Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 1 clasp, Central India (Captain F. A. E. Loch 1st Regt. Light Cavalry) contemporary engraved naming in upright serif capitals, very fine £300-£400

Francis Adam Ellis Loch was gazetted Cornet in the 1st Bombay Light Cavarly on 7 April 1844; Lieutenant, 8 May 1849; Captain, 29 May 1857. He was wounded at Nuserabad on 28 May 1857, an action that he later wrote about and which was published in The Indian Mutiny by Charles Ball:

‘Of course by the time this reaches you, you will have heard that these cursed Bengal troops have followed the example of their fellows at Delhi and Meerut. At about three p.m. on Thursday 28th, to our utter surprise, we were all roused by hearing guns fired in the infantry lines. Almost immediately afterwards, we were informed that the 15th and 30th regiments had mutinied, and were then in arms. We (that is, our Regiment) were ordered at once to the lines, we were in the saddles in less than half an hour, and on our way to the artillery lines, where some of the men had formed up, and, in conjunction with some of the artillery men, had manned the guns. As soon as we appeared, they opened a fire of grape and canister on us. We were ordered to charge the guns by successive troops. The left troop was in front, and, in company with part of my troop (No. 5) went gallantly at the battery. In this charge poor Spotiswode was killed, and myself wounded in two places, a sword cut on the left arm and a contusion from gunshot on my right chest, but, I am happy to say, neither bad wounds, as you may believe, when I am able again to assist in leading a charge. We made three or four successive charges, in which poor Newbury, a gallant youngster as ever lived, breathed his last, and Captain Hardy was wounded in the leg. Finding that the position in which the guns were placed (amongst bomb proof buildings) we were unable, through want of room, to do anything, we returned to our lines, and in the evening marched to Bewar, where we stayed two days. When we returned to camp yesterday, we found all quiet, and order is beginning to be restored. My brother I am happy to say, by some lucky accident, did not get a single wound, and is as well as can be; and although I have my arm in a sling, looking like an old Greenwich Pensioner, still I am not at all badly wounded, and will be again alright. I now ride and do all the Adjutant’s duties, so you can see it can’t be much. Our men are staunch Europeans, and behaved splendidly.’

Loch was promoted to Major in September 1866, to Lieutenant-Colonel in April 1870, to Major-General in May 1881, and awarded the C.B. He died in 1891, aged 64.

His group of three medals was sold by Dix Noonan Webb in July 2004, comprising Punjab, 1 clasp, Mooltam (renamed), Indian Mutiny, 1 clasp, Central India, and Abyssinia, these latter two correctly named.