Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, to include the Brian Ritchie Collection (Part III)

The 74th Regimental medal awarded to Sergeant John Morgan, 74th Foot, ‘wounded at the battle of Assaye and the capture of Cuidad Rodrigo - his conduct on the field was marked with bravery’

74th Foot Regimental Medal 1814, silver, 1st Class for 11 actions, both sides with struck ‘74th’ and laurel wreath tied with ribbon at the bottom, the obverse centre engraved with six Indian honours for Assaye, Amednagur, Argum, Gilegur, Shandoor, and Gulnah; the reverse centre engraved with five Peninsula honours for Busaco, Fuentes, C’Rodrigo, Pyrenees, and Orthes, named on the edge (Serjt. Jno. Morgan) fitted with silver clip and bar suspension, very fine and very rare £800-1000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Brian Ritchie Collection of H.E.I.C. and British India Medals.

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Ex Spink November 1970 (£500).

The 74th Foot Medal was instituted in 1814 by Colonel Sir Robert le Poer Trench, K.C.B., as a reward for veterans of the campaigns in India, the Peninsula and France. The 1st Class Medal was awarded for 8 or more actions, the 2nd Class for 6 or 7 actions, the 3rd Class, a smaller silver medal for 4 or 5 actions, and the 4th Class, a copper medal for 1 to 3 actions. This is the only known example with Indian and Peninsula honours and also has the greatest number of honours known on an individual medal.

John Morgan was born in the parish of Rathin, near Fraseburgh, in the county of Aberdeen, in 1782. A ‘Labourer’ by occupation, he attested for H.M’s 74th Regiment of Foot at Dalkieth on 10 May 1800 at the age of eighteen for a period of unlimited service. Morgan served throughout the Second Mahratta War as a Private and was present with Wellesley’s Army of the Deccan at all six of the Indian actions inscribed on his medal. Wellesley’s first move in the Deccan Campaign was to secure a firm strategic base. ‘Marching from Poona, he laid siege on 8 August [1803] to the great Mahratta fortress of Ahmednuggur, a place of immense natural strength which had often been attacked, but never taken. On the first day he carried the town wall or pettah by storm, following it up with the capture of the main fort two days later. “Those English” wrote an astonished eyewitness, “are a strange people and their general a wonderful man. They came here in the morning, looked at the pettah wall, walked over it, killed all the garrison and returned to breakfast! What can withstand them?” At Assaye, the greatest test of the campaign, Morgan’s unit was reduced from a battalion to little more than a company, losing 17 officers and 400 men. Morgan was himself wounded, but recovered sufficiently to take part in the rest of the campaign. With the war over, he was promoted Corporal in July 1805 and Sergeant in April 1808.

After a spell of duty in England, the 74th were sent to Portugal where they served in the Peninsula War until its close. Morgan was present at the battles of Busaco ( 27 September 1810), Fuentes D’Onor (5 May 1811), and Cuidad Rodrigo (8-19 January 1812). He was wounded for a second time in the latter battle, apparently more seriously this time than in India since he did not fight again until July 1813 in the battles of the Pyrenees. This was Morgan’s last action and, on 28 September 1819, he was discharged at Fredicton, New Brunswick, due to a reduction in the strength of the regiment. He was then described as being thirty-seven years of age, with fair hair, grey eyes, and a fresh complexion. He was discharged to a pension of 1s 10d per day. His discharge papers contain an unusually complimentary summary of his military career, suggesting that he was an exceptionally brave, loyal and efficient soldier: ‘His general conduct as a soldier has been very good and [he] served faithfully - was in 11 engagements with the Regiment in India and the Peninsular - was wounded at the battle of Assaye and the capture of Cuidad Rodrigo - his conduct on the field was marked with bravery and in quarters with the greatest propriety.’ Morgan presumably died before 1848 and thus was unable to claim his three clasp Army of India medal or his five clasp Military General Service medal (his name does not appear on either roll).

Refs: WO 100/3-11; IOL L/MIL/5/42; WO 97/862; British and Irish Regimental and Volunteer Medals 1745-1895 (Balmer).