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Auction: 20003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 327

'John Evans, surnamed the Bashi from his association with the corps of Bashi-Bazouks in which he served outside Kars - an association which, loyally remembered, would cause Turkish officers to turn out their guard in his honour whenever his wandering feet carried him in after years within the Sultan's dominions - was a Paladin conspicuously brave among the brave.'

Extract from 'Bashi' Evans' obituary in The Scotsman, 13 June 1903

The rare and fascinating campaign group of three to Colonel J. 'Bashi' Evans, 9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers, a restless adventurer who led a band of Turkish Bashi-Bazouks to Kars in an attempt to lift the siege; his raiding activities behind Russian lines greatly assisted General Williams' famous defence of the city

Williams then lobbied to secure 'Bashi' a commission in the 9th Lancers, which he discharged most honourably in some of the toughest battles of the Indian Mutiny; contemporary sources attest his devil-may-care attitude and peculiar habit of charging the enemy armed with a hog spear, still retained as part of the Regimental silver

Mentioned in dispatches for his coolness under fire in the batteries before Delhi, 'Bashi' also features in the Letters of Brevet-Major Anson, a key piece of Regimental history

Volunteer Officer's Decoration, V.R.; Mutiny 1857-59, 3 clasps, Lucknow, Relief of Lucknow, Delhi (Lieut. J. Evans, 9th Lancers.); Turkey, Ottoman Empire, General Service Medal, suspension fitted with pin-back, engraved 'Cor… jno. Evans, 9th Lancers' on rim, mounted as worn, very fine (3)

John Evans was born at the historic mill village of Darley Abbey, Derbyshire on 14 June 1828. He was the son of Samuel Evans of the W. & S. Evans banking firm, and the nephew of William Evans of Allestree Hall, one of William Wilberforce's closest political associates. His family were prominent bankers and industrialists who oversaw the construction of four cotton mills at Darley Abbey during the late 18th century, as well as over 130 houses for millworkers. John's uncle Walter built St. Matthew's Church in 1818 to serve the village's spiritual needs. Darley Abbey quickly became a 'model village' of the Industrial Revolution, and remains a much-loved heritage site.

Evans purchased a Cornetcy in the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons on 29 December 1854. His career with this Regiment was brief, for he was dismissed from the service in July 1855 after a 'practical joke' involving a sham duel at the Cavalry Depot, Canterbury. It later transpired that Evans was not the guilty party. Determined to restore his reputation, Evans stated in private correspondence that he 'volunteered at [his] own expense' to serve on the personal staff of Major-General Sir W. Fenwick Williams during the last phase of the Crimean War. He was then aged 27.

In June 1855, as Sebastopol continued to resist the Allies, the newly-enthroned Czar Alexander II ordered General Nikolay Muravyov to launch a diversionary attack on the Ottoman citadel of Kars, the gateway to Anatolia. Major-General Williams took command of Kars' neglected Ottoman garrison and transformed its fighting ability, resisting three determined Russian assaults. The importance of this resistance to the overall Allied strategy cannot be overstated (Rundell 2005, 168):

'All efforts were concentrated upon the reduction of Sebastopol which had become the focus of nationalist ambition and la gloire. In many ways this concentration of effort was a good military principle, except that the whole aim of this campaign could have been shattered by the fall of Eastern Turkey and a subsequent massive Russian advance westwards. The fact that this did not happen was due more to the efforts of a handful of British officers in the east than to the planning and operations of the allied military staff… Certainly the inhospitable plains of Turkey would not have supported an Allied army to oppose a Russian attack westwards. The integrity of Turkey - lynchpin of Allied policy - would have been destroyed.'

Evans was numbered among that 'handful' of brave men who kept the 'lynchpin' intact. He travelled to Constantinople in the hope of joining Williams, but on arrival he learnt of the situation at Kars and immediately set about organising reinforcements. After learning to speak Turkish, he was given command of a band of Ottoman irregulars known as Bashi-Bazouks (literally 'crazy heads'), notorious for pillage and brutality. He led this unruly force to Erzeroum in eastern Turkey and began harrying the flanks of the Russian army, even going behind enemy lines as a spy. Heavy snowfall prevented Evans from relieving Kars, which surrendered to General Muravyov on 28 November, but Evans' relentless guerrilla campaign certainly aided Major-General Williams (who gave a glowing account of the young officer) and bought time for Ottoman forces to converge on the theatre. Evans suffered from snow-blindness during the long winter, and confined himself to survey and reconnaissance work with another British officer, Major Peel. He received the Turkish General Service Medal and was given the soubriquet 'Bashi', forever linking him with those fierce Ottoman warriors.

