AN EXCELLENT & GREATLY IMPORTANT
“LUCKNOW CASUALTY”
INDIAN MUTINY MEDAL
(DELHI) & (LUCKNOW)
To:
PETER LYNCH, 1st EUROPEAN BENGAL FUSILIERS.
(A Lucknow Casualty in Maun Sing’s Garden at Secundra Bagh)
24th August 1857
DIED OF WOUNDS
A Liverpool Man.
With a relation’s WW1 Pair, To: 367936 Pte R.E. Lynch, Liverpool Regt in Original Box.
[The 1st EUROPEAN BENGAL FUSILIERS]
( -VERY LARGE CASUALTIES at DELHI & LUCKNOW-)
[DELHI]
The 1st Bengal Fusiliers suffered 31 casualties at Badli-ki-Serai en route to Delhi Ridge and were constantly in action thereafter, suffering exceptionally high casualty rates at Delhi during the period May to September 1857. The regiment was approximately 427 strong on Delhi Ridge; and throughout the siege and storming operations the regiment lost 3 officers and 95 men killed, 11 officers and 275 men wounded.
The unit was also very badly affected by disease and particularly by cholera which led to the loss of no less than four commanding officers between 14th May and 14th September 1857
Major General George Anson, Commander-in-Chief in India, died of cholera on 27 May and was succeeded by Major General Henry Barnard. Henry Barnard reached Delhi on 8 June where he established a position on a ridge north of the city, but he also died of cholera on 5 July. He was succeeded by General Thomas Reed who relinquished command to Brigadier Archdale Wilson only twelve days later due to ill health.
The 3,000 British forces, which were vastly outnumbered by the rebels, were too weak to storm the city, but they fought a series of engagements with the mutineers during June and July 1857.
Brigadier John Nicholson arrived with his movable column on 14 August and on 8 September Sir John Lawrence brought reinforcements with heavy siege artillery. The assault on the city began on 14 September and by 21 September Delhi was recaptured.
[LUCKNOW]
On 27 February 1858, now with a strength of 587 all ranks, the 1st European Bengal Fusiliers joined Outram’s Field Force, crossing Gumti to attack Lucknow on 6 March 1858.
They participated in no less than seven significant actions in the Lucknow operation, and lost 72 killed and wounded of which Peter Lynch was one fatally wounded casualty .....Thus a total of 201 officers and men from the 1st were killed in the two actions of Delhi & Lucknow.
[THE MEDAL].....and some successful detective work !
PETER LYNCH, 1st EURn BENGAL FUSrs.
(Officially Impressed)
This excellent medal is in EF+ (Near Mint) and is a real “old sleeper” and was clearly never seen or worn by the recipient. It has been with the descendants of the Lynch family in Liverpool since the time of its issue and has been most carefully looked after for over 160 years. It retains all of its attractive time developed battleship grey patina, and comes on its rare original Victorian cotton ribbon.
Due to the “totally unused” state of this medal, it was immediately obvious that Peter Lynch was almost certainly a casualty who either died of disease or fell in one the quite brutal Lucknow operations.
From our very long experience of this series we know that medals from this much battered & casualty depleted unit very rarely present in this superlative condition, unless they are casualties, and our assumptions proved correct.
We have now fully confirmed that there is ONLY ONE MAN by the name of PETER LYNCH on the entire Indian Mutiny Medal Roll. This is confirmed by the Kevin Asplin Roll, which details the entire British issue of 56,609 medals.
He is however erroneously listed on the Lavender’s Casualty Roll in an entry for > “3rd” < European Bengal Fusiliers, unless of course he was serving with 3rd at the time....which is highly unlikely.
However, his service details are correctly described by Lavender, and he is shown as being: “DANGEROUSLY WOUNDED AT MAUN SING’S GARDEN 24th August 1857, and subsequently, “DIED OF WOUNDS”. (Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh)
So, this is definitely our man, as he is the ONLY recipient with this unique name on the entire Indian Mutiny Medal roll !
There was also a Michael Lynch, also serving with the 1st Bengals and with the same clasp combination, who we think may have been a relation (brother?) of Peter Lynch.
Michael sadly died of disease just over a year later on 22nd September 1858.
The Royal Bengal Fusiliers was transferred to the command of the British Army in 1862 following the Indian Mutiny of 1857 and became 101st Regiment of Foot at the end of East India Company rule in India. Under the Childers Army Reforms it amalgamated with the 104th Regt of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers) to form the Royal Munster Fusiliers in 1881.
A Truly Stunning Casualty Medal with an interesting history and with much further possible background research potential.
It’s one of the very best and most original examples you could wish to own.
*(The sale also includes the WW1 War Medal & Victory Pair & Box to Peter Lynch’s relation, 267936. Pte Ralph E. Lynch, of The Liverpool Regt)*
An Excellent and Highly Unusual Family Assembly£1295 MORE MEDALS LIKE THIS WANTED.
