on 20 May, and was recorded as present at a muster at Fort William in December 1805.