On 29 April 1856, having returned to England, he wrote to the Commander-in-Chief in the hope of gaining a commission:

'If it should be permitted me again to enter the service I can confidently assure you that I shall never again be guilty of the folly which I have never ceased to regret. If you can in any way assist me in obtaining the commission which by my own folly I forfeited you will confer a lasting obligation on me - I should wish most of all to get into a regt. going to India if it were possible.'

To India with 'The Delhi Spearmen'

Major-General Williams lobbied on Evans' behalf, and 'Bashi' was duly granted a commission in the 9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers. He joined the Regiment at Umballa on 22 July 1856. The 9th had been stationed in India since 1842, taking part in the Sikh Wars and the Gwalior campaign. By 1857 they expected to return to England on leave, but fate intervened. After the Meerut garrison mutinied and captured Delhi on 11 May, the 9th Lancers, with a strength of 16 officers and 493 NCOs and other ranks, joined the Delhi Field Force under Major-General Sir Henry Barnard, which linked up with Sir Archdale Wilson's column at Alipur (north-west of Delhi) on 1 June.

The combined force advanced along the Grand Trunk Road towards Delhi, before encountering rebel entrenchments at Bundlekeserai on 8 June. During the subsequent engagement Evans commanded Sir Henry Barnard's personal escort, comprising Sergeant Horatio Lindsey and 15 men of the 9th Lancers. At the height of the struggle a roundshot tore through them, killing Adjutant-General Chester and Captain Russell, who were riding next to Evans. Brigadier Sir Hope Grant led the 9th Lancers against the rebel left flank, spreading panic among the mutineers, who abandoned 13 guns in their flight back to Delhi. The British then settled down to a protracted siege. Evans was promoted to Lieutenant on 20 June.

In a well-known eyewitness account, published as With H.M. 9th Lancers during the Indian Mutiny, Brevet-Major Anson of the 9th Lancers repeatedly praised Evans' conduct. The entry for 18 August reads:

'Before Delhi. Evans slept in a puddle today. Strongest man I know. Yesterday two hours up to his breast in water under burning sun surrounded by alligators which he attempted to catch by their noses. He has only a slight cold today.'

As the siege progressed and the batteries drew closer to Delhi's walls, scores of artillerymen and sappers fell to enemy fire. Sixty men of the 9th Lancers, including Evans and Lieutenant Goldie (see Lot 782), volunteered to serve the guns in Major Brind's battery. Evans displayed remarkable coolness under fire, receiving a special mention in Brind's dispatch to Sir Archdale Wilson (published 2 February 1858):

'I consider it incumbent on me to bring to the special notice of Major-General Wilson the officers and men of the 9th lancers who were employed in the Batteries as artillerymen under my command and observation. Lieutenant Evans is deserving of honourable mention for the zealous and cheerful performance of his duties.'

During the final assault on 14 September, the 9th Lancers performed a heroic service by riding up to the walls and drawing fire while the infantry assaulted the breaches. Delhi was duly re-captured. The 9th Lancers had earned themselves a formidable reputation as 'The Delhi Spearmen'. This was a fitting title, not least because Evans took to wielding a hog spear in battle. This hog spear, which he used to such effect at Delhi and in subsequent battles, became a treasured part of the 9th Lancers' Regimental silver. Evans went on to serve with the pursuing column under Colonel Greathed, and was present at the actions of Bolunshir on 28 September, Allyghur on 5 October, and Agra on 10 October. During Lord Clyde's advance towards the Alum Bagh, Evans' playful streak came to the fore (ibid):

'In a tope of trees, through which our force passed, Lieutenant Evans of the 9th Lancers perceived a nest of bees hanging from a branch: in thoughtless mischief he ran the point of his lance - with which weapon most of our 9th Lancer officers in those days provided themselves - into the brown-paper-looking bag. The infuriated insects rushed out of their dwellings in myriads, and attacked their aggressor and the whole of the advanced-guard with such resolution as to send them to the right-about, bolting as if a whole army of demons were pursuing them.'

