Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Lieutenant P. R. Tahourdin, 47th Sikh Regiment, who was killed in action during the relief of Kut in April 1915

British War and Victory Medals (Lieut. P. R. Tahourdin.); Memorial Plaque (Philip Ramsay Tahourdin) nearly extremely fine (3) £200-£260

Philip Ramsay Tahourdin was born in 1895, the only son of Philip Tahourdin, Solicitor, of Hallow Bank, Worcester. He was educated at Eagle House School, Sandhurst (1905-08), then at Rugby School (1908-12) and finally at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, from where he passed out second in December 1913, taking first prize in ‘Combined Schemes’. He was appointed to the Indian Army in January 1914, being attached to the Manchester Regiment.

In October 1914 he was commissioned to the 47th Sikhs and when part of the regiment was ordered to France, he remained in Depot in India. He left India on 25 December 1915, to join his regiment which was now arriving from France to Basra, and was appointed Quartermaster prior to proceeding to the front for the relief of Kut.

He was promoted to Lieutenant on 14 April 1916. On the night of 17 April, the force was heavily attacked by the Turks and he was sent up from the rear with a fresh consignment of ammunition. He had just left the front at about 3 a.m. to bring up more ammunition, when he was shot through the head and died a few hours later on 18 April, 1916. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Basra War Memorial.

In a letter to his parents, his colonel wrote: ‘I had only known your son since joining us from the Depot in this country. He came with a reputation as a most promising officer and he had been most valuable to the Regiment, carrying on the work of Quartermaster most efficiently under very trying circumstances after a big fight we had on March 8th when he was in rear not first line, he begged me on another occasion to let him be in it. I told him he was much too valuable for the welfare of the Regiment and had quite enough of coming under fire as it was. We all, and that includes the Indian ranks, feel his loss terribly, he was one who quickly made himself liked and the regiment has lost heavily through his death. He would have certainly been the next Adjutant.’

Ref: Rugby School Memorial Book with portrait.