Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 1 clasp, Central India (Tp. Sgt. Major. Josh. Harrison, 8th Hussars.) light contact marks, otherwise good very fine £600-800

Joseph Harrison was born in the Parish of St Michael’s Without, Dublin, and enlisted there for the 8th Hussars on 27 January 1841, a gardener by trade, aged 18 years. He embarked for the Crimea aboard the H.T. Wilson Kennedy on 15 May 1854. He was promoted to Corporal on 27 November 1854, served with Lord Raglan’s Escort Troop during 1855, and was promoted to Sergeant on 27 August 1854. Entitled to the Crimean medal with four clasps, for Alma, Balaklava, Inkermann and Sebastopol, there is no evidence to the contrary that he took part in the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava. He is not recorded as having attended the Balaklava Commemoration Society in 1877 or 1879, nor any of the veterans’ functions. His status can therefore be taken as that of a ‘possible charger’.

Harrison embarked for India from Cork on board the S.S. Great Britain on 8 October 1857. He served in Central India and was present at Kotah and Gwalior, being promoted to Troop Sergeant Major on 31 August 1858. He was discharged from the West Cavalry Barracks, Aldershot, on 18 August 1865, at his own request after 24 years 202 days service. His conduct was stated to be very good despite his name appearing nineteen times in the Defaulters book and having been tried twice by Court Martial and imprisoned on each occasion. Having married Anne Hinnears at Nusserabad on 13 June 1860, he stated his intended place of residence to be Blackwell Gardens, Halifax, Yorkshire.

An engraved four-clasp Crimea medal named ‘Sgt. Joseph Harrison, 8th Hussars’ was sold at the Gaitskill Collection sale at Glendining’s on 23 May 1911, and again at Glendining’s on 22 March 1977, as part of lot 117. Another engraved four-clasp medal named ‘Sgt. Jos. Harrison. 8. Hussars.’ was sold at Christie’s on 18 November 1986. Sold with copied discharge papers and other research including a letter from the late James Boys.