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

The Defence of Chitral campaign medal to Sepoy Sir Khan, Punyal Levy

India General Service 1895-1902, 1 clasp, Defence of Chitral 1895 (Sepoy Sir Khan, Punyal Levy) good 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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Collection

Ex Needes collection, April 1940.

The small principality of Punyal paid allegiance to the British agent at Gilgit but remained nominally independent. According to Younghusband in The Relief of Chitral, ‘There were 11 followers and 27 servants 16th Punyali levies, 12 native clerks and messengers, 7 commissariat and transport followers, and 52 Chitralis, bringing up the total number within the fort to 543 persons.’

‘Captain Townshend still continued, whenever opportunity occurred, and he had time to spare, the work of demolishing the outer walls beyond the main wall of the fort. He used the Punyalis for this, and they did it, he says, marvellously quickly. They crept along on their stomachs outside the walls, and with beams of wood pushed down the light outer walls which ran out round the fort. The enemy fired incessantly upon them while the work was being carried out, but nobody was hit.’

Ref: The Relief of Chitral (Younghusband and Younghusband).