Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second Afghan War I.O.M. group of five awarded to Sepoy Hasan Khan, 24th Bengal Infantry, later Subadar 5th Punjab Infantry

Indian Order of Merit, Military Division, 1st type (1837-1912), 3rd Class, Reward of Valor, silver and enamel, the reverse with screw-nut fitting and officially inscribed on 3 lines ‘3rd Class “Order of Merit”’, lacking riband buckle; Afghanistan 1878-80, 2 clasps, Kabul, Kandahar (Sepoy Hussn Khan 24th Regt. N.I.); Kabul to Kandahar Star 1880 (Sepoy Hussun Khan 24th Regt. N.I.); India General Service 1854-94, 1 clasp, Hazara 1888 (1498 Havr. Hasan Khan 24th Bl. Infy.); India General Service 1895-1902, 2 clasps, Punjab Frontier 1897-98, Samana 1897 (Subdr. Hasan Khan 5th Pjb. Infy.) the Afghan medal with light pitting from star, otherwise nearly very fine, the remainder very fine (5) £2,000-£2,600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the Collection of Peter Duckers.

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I.O.M. 3rd Class G.G.O. 271 of 28 March 1879:

‘Sepoy Hussan Khan, 24th (Punjab) Native Infantry, was admitted to the 3rd Class for conspicuous gallantry on the 27th Jan 1879 in the Bazar Valley, in coming to the assistance of Lieut B. E. Spragge, 51st Regt. when suddenly attacked by a party of Afridis.’

‘Spragge, the brigade signalling officer, out with four native signallers, was rushed by a party of Zakka Khels and he and three of his men were wounded. They were saved through the gallant conduct of the fourth man, who succeeded in driving off the enemy. On being told that he would be recommended for a decoration, the man begged that no mention at all be made of the incident, because the men he had been fighting were his fellow-tribesmen, and he could hardly return to his village wearing a decoration for having killed some of them’ (Remininiscences 1848-1890, General Sir Francis Howard [Rifle Brigade] refers).

Hussun (Hasan) Khan entered the army on 4 December 1869. He was promoted Jemadar on 1 March 1890, and to Subadar on 26 August 1893. His name does not appear in the 1902 Indian Army List. He must have sold his medals shortly after leaving the army for they appear in the published catalogue of the Dr A. A. Payne Collection, although the group was not offered in the auction of his collection in 1918.