Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Sergeant George Cooper, 32nd Light Infantry, late 3rd Foot

China 1857-60, 1 clasp, Taku Forts 1860 (Serjt. Geo. Cooper, 1st Bn. 3rd Regt.) officially impressed naming; India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, North West Frontier (3480 Pte. G. Cooper, 32nd Foot); Army L.S. & G.C., V.R., small letter reverse (1091 Sergt. George Cooper, 32nd Regt.) the first with contact marks, otherwise nearly very fine, the remainder good very fine (3) £350-400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals formed by the late Alan Wolfe.

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George Cooper was born in about May 1829, at Cawnpore, India. A chemist by trade, he enlisted into the 3rd Foot in October 1850 and served as a Sergeant with that regiment at the capture of the Taku Forts in China in 1860. Cooper re-engaged as a Private into the 32nd Foot in July 1861, and was discharged in October 1871, then being ‘in possession of the medal for operations in China & clasp for Taku Forts 1860,’ and having ‘been awarded the medal with gratuity of £5 for long service and good conduct.’ There is no mention of a medal for the North West Frontier operations on his discharge papers and there is a possibility that this medal relates to a different George Cooper.