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Auction: 7012 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 1004

The Rare Indian Mutiny Medal to Original Defender of Lucknow Surgeon W.W. Wells, 48th Native Infantry, Who Was Wounded By a Roundshot During the Siege and Whose Privations During the Period are Mentioned in Various Publications and Journals Indian Mutiny 1857-58, one clasp, Defence of Lucknow (Surgn. W.W. Wells, 48th N.I.), toned, extremely fine, with photographic image of recipient Estimate £ 1,800-2,200 Surgeon Warrick Walter Wells, F.R.C.S., M.R.C.S., born Minehead, Somerset, 1807; studied at St. Barts, London; M.R.C.S. 1835; F.R.C.S. 1853; entered the Indian Medical Service 1840; posted as Surgeon 48th Bengal Native Infantry 1854; and took part in the Original Defence of Lucknow; he received several mentions in diaries and publications about the Defence, ´Signs of unrest were also showing in the 48th Native Infantry at Lucknow whose regimental surgeon, Dr. Wells, feeling unwell, had unthinkingly drunk from a medicine bottle, forgetting that he had thus hopelessly polluted it in the eyes of his Hindu patients. On hearing the complaints, the Colonel of the Regiment had had the bottle broken in the presence of the sepoys and severely reprimanded the Surgeon, but a few days later the Surgeon´s bungalow was mysteriously burned down and he only just escaped with his life.´ (The Indian Mutiny, J. Harris, refers); a huge archive of original letters written by the Wells family from India during this period are in the centre for South Asian Studies at Cambridge University, and the letters from Wells himself and his wife Frances to her father Dr. F.K. Fox other further insight into the troubled times, ´Poor Walter is terribly cut up as you can imagine; His feet are dreadfully burnt.... My woman went out to drink water and saw 10 sepoys placing lighted straws on the thatch, she instantly screamed and the men ran off but the thatch being old and dry caught in a second.´ (letter dated 6.4.1857 refers); Well´s continued to suffer losing his son Gregory to disease and having to dig the lad´s grave himself, this was combined with his own physical ailments at the time, ´My dear husband´s health is quite broken, the severe work during the very hot weather knocked him up, for we could command no labour, the officers had to work like coolies burying dead horses, fill boxes with earth for barricades and besides all their heavy sentry duties. All this brought on a violent attack of fever and diarrhoea the latter which has never left him and he was terribly reduced and emancipated. After he got a blow from a roundshot on his nose and chest which laid him up again and then latterly he fell through a large hole in the hospital floor, broke several of his ribs and, hurt his knees very severely.´ (letter dated 12.12.1857 refers); Wells was Mentioned in Despatches 17.2.1858; he retired in 1859, after, according to his wife, having ´lost everything we have in the world, carriage, horses, buggies, tents, piano, furniture....´ ; Wells died in 1892, a resident of Cheltenham.

Sold for
£2,600