TOPIC:

The QSA to Mahboob Singh just sold for a hammer price of £700.

A rather nice IGS'54 with the clasp Hazara 1888 arrived at the barrack guardhouse this morning named to "1016 Sowar Dost Muhammad Khan,15th Bl Cavy" . As you can imagine this is the medal's second tour of duty in the Cape, hopefully longer than the first six month's tour.

Sowar Dost Muhammad Khan medal entitlement (so far) is :-
India General Service Medal 1854-1895, Clasp: “Hazara 1888” 1016 Sowar Dost Muhammad Khan,15th Bl Cavy
Queen’s South Africa Medal 1899-1902, Clasp “Cape Colony” 1016 Sowar Dost Muhammad Khan,15th Bl Lcrs

Of particular interest are the remarks on the roll WO 100/296 pp 286 & 290.

“Soldier Orderly to Captain H.C. Ricketts, 15th Bengal Lancers, Commandant Bhistie Corps, South Africa, March to August 1900.”

I have written elsewhere on the Bhistie Corps but in preparing a billet for Dost Mohammed Khan I uncovered some new information.

A letter from Lord Roberts to Lord Lansdowne after the battle of Paardeberg quoted in “The National Army Museum Book of the Boer War” Field Marshall Lord Carver

Our water supply arrangements are quite inadequate for an army operating in a barren dry country, such as this; and, as you know, we have had to apply to India to send us bhisties and puckals for bullocks.

The Bhistie Corps embarked at Bombay on the Nankin on the 17th March 1900 (1052 strong) & on the Muttra on the 27th March (927 strong) & disembarked at East London on the 15th April (Muttra) for service in Cape Colony.

It was commanded in South Africa by Capt. HC Ricketts, 15th Bengal Lancers, from March to August 1900. The Bhistie Corps was divided into two, No III & No. IV, but were later merged into one, the No.II Bhistie Corps. No.II Bhistie Corps was later commanded by the previous 2nd in command, Capt. CEEFK Macquod 1st Lancers, Hyderabad Contingent, from 19th June 1900 until demobilization in India.

As to the work of the Bhistie Corps: - there is this snipet from Briggs: "Staff work of the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1901" which implies that 1000 odd bhisties were attached to Strathcona's Horse. This might imply that No I Bhistie Corps was commanded by Captain Chesnay.

Under these circumstances the flagship and gunboats proceeded to Delagoa Bay, and the half of Strathcona's Horse which they had been escorting returned to Durban, and there entrained for Bond's Drift (on the Tugela), and marched to a place a few miles north of Eshowe, where orders awaited them to march back again to Durban. So, with their 700 pack mules and 1100 bhistis, in charge of Captain Chesney, 17th Bengal Lancers, they began the 130 miles march, which they accomplished in three days, a feat that has not been equaled, with pack transport, during this war, which is saying a good deal, when beaten " records " in marching have been of constant occurrence. On July 1 Strathcona's Horse first came under fire at Greylingstadt, and from that time to the first week in August marching and fighting with General Clery's Division were the events that diversified the days. On the 7th of that month the chief part Strathcona's Horse had to play in this great drama was given to them when they were attached to the 3rd Mounted Brigade going north from Paardekop, with General Sir Redvers Buller, on perhaps the most difficult march of the campaign, though not the longest, which is an honour that belongs to the Winberg column.


And finally Homeward Mail from India China & the East Monday 22nd October 1900, after a 6 month sojourn in South Africa : -

Up to Oct. 1 there had returned to India from South Africa 14 British officers, 55 warrant and non-commissioned officers and men of whom 37 belonged to departs, 3 native soldiers, and 2232 followers, including 1847 bhisties

David,

That is a fascinating piece of research. I can imagine you are very pleased with that IGS.

Picture courtesy of DNW

QSA bronze (906 Dooly Bearer Gundapericola, S. & T. Corps)

Gundapericola served as a Dooly Bearer with the Bangalore District, Madras Command, Supply and Transport Corps in South Africa during the Boer War, and was present at the action at Talana on 20 October 1899, the first battle in which the Dooly Bearer Corps rescued the wounded under enemy fire. H. Watkins-Pitchford described the scene thus:

‘... and the Dooly Bearers waddling back under their heavy burdens. Excellent little fellows these bearers are, some of them with four or five ribands upon the breasts of their dirty khaki blouses. They trot out complacently under the heaviest fire and seem to know no fear.’

The Dooly Bearer Corps rescued and removed approximately 240 wounded men from the field of action at Talana that day. As the Natal Mercury of 30 October 1899 reported:

‘At the Talana Hill Battle, during the heaviest fighting, when bullets were scouring the air, and men were falling dead and wounded in terrible numbers, these stoical and stolid Asiatics went about their business with heroic indifference to the leaden rain. It is due to them very largely that so many wounded were not afterwards numbered among the killed.’

The Dooly Bearer Corps at Talana numbered 199 men- with the exception of 14 members from the Ahedabad District who managed to escape to Pietermaritzburg with some of the wounded, virtually the entire Corps was later interned at Ladysmith.

Sold with copied medal roll extract, which shows ‘entitlement’ to the clasps, Belfast, Orange Free Stare, Talana, Defence of Ladysmith, and Laing’s Nek’, with the later annotation ‘no clasps to be issued for these followers’.

Previous sales : -
Barrett J. Carr Collection
DNW 2007 £140
Ebay 2008 £199

I was browsing The Times from 12 January 1900 and came across this small piece about the donation of a x-ray equipment by the Maharajar Coomar. An unusual but I am sure very welcome gift.