LIEUTENANT (LATER CAPTAIN) R. MENZIES, 1ST MADRAS EUROPEAN FUSILIERS (THE POST 1880 1ST BATTALION ROYAL DUBLIN FUSILIERS). India General Service Medal 1854-1895, clasp, Pegu
£1,650.00
LIEUTENANT (LATER CAPTAIN) R. MENZIES, 1ST MADRAS EUROPEAN FUSILIERS (THE POST 1880 1ST BATTALION ROYAL DUBLIN FUSILIERS). India General Service Medal 1854-1895, clasp, Pegu (officially impressed: LIEUTt. ROBt. MENZIES. 1st. MADRAS FUSrs., and additionally engraved after the naming details with the dates “1852-53”). With plain white metal top suspender brooch, Almost Extremely Fine.
Medal accompanied by 6 pages of photocopied documents from Lieutenant Menzies’s service papers.
Robert Menzies was born on 11th September 1829, the son of Major Archibald Menzies, late 42nd Foot (Royal Highlanders), of 54 Great King Street, Edinburgh, who distinguished himself at the Battle of Waterloo, his subsequent promotion to the rank of Major being backdated 18th June 1815, the day on which the Battle of Waterloo was fought, and survived to receive his single clasp Military General Service Medal for Salamanca.
Robert Menzies was educated at Dr Cowan’s School in Sunderland, where he received a classical and mathematical education. He was recommended to the East India Company by a Captain Eastwick, and was commissioned into the Madras Infantry in the season of 1848, being appointed Ensign, and promoted Lieutenant 15th May 1852 and Captain, 11th February 1859. Captain Menzies is mentioned several times in the regimental history, “Neill’s Blue Caps”, wherein he is noted as being among the 49 officers and 960 other ranks who embarked aboard HMS Sphinx and the transports Moozuffer and Graham for Burma on 7th September 1852. Then a young 2nd Lieutenant, he was one of the 12 officers of the regiment who commanded the three companies of the 1st Madras European Fusiliers attached to the column dispatched by General Godwin to recapture Pegu in November 1852. Menzies was present at the capture of Pegu, November 1852, and at its investment in December of the same year. He subsequently accompanied the Martaban column from Mataban and Shoegeen in January 1853, and was mentioned in dispatches for his services with that column. The Mataban column, commanded by Brigadier-General Steel, embarked at Mataban on January 3rd 1853 the part of a force ordered to proceed up the Sittang River to Tonghoo. The column, which included Nos 2 and 6 Companies of the 1st Madras European Fusiliers, commanded by Captain Geils, had several engagements with the enemy whilst in transit, most notably on 14th January 1853. In his subsequent dispatch conveying the thanks of the Governor-General of India to General Steel and the officers and men under his command, Captain Geils and his detachment, which included Lieutenants Grant, Brown and Menzies, were singled out for special mention. Captain Menzies died at Bangalore, India, in August 1860. At the time of his death he was 30 years and 11 months of age.
The following anecdote regarding Major Archibal Menzies at Quatre Bras has been extracted from “The Waterloo Roll Call” by Charles Dalton.
In Capt. George Jones’s Waterloo Memoirs is to be found an interesting letter regarding Major Menzies of the 42nd, who was dangerously wounded at Quatre Bras. The major’s name is omitted in this letter “On the 16th June, Major -, of the 42nd, preferring to fight on foot, in front of his men, had given his horse to hold to a little drummer-boy. After severe fighting he fell wounded near a brave private, Donald Mackintosh. The drummer left the horse to assist his friend Donald. A French lancer attempted to seize the horse, upon which the prostrate Donald exclaimed Hoot man, ye mauna tak that beast, ‘t belangs to our captain here !” The lancer, little heeding, seized the horse. Donald, with a last expiring effort, loaded his musket and shot the lancer dead. A French cavalry officer, seeing the major bestirring himself, rode up and attempted to dispatch him with his sword. As he stooped from his saddle, the major seized his leg, and managed to pull him off his horse upon him. Another lancer, observing this struggle, galloped up and tried to spear the major and relieve his officer but the former, by a sudden jerk and desperate exertion, placed the French officer uppermost, who received the mortal thrust below his cuirass and continued lying upon the major’s body for near ten minutes, sword in hand. A pause in the battle permitted some men of the 42nd to carry their officer into the square of the 92nd, where he was found to have received sixteen wounds.”
Earlier, Menzies had acted as major following the death of his commanding officer, Sir Robert Macara, at Quatre Bras, and continued in that capacity until incapacitated by wounds. In recognition of his gallantry, Menzies was promoted in the field, 18th June, 1815, retired from the regiment in 1828 and died in 1864. Charles Dalton additionally recorded that “This gallant officer’s claymore (an Andrea Ferrara) is in the possession of his granddaughters, the Misses Murray Menzies.”
Provenance: Ex Thomas Lees Collection, Sotheby’s, 6th March 1986, lot 61.