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Auction: 26001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 32

Sold by Order of the Family

The Army of India Medal attributed to Lieutenant T. B. Bingley, Bengal Artillery, who was 'struck off' the East India Company's army list due to leaving India without permission

Army of India 1799-1822, long-hyphen reverse, 1 clasp, Bhurtpoor (Lieutenant T. B. Bingley Bengal Artillery), contemporarily engraved naming in upright capitals, very fine

Thomas Brooke Bingley was born on 2 December 1797 at Warwick and was nominated for a cadetship in the East India Company's 'Artillery & Engineer Seminary' for the 1808 season: his Proposer was Jacob Bosanquet, a merchant and Chairman of the E.I.C. in the years 1798, 1803 and 1811. A Cadet at Addiscombe from 1812 - 14, Bingley subsequently travelled out to India and was appointed to a commission in the Bengal Artillery; with the 1st Troop 2nd Brigade he saw service at the Siege and Capture of Bhurtpore (Bharatpur) over December 1825 - January 1826. However, a short time later he appears to have left his profession without permission as an intriguing note appears in the volume 'List of Officers of the Bengal Army 1758 - 1834', which states: 'Struck off for quitting the country without leave. Subsequently went to Russia'.

On 22 May 1818 Lieutenant Bingley had married Ann Horsford, daughter of the recently-deceased Major-General Sir John Horsford K.C.B.; the wedding took place at St. John's Cathedral, Calcutta and over the next 20 years the couple went on to have 12 children - many of whom, sadly, died in infancy. Quite what caused Bingley to quit India so suddenly is unclear, but Ann obviously accompanied him on their subsequent travels around Europe. Bingley died on 29 November 1842 at Dunkirk, France; a notification of his death appeared in the 'Dublin Evening Packet and Correspondent' on 3 December, additionally noting him as 'formerly of the Honourable Company's Artillery, at Bengal.' With institution of the Army of India Medal not authorised until 1851, by family repute a special claim was made and favours were called in order to obtain this medal for Ann.

Sold together with a small amount of copied research; for the medals of his father-in-law, Major-General Sir John Horsford, see Lot 95.

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Estimate
£300 to £500

Starting price
£240