Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War Palestine M.C. group of six to Lieutenant-Colonel H. J. Hasler, Indian Army, late 5th London Regiment

Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; 1914 Star, with clasp (9686 Pte., 5 / Lond. R.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt.); India General Service 1908-35, 3 clasps, Waziristan 1919-21, Waziristan 1921-24, Burma 1930-32 (Capt., 121 Pnrs.); Jubilee 1935, mounted Court style for display, very fine and better (6) £1000-1200

M.C. London Gazette 1 January 1919.

M.I.D. London Gazette 12 June 1923

Harold John Hasler was born in 1893. On 4.8.1914 he was mobilised as a Private in the 5th London Regiment and entered the French theatre of war on 5.11.1914. On 9.12.1914 he was gazetted a 2nd Lieutenant, returning to England on 25.1.1915 to join the 13th Durham Light Infantry. Later in the year he passed his Army Entrance Examination and entered Wellington Cadet College as a Cadet for the Indian Army. On 16.4.1916 Hasler was re-gazetted to the Indian Army and was posted to the 121st Pioneers in India. Posted to Egypt, the 121st Pioneers disembarked at Suez during mid-January 1918 and were immediately moved north to Palestine. The regiment joined the 7th Division which was holding a line along the Auja River near Shaikh Muwannis, 5 miles N.N.E. of Jaffa. Initially it was engaged in road making, entrenching and erecting wire entanglements. ‘On the night of the 28th May a portion of our front line was advanced nearer to the enemy, and the Mahratta company of the 121st went out to wire in the new posts after their occupation by the Leicesters. One of the wiring parties, under Lieut. Hasler, lost its way in the dark and came up against a Turkish piquet. Hasler, who was leading, was unable to move as the bayonet of the enemy sentry was against his chest, but Havildar Umanji Sinde, the next behind this officer, thrust his rifle under Hasler’s arm, fired and killed the sentry. The party then hurriedly retired, shot at by the now fully awakened piquet, Havildar Umanji Sinde being killed. They then collected near Dud Piquet and completed the wiring, for which Lieut. Hasler was awarded the M.C.’ [History of the Bombay Pioneers, by Lt. Col. W.B.P. Tugwell refers]. Hasler was promoted Captain on 16.7.1919 and saw service with the 121st Pioneers in Waziristan for which he was mentioned in despatches. In 1923 he was Company Officer attached to the 2nd Bombay Pioneers, by 1925 he was Company Commander (Officiating) of the 1st (K.G.O.) Madras Pioneers, serving with them in Burma 1930-32. Hasler suffered from various health problems at this time and after a period of leave was reassigned in 1933 as Company Commander in the 3rd / 6th Rajputana Rifles, being promoted Major on 16.7.1933. In 1934 he was Second in Command, Company Commander at King George’s School, Ajmere and the following year was Administrative Commandant of the 11th Battalion 6th Rajputana Rifles. On 1.4.1937 he was transferred to the Special Unattached List, from which he retired in 1943 with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Sold with a large quantity of copied service papers.