Auction Catalogue

17 & 18 July 2019

Starting at 10:00 AM

.

Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Live Online Auction

Download Images

Lot

№ 1271

.

18 July 2019

Hammer Price:
£100

India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1908 (4838 Sepoy Jawala Singh 22nd Punjabis) good very fine £140-£180

I.D.S.M. ADN 527 of 26 June 1908 - North West Frontier.

Jawala Singh was the son of Sudagar Singh of Dhalowal, Hoshiarpur, Punjab. He served with the 22nd Punjabis as part of Brigadier-General C. A. Anderson’s 1st Brigade on the North West Frontier in 1908. Singh was awarded the I.D.S.M (1 of approximately 137 E.VII.R. I.D.S.M.s awarded) for his gallantry during the advance into Mohmand territory in May 1908:

‘The following days reconnaissances were sent out in all directions, and several towers and enclosures were destroyed, belonging to sections who were marked for punishment. I may here note that the Tarakzai and Gundab Halimzias, who had kept their Jirgahs in our camp, were not only not molested, but all supplies brought in by them were paid for throughout the operations.

On 16th May the 1st Brigade moved up the Bohai Dag to punish the Khwaizais and reconnoitre the Khapak pass from the west in conjunction with a small column from Ghalanai on the east. The towers of eight villages were destroyed. The enemy attacked the rearguard persistently and with much boldness, causing us the loss of one native officer killed and 14 of all ranks wounded, mostly of the 59th Rifles, on whom the fighting mainly fell. Anderson bivouacked at Kasai near Darwazagai and picquetted the surrounding hills. Shortly after dusk the enemy began a series of determined attacks on two picquets held by the 22nd Punjabis and one held by the 57th Rifles. Their repeated efforts to rush the sangars were all repulsed with loss, and many individual instances of gallantry took place which will be brought to notice. Twice Anderson was obliged to reinforce these picquets in the dark, a very trying duty in frontier warfare, and well performed by Major Climo, Lieutenants Webb and Money and parties of the 22nd Punjabis. The tribesmen finally withdrew about 2am, but not before they had suffered severely, many dead being seen by the relieving parties as they moved up to the sangars.’ (Major-General Sir James Willcocks’ despatch
London Gazette 14 August 1908 refers)

Jawala Singh advanced to Havildar and continued to serve with the 1st Battalion during the Great War. He died whilst a prisoner of war between 1-31 January 1917, and is commemorated on the Basra Memorial, Iraq.