Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Colonel James Steel, C.B., 2nd Bengal European Regiment, which regiment he commanded throughout the Punjab campaign and was made a Companion of the Bath

Army of India 1799-1826, 2 clasps, Ava, Bhurtpoor (Capt. Jas. Steel. 41st N.I.) short hyphen reverse, officially engraved naming; Punjab 1848-49, 2 clasps, Chilianwala, Goojerat (Major J. Steel, Commg. 2nd Eur. Regt.) small edge bruise to the last, otherwise nearly extremely fine and rare (2) £3000-4000

Only 13 Army of India medals were issued with the combination of Ava with Bhurtpoor.

James Steel was born at Cockermouth, Cumberland, in 1792. He arrived in India in March 1808 and was posted as Ensign to the 15th Native Infantry. He was wounded in the operations against the Garrows in 1810 and served in Java with the 7th L.I. Volunteer battalion, as Instructor and Quartermaster from 1812 till November 1816. He served in the Arakan, First Burma War, 1825, as Captain and Adjutant, 1st L.I. battalion, and at the siege and capture of Bhurtpoor with the 41st Native Infantry. Steel held the position of Deputy Judge Advocate General, Dinapore and Benares, in 1825 and 1826, and was Superintendant of Police in Calcutta from December 1830 till 1835. He was appointed Inspector of a new Police battalion in May 1844, and Superintendant of Cantonment Police, North West Provinces, in June 1847, a position which he held until June 1857. He rejoined his regiment for service in the Second Sikh War and commanded the 2nd Bengal European Regiment at the passage of the Chenab, battles of Chilianwala and Goojerat, and the pursuit of the Sikhs. For his services in this campaign he was promoted Lieutenant Colonel and made a Companion of the Bath. He was promoted Colonel on 9 October, 1858, and died in Brighton on 18 August, 1859.

The 2nd European Regiment played a distinguished role in the battle of Goojerat, especially in the assault on Bara Kalra. Driving the enemy through the narrow streets, the left wing of the Regiment captured two Sikh Colours and beat off a counter-attack, The Journal of a Subaltern, written by an officer of the 2nd Europeans, contains the following: “Officers to the front, lead on your men’, shouted the Major [Steel]... we gave a rattling volley and poured into the village... many of the Sikhs stood and fought... shut themselves into the houses... died fighting to the last...” The 2nd Europeans suffered 152 casualties out of 300 in their Brigade. When Sir Hugh Gough asked what he could do for the Regiment after the battle, the Commanding Officer asked that the 2nd Bengal Europeans should become Fusiliers. The request was granted and the new title ‘2nd European Bengal Fusiliers’ dated from 18 January 1850.

Sold with an original copy of A Memoir of Colonel James Steel C.B. 1792-1859, written and printed by his son Colonel J. P. Steel, Royal (late Bengal) Engineers, Surbiton, 1909, copy No. 47, with signed presentation inscription from the author, 197pp + appendices and index.