Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Indian Mutiny 1857-59, no clasp (Capt. Somerville, 61st N.P.I.) nearly extremely fine £300-£400

Marcus Richard Somerville was born in Dublin on 3 November 1823, and educated at Shrewsbury Public School. He entered the Bengal Army in 1841, arrived in India in September of the same year, and at the end of the following month was ordered up to Benares to do duty with the 9th N.I., but before he could join that regiment he was posted, 13 November, to the 61st N.I., and, proceeding onwards, he joined this corps at Agra in December. Early in 1843 he accompanied the 61st into Bundelkhand, where he was employed for some months in the suppression of the insurrection in that province. In April 1843 he marched with the regiment to Jubbulpore, and having afterwards served with it at Simiria and Kalinjar, he accompanied it to Nagode in March 1845. In April 1846 he proceeded on leave to Almora, whence he rejoined the regiment at Barrackpore in March 1847, and in the following October he went home on furlough on urgent private affairs.

Returning to India in April 1850, he rejoined the 61st at Lucknow, whence in the spring of 1855 he marched with the corps to Jullundur. In November 1856 he went on sick leave to Simla and Mussoorie, and he was still on leave when, in June 1857, his regiment mutinied and went off to Delhi. He returned to Jullundur in November 1857, and in August 1858 he was sent from Lahore to Karachi in command of a strong detachment detailed to escort to the port of embarkation mutineer convicts sentenced to transportation beyond seas. He subsequently returned to Jullundur, and continued serving there until the spring of 1859, when, having been appointed acting Second-in-Command of the 1st Sikh Infantry, he proceeded and joined that corps in Oudh, thereafter serving with it in the closing operations against the rebels and mutineers on the frontiers of Nepal (Medal).

He afterwards accompanied the regiment to Gonda, whence in October 1859 he marched with it (on escort duty with the Viceroy) en route to the Punjab, and in January 1860, while still in progress, he was appointed Officiating Commandant of that corps. Eventually, towards the close of the following March, he arrived with the corps at Bannu, and having about that time been relieved of the office of Officiating Commandant, he was appointed Officiating Second-in-Command of the 5th Punjab Infantry; in this appointment he was made permanent on the 3rd of the succeeding month, and having joined the regiment on its arrival at Kohat on the 11th, he was immediately afterwards appointed to officiate as Commandant. He continued officiating in this post until March 1861, when he was appointed Officiating Commandant of the 3rd Punjab Infantry, which corps he joined soon afterwards at Dera Ghazi Khan. In January 1862 he was admitted into the Bengal Staff Corps, with effect from the 18th February 1861, and he continued officiating as Commandant of the 3rd Punjab Infantry until his death, which occurred at Dera Ghazi Khan on 3 September 1962.