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Auction: 23001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 215

'The whole of our long history of frontier fighting furnishes us with no more dramatic incidents than the Defence of Fort Cavagnari, and the Fall of Saragarhi'

So it was said of the stand made by the men including Sepoy Gurmukh Singh, 36th Sikhs

A ‘Samana 1897’ Indian Order of Merit awarded to Sepoy Gurmukh Singh, 36th Sikhs

Indian Order of Merit, Military Division, 1st Type, 3rd Class, Reward of Valor, silver and enamel, the reverse with screw nut fitting and inscribed in three lines ‘3rd/Class/Order of Merit’ and additionally inscribed ‘No. 1201 Sepoy Gurmukh Singh 36th Sikhs), lacking riband buckle and enamel loss to centre, good fine

I.O.M. G.G.O. 133 of 1898 - in a joint citation with 1196 Sepoy Hansa Singh, 330 Sepoy Sundar Singh, 383 Sepoy Bhola Singh and 1288 Sepoy Chobha Singh - states:

‘For conspicuous gallantry at Fort Cavagnari, on the Samana Hills, on the 3rd September 1897, on which occasion on the enemy setting fire to a thorn obstacle surrounding the horn-work of the fort, they went out unarmed under a heavy fire and extinguished the flames.’

The Samana Ridge lies about 40 miles south-west of Peshawar, in Orakzai country, they being described as '...wiry-looking mountaineers...liable to fanaticism.' Following the 1891 campaign, the Forts of Lockhart and Cavagnari (also known as Fort Gulistan) were built four miles to the west; communication was effected via heliograph post at the high point at Saragarhi, besides a number of other small posts. By August 1897, the Malakand revolt was to spread to the Orakzais.

On 3 September 1897, several thousand tribesmen attacked Fort Cavagnari, held by some 175 men of the 36th Sikhs. The enemy held positions within 150 yards of the fort and twice managed to set fire to the thorn hedge, a vital defence against a sudden rush. On each occasion volunteers from the garrison rushed out under heavy fire and extinguished the blaze. The garrison inflicted such heavy losses on the enemy that they abandoned the attack. They returned for a second attempt on the night of 4 September but without success, and then withdrew for several days. A similarly heroic stand was made at Saragarhi, but that post eventually fell.

Gurmukh Singh was also slightly wounded by a gun-shot to the head during the subsequent fighting on 13-14 September 1897 (London Gazette 11 February 1898, refers).

The 36th Sikhs were awarded the Battle Honour "SAMANA" - a distinction held by no other Regiment.

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Sold for
£2,300

Starting price
£950