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Auction: 23112 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 66

A 'Defence of Lucknow' casualty's Indian Mutiny Medal to Private J. Collins, 90th Light Infantry, part of Sir Henry Havelock's column which fought its way through the rebel armies besieging the city, suffering a serious gunshot wound to the leg

Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 1 clasp, Defence of Lucknow (J. Collins, 90th Lt. Infy.), slight edge bruise, minor polishing, very fine

Job Collins was born at St. Albans, Hertfordshire in 1826 and attested with the 90th Light Infantry at Queen's Square, Middlesex on 11 December 1843. He deserted in early November the next year, starting a trend of imprisonment which he was to follow for the next decade, being tried for various crimes at least once every two years.

Joining the British Army in the Crimea (Medal and clasp 'Sebastopol') Collins went on to serve in India during the Mutiny. The regiment landed in August 1857 and swiftly went to work, taking part in the disarming of the 63rd Native Infantry and the 11th Irregular Cavalry at Berhampore during the Dinapoor Mutiny. Having successfully disarmed the potential mutineers they joined the relief column under Sir Henry Havlock for the push towards Lucknow.

Assigned to Colonel Hamilton's Brigade they fought alongside the 78th Highlanders and Brasyer's Sikhs during the capture of the Alumbagh. They remained in the garden overnight under artillery fire from the mutineers who had been driven from the position.

After Neill's Brigade had taken the Charbagh bridge, the 90th were sent forward to silence two enemy guns which were positioned on the right of the British advance at the end of a narrow defile. This they accomplished under heavy fire from the two guns and large numbers of rebel infantry. As a result of this detour, they found themselves acting as a rear-guard for the rest of the column and under close attack by rebel forces converging on the column from the surrounding area.

After heavy fighting they managed to push through to the British Residency relieving Colonel Inglis's garrison. Unfortunately, the losses to the column had been so high that it was no longer possible for them to effect the relief and they found themselves besieged as well. The 90th saw heavy action throughout this period and it was here that Collins was wounded with his discharged papers noting a gunshot wound in the left leg, 'with partial fracture of the tibia'.

Given that he is not entitled to the Lucknow clasp we may infer that he was wounded during the advance on Lucknow and either invalided or did not take part in any fighting during the second siege. Collins was returned to Britain and discharged as medically unfit at Chatham on 22 July 1858; sold together with a typed biographical summery.

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Sold for
£580

Starting price
£170