'Bashi' had his horse shot from under him during the Second Relief of Lucknow on 14-15 November. During this epic struggle the 9th Lancers added greatly to their laurels. On 6 December, now armed with his hog spear, he took part in the Battle of Cawnpore and subsequent pursuit of the Gwalior mutineers. He fought at Serai Ghat three days later, and then in Brigadier Sir Hope Grant's assault on Fort Meanggunge on 23 February 1858. Major Anson's letters take up the story:

'Evans started off with eight men after the wretches and killed about sixty, E. himself, armed with a lance, killing eleven and each of the men seven or eight.'

He continued to serve during the summer campaign in Oudh and Rohilcund, before returning to England in May 1859. Purchasing a Captaincy on 5 February 1861, 'Bashi' transferred to the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons on 18 March 1862, before retiring from active service. He returned to his birthplace, joining the 1st Derbyshire Volunteer Battalion on 14 December 1867. In the 1871 Census, his occupation is given as 'banker' (he was a Director of Crompton and Evans' Union Bank). He was made Honorary Colonel of the 45th (Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot on 15 May 1878. In 1881 he succeeded Sir Henry Wilmot V.C. as Lieutenant-Colonel of the 1st Derbyshire Volunteer Battalion. During the handover parade, Wilmot paid a high compliment to 'Bashi' (The Scotsman, 13 June 1903):

'He told the assembled battalion that he felt ashamed to wear his V.C. in the presence of a man not so decorated who had won it over and over.'

Journey's end

A report on the manoeuvres of Volunteer Battalions appeared in The Illustrated London News on 12 April 1884, and within this report was a portrait of 'Bashi', wearing his Indian Mutiny Medal and Turkish General Service Medal with top riband buckles (illustrated). He later received the silver Volunteer Decoration. His last entry in Hart's Army List appears in January 1889.

In 1865 'Bashi' married Lucy Jane Martha Hamilton, daughter of Major Alexander Duke Hamilton of the 73rd Foot. They lived at Merle (now called Taylors), a red-brick Victorian house in the village of Slinfold, Horsham, Sussex. 'Bashi' died there on 30 May 1903. Many newspapers published obituaries, including The Derby Mercury on 10 June and The Scotsman on 13 June. He was buried at Slinfold Parish Church in a large funeral attended by several officers. Business prevented his friends Lord Wolseley and Lord Roberts from attending, and they sent their apologies to the Evans family by telegram. Sir Henry Wilmot V.C. paid the following tribute:

'He was a man who at Kars, at Delhi, and during the whole Indian Mutiny, was notorious for the possession of the most undaunted courage, the most perfect readiness of resource in difficulties, and was loved and revered by every man in the regiment.'

'Bashi' should also be remembered for his philanthropic work as President of the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. A well-known Freemason of the Tyrian Lodge, he was a founding member of the popular Derby Club. He had wide-ranging interests, including Egyptology, and counted the scientists Sir Lauder Brunton, Professor Flinders Petrie and Sir Archibald Geike among his closest friends. His wife died on 18 April 1921, but his family remained at Slinfold for several generations, holding a special service at his graveside in 1983 to mark the 80th Anniversary of his death. A stone tablet commemorates him at St. Matthew's, Darley Abbey, the church his uncle built. Its epitaph reads:

'One of the bravest soldiers of the Great Queen.'

Sold with a large file of research, including obituaries, photographs and copies of Evans' private letters relating to his service in Asia Minor.

Recommended reading:
Anson, H. S., With H.M. 9th Lancers during the Indian Mutiny, the Letters of Brevet-Major O.H.S.G. Anson (Naval & Military Press, 2004).
Rundell, A. J., Kars: Victory into Defeat (Nether Westcote, 2005).
Williams, General Sir W. F., The Siege of Kars, 1855: Defence and Capitulation (London, 2000).


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Sold for
£8,500

Starting price
£1800