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Auction: 19002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 77

(x) Three: Surgeon-Major A. P. Cahill, who was present with the 32nd Foot at the Siege of Mooltan

Punjab 1848-49, 2 clasps, Mooltan, Goojerat (Asst. Surgn. A. P. Cahill, M.D. 32nd Foot.); India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Northwest Frontier (Asst. Surgn. A.P Cahill, H,M 32nd. Regt.); Indian Mutiny 1857-59, no clasp (Staff Surgn. A, P. Cahill.), the first with heavy contact marks, thus nearly very fine, the remainder good very fine (3)

Provenance:
Christie's, July 1985.

Alexander Peile Cahill was born at Berwick-upon-Tweed in 1822. In 1844 he graduated from Edinburgh University as a Doctor of Medicine, his thesis entitled: 'Different Views of the Anatomy of the Urethra'. In the same year he became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons.

He served during the Punjab Campaign as an Assistant Surgeon with the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot, which marched from Ferozepore on 29 August 1848 to join Lieutenant-General Whish's column for the Siege of Mooltan. He was present at Al Suraj Khund on 23 September, when the 32nd outflanked the Sikh army under Diwan Mulraj Chopra. This little-known action put paid to Sikh attempts to rout Whish's force, enabling siege operations to be resumed on 7 November. He would have been in the field hospital before Mooltan, which was noted for its unprecedented efficiency (see Swinson and Scott 1968, below). He was present at Goojerat, the decisive British victory, on 21 February 1849.

Cahill then served with the 32nd during the 1852 Peshawar campaign, under Sir Colin Campbell. During the Indian Mutiny he fought in the Oudh theatre as Staff Surgeon with the 80th Foot. He was advanced to Surgeon-Major in 1866, and was posted to the 6th Foot at Gosport.

Recommended reading:

Swinson, A. and Scott, D., eds., The Memoirs of Private Waterfield (London, Cassell, 1968).




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Sold for
£900