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

The Scinde C.B. group of three to Lieutenant-Colonel C. H. Delamain, C.B., commanding the 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry

(a) The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (Military) C.B., breast badge in gold and enamels, unmarked but of good quality unofficial manufacture, slightly smaller than standard, with gold swivel-ring suspension but lacking ribbon buckle

(b) Ghuznee Cabul 1842, unnamed as issued

(c) Hyderabad 1843 (Captn. C. H. Delamain, 3rd Lt. Cavy.) contemporary engraved naming, contained in an old fitted display case with ivorine label, good very fine £3000-4000

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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Charles Henry Delamain, the son of Henry Delamain, was born at Marylebone on 31 January 1796. Before entering the Company‘s service, he held a commission as a Lieutenant in the York Chasseurs from June 1814. He was nominated for the Bombay Cavalry by J. Cotton, Esq., on the recommendation of John Atkins, Esq., and was posted Cornet in the 3rd Light Cavalry on 4 January 1824. He arrived in India aboard the Royal George on 21 May having been promoted Lieutenant en voyage.

In 1834, while serving in charge of the Commissariat Department at Rajcote, he incurred the censure of the Commissary General for buying hay at an exorbitant rate from several private individuals who had cornered the market. He was relieved of his post the following year and was directed to rejoin his regiment as Interpreter. In February, however, he was placed in command of a detachment of 200 infantry, a wing of cavalry and 150 Gwiswar Horse ‘which marched to attack one of three parties in Arms in the Mayhee Caunta’. On the 17th, ‘the detachment reached Nuralee near Edur, at the former of which places the insurgents were said to be encamped, but it was found they had retreated to Gotah two miles off, whither Captn. Delamain pursued them, and took the town, after a desperate resistance.’ Unfortunately, Delamain’s force suffered considerable casualties in this encounter due to inaccurate intelligence supplied by the Assistant to the Political Commissioner at Gujerat, one Mr Erskine. In March 1835, Delamain took part in an attack on the village of Kanara and was afterwards thanked in the report of the senior officer present.

In April 1842, he took part in operations in Afghanistan and was mentioned in Brigadier England’s despatch for his part in an attack against an enemy position on the 28th: ‘... after a short resistance [the enemy] fled into the rugged mountains in their rear leaving their standards and being closely and gallantly pursued by the 3rd Light Cavalry under Captn. Delamain’ (Calcutta Gazette 5 July 1842 and London Gazette 6 September 1842). On 28 August, he was involved in a bloody skirmish near Ghuznee ‘in which Captns. Bury & Reeves of the Regt. under his command together with sixteen troopers were killed.’

In 1843, Delamain served in the Scinde Campaign and was present with John Jacob, Scinde Irregular Horse, the champion of Indian irregular cavalry, at the battle of Hyderabad, fought in the suburb of Dubba on 24 March. These two officers, seeing ‘no signs of turbans or flourishing swords’ from that part of the embankment immediately in their front on the left wing of the enemy, assumed, correctly, that it was not held. It seems that they persuaded Major Maurice Stack, the ineffective officer commanding their cavalry brigade, to order, without reference to Napier, an immediate charge. This he did.

‘With Delamaine leading well ahead, the two regiments, some 850 strong, galloped across the two unoccupied canal embankments (the first eight feet, and the second seventeen feet high), until they came upon the enemy’s real left wing, lining a single embanked channel. They at once brought up their right shoulders and charged straight at it. In a few moments the Baluchi left was completely overrun. Speedily reforming, Jacob and Delamaine next fell upon the massed cavalry of the enemy, which, as at Miani, was in reserve. This fled at once and was pursued for several miles, many men being cut down or shot. Sher Muhammad himself was on the point of capture, when Pattle, the second-in-command, checked the pursuit to prevent the cavalry becoming too widely dispersed.’




Sir Charles Napier reported: ‘... the Enemy was perceived to move from his centre in considerable bodies apparently retreating unable to sustain the cross fire of the British Artillery on seeing which Major Stack at the head of the 3rd Cavalry under the command of Captn. Delamain and the Scinde Horse under command of Captn. Jacob made a brilliant charge upon the enemy’s left flank crossing the nullah and cutting down the retreating enemy for several miles’ (London Gazette 6 June 1843).

For his services in the conquest of Scinde, Delamain was promoted Major on 4 July 1843 and created a Companion of the Bath (London Gazette 4 July 1843). He was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in August 1850, and continued with the 3rd Light Cavalry until January 1851 when he transferred to the rolls of the 1st Cavalry. From 1852 until his retirement in April 1854, he commanded of the Rajpootana Field Force. Colonel Delamain died at Dinan in France on 19 June 1870.

Refs: Hodson Index (NAM); IOL L/MIL/12/69; History of the British Cavalry (Anglesey).