Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Chitral and Tirah Campaign Medal awarded to Lance-Corporal James Cooper, Gordon Highlanders, who was dangerously wounded in the back in the action at Maidan on 10 November 1897

India General Service 1895-1902, 3 clasps, Relief of Chitral 1895, Tirah 1897-98, Punjab Frontier 1897-98 (2029 Le. Cpl. J. Cooper 1st Bn. Gord: Highrs.) nearly extremely fine £400-£500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Robin Scott-Smith Collection of Medals to Casualties.

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James Cooper was born in the Parish of St Nicholas, Aberdeen, and attested for the Gordon Highlanders at Aberdeen on 29 January 1886, aged 20 years 8 months, a farm servant by trade. Prior to arriving in India in January 1892, he had served 10 months at Malta and a little over three years in Ceylon. He was appointed Lance-Corporal in July 1893 and promoted to Corporal in March 1896. He was dangerously wounded in action at Maidan on 10 November 1897, by a gunshot in the upper lumbar region which penetrated the abdomen and exited near the spine. In the opinion of the Medical Board held on 5 February 1898, ‘injury so severe in its permanent effects as to be nearly equivalent to the loss of a limb.’ At a further Medical Board in September 1898, he was invalided on account of permanent unfitness for service, and was finally discharged ‘medically unfit’ at Aberdeen on 5 October 1898, having been appointed Lance-Sergeant in the 2nd Battalion in May of that year.

Sold with copied discharge papers which give detailed medical history.