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Auction: 22133 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 24

India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Waziristan 1894-5 (3126 Rifleman Gangbir Rana. 1st Bn. 4th Gurkha. Rifles), very fine

On 3 November 1894, the Waziristan Delimitation Escort was attacked by Mahsud Waziris at Wana. As a result the Waziristan Field Force was formed to undertake a punitive expedition against the offending tribes in Mahsud Territory.

On 29 November 1894, the 1st Battalion, 4th Gurkha Rifles was ordered to Dera Ismail Khan for garrison duty, but on arrival, was selected to serve with the Field Force. The Battalion was at this time on relief scale with strength of 7 British officers, 13 Gurkha officers, and 624 rank and file.

Leaving Dera Ismail Khan on 6 December, the Battalion escorted a large convoy of stores to Tank, and arrived at Wana on 15 December, after a march of 120 miles, to complete the 1st Brigade of the Waziristan Field Force.

On 18 December 1894, the Battalion, as a part of the 1st Brigade, left Wana for Kaniguram. On 20 December, after a most trying and difficult march over the Sherawangi Narai, the Brigade reached Camp Mogul Kot. The rear-guard consisting of two hundred men of the unit, had a slight brush with the enemy on the Narai, while the difficulties of the route for the baggage animals were so great that the rear-guard did not arrive in camp till after one in the morning.

On Christmas Day, the Battalion formed part of the six flying columns sent out into the valleys north-west of Kaniguram to punish the tribes for their part in the Wana affair. Many towers and settlements were destroyed, and large quantities of grain and over a thousand head of cattle were carried off.

On 2 January 1895 the Brigade left Kaniguram for Jandola, arriving on 9 January; it had completed a full circle of marching. On 12th January all three Brigades left Jandola, the 1st Brigade returning to Wana, where it arrived without incident on 19 January. It was now decided that the work of boundary delimitation should be continued. Accordingly, the Deputy Commissioner Dera Ismail Khan, accompanied by a survey party and a strong escort, left Wana for Domandi on 24th January. The escort included 6 British officers and 457 Gurkhas of the Battalion.

The boundary was successfully demarcated up to 60 miles north of Domandi and the Deputy Commissioner and his escort returned to Wana on the 14 February. During the rest of February and the early part of March, the Battalion remained at Wana, engaged on the construction of a fortified post. They commenced their return to India on 11 March.

The India General Medal & clasp was granted to the unit and the 1922 India Army List showed the Regiment with the Battle Honour 'Waziristan 1895', although there is no known authority for this Honour and it has not been awarded to any other Regiment.


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Sold for
£110

Starting price
£70