To:
PETER LYNCH, 1st EUROPEAN BENGAL FUSILIERS.
(A Lucknow Casualty in Maun Sing’s Garden at Secundra Bagh)
24th August 1857
DIED OF WOUNDS
A Liverpool Man.
With a relation’s WW1 Pair, To: 367936 Pte R.E. Lynch, Liverpool Regt in Original Box.
[The 1st EUROPEAN BENGAL FUSILIERS]
( -VERY LARGE CASUALTIES at DELHI & LUCKNOW-)
[DELHI]
The 1st Bengal Fusiliers suffered 31 casualties at Badli-ki-Serai en route to Delhi Ridge and were constantly in action thereafter, suffering exceptionally high casualty rates at Delhi during the period May to September 1857. The regiment was approximately 427 strong on Delhi Ridge; and throughout the siege and storming operations the regiment lost 3 officers and 95 men killed, 11 officers and 275 men wounded.
The unit was also very badly affected by disease and particularly by cholera which led to the loss of no less than four commanding officers between 14th May and 14th September 1857
Major General George Anson, Commander-in-Chief in India, died of cholera on 27 May and was succeeded by Major General Henry Barnard. Henry Barnard reached Delhi on 8 June where he established a position on a ridge north of the city, but he also died of cholera on 5 July. He was succeeded by General Thomas Reed who relinquished command to Brigadier Archdale Wilson only twelve days later due to ill health.
The 3,000 British forces, which were vastly outnumbered by the rebels, were too weak to storm the city, but they fought a series of engagements with the mutineers during June and July 1857.
Brigadier John Nicholson arrived with his movable column on 14 August and on 8 September Sir John Lawrence brought reinforcements with heavy siege artillery. The assault on the city began on 14 September and by 21 September Delhi was recaptured.
[LUCKNOW]
On 27 February 1858, now with a strength of 587 all ranks, the 1st European Bengal Fusiliers joined Outram’s Field Force, crossing Gumti to attack Lucknow on 6 March 1858.
They participated in no less than seven significant actions in the Lucknow operation, and lost 72 killed and wounded of which Peter Lynch was one fatally wounded casualty .....Thus a total of 201 officers and men from the 1st were killed in the two actions of Delhi & Lucknow.
[THE MEDAL].....and some successful detective work !
PETER LYNCH, 1st EURn BENGAL FUSrs.
(Officially Impressed)
This excellent medal is in EF+ (Near Mint) and is a real “old sleeper” and was clearly never seen or worn by the recipient. It has been with the descendants of the Lynch family in Liverpool since the time of its issue and has been most carefully looked after for over 160 years. It retains all of its attractive time developed battleship grey patina, and comes on its rare original Victorian cotton ribbon.
Due to the “totally unused” state of this medal, it was immediately obvious that Peter Lynch was almost certainly a casualty who either died of disease or fell in one the quite brutal Lucknow operations.
From our very long experience of this series we know that medals from this much battered & casualty depleted unit very rarely present in this superlative condition, unless they are casualties, and our assumptions proved correct.
We have now fully confirmed that there is ONLY ONE MAN by the name of PETER LYNCH on the entire Indian Mutiny Medal Roll. This is confirmed by the Kevin Asplin Roll, which details the entire British issue of 56,609 medals.
He is however erroneously listed on the Lavender’s Casualty Roll in an entry for > “3rd” < European Bengal Fusiliers, unless of course he was serving with 3rd at the time....which is highly unlikely.
However, his service details are correctly described by Lavender, and he is shown as being: “DANGEROUSLY WOUNDED AT MAUN SING’S GARDEN 24th August 1857, and subsequently, “DIED OF WOUNDS”. (Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh)
So, this is definitely our man, as he is the ONLY recipient with this unique name on the entire Indian Mutiny Medal roll !
There was also a Michael Lynch, also serving with the 1st Bengals and with the same clasp combination, who we think may have been a relation (brother?) of Peter Lynch.
Michael sadly died of disease just over a year later on 22nd September 1858.
The Royal Bengal Fusiliers was transferred to the command of the British Army in 1862 following the Indian Mutiny of 1857 and became 101st Regiment of Foot at the end of East India Company rule in India. Under the Childers Army Reforms it amalgamated with the 104th Regt of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers) to form the Royal Munster Fusiliers in 1881.
A Truly Stunning Casualty Medal with an interesting history and with much further possible background research potential.
It’s one of the very best and most original examples you could wish to own.
*(The sale also includes the WW1 War Medal & Victory Pair & Box to Peter Lynch’s relation, 267936. Pte Ralph E. Lynch, of The Liverpool Regt)*
An Excellent and Highly Unusual Family Assembly£1295 MORE MEDALS LIKE THIS WANTED.