THE INDIA GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL 1895 TO COLONEL A.P. WODEHOUSE, 2ND BATTALION ROYAL INNISKILLING FUSILIERS (LATE 69TH FOOT, THE POST 1880 2ND BATTALION THE WELSH REGIMENT), WHO COMMANDED THE 2ND BATTALION ROYAL INNISKILLING FUSILIERS DURING

THE INDIA GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL 1895 TO COLONEL A.P. WODEHOUSE, 2ND BATTALION ROYAL INNISKILLING FUSILIERS (LATE 69TH FOOT, THE POST 1880 2ND BATTALION THE WELSH REGIMENT), WHO COMMANDED THE 2ND BATTALION ROYAL INNISKILLING FUSILIERS DURING THE TIRAH CAMPAIGN OF 1897-98. India General Service Medal 1895, V.R. type, 2 clasps, Punjab Frontier 1897-98, Tirah 1897-98 (officially engraved in running script: Brevet Col: A.P. Wodehouse. 2d. Bn. Ryl. Innis: Fus:). Official correction to “ehouse” of surname, otherwise Almost Extremely Fine.

Medal accompanied by biographical and service notes re. Colonel Albert Philip Wodehouse and his father, Colonel Philip Wodehouse.

Colonel Albert Philip Wodehouse, born 1846, son of the Colonel Philip Wodehouse, of Powick, near Worcester educated at Cheltenham College and Sandhurst commissioned 2nd Lieutenant 69th Foot, 4/8/1865 Lieutenant, 5/5/1869 Captain 12/2/1875 transferred Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 1879 Major 2/2/1885 Lieutenant-Colonel 1/12/1893 Brevet Colonel 1/12/1897. Wodehouse commanded the 2nd Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers during the Tirah Campaign, 1897-98, and was engaged in the Bara Valley and the occupation of the Khyber Pass. He retired in 1898 and died 5/9/1919.

Army Lists of the period incorrectly credit Colonel Wodehouse with having taken seen service with the 69th Foot in Canada in 1870 during the Fenian Invasion and also with having taken part later that year with the Red River Expedition. His name does not, however, appear on the medal roll for either campaign (original or published). The India General Service Medal with 2 clasps is his sole medal entitlement.

The biographical notes accompanying the medal also include an amusing letter from the medal dealer Norman W. Collett, dated 27/2/1986, regarding the Waterloo Medal awarded to Colonel A.P. Wodehouse’s father, Colonel Philip Wodehouse. Apparently, Norman Collett once had the Waterloo Medal awarded to Colonel Philip Wodehouse in his own collection, and he notes “The Waterloo Medal had an interesting pedigree it was originally purchased from another medal dealer who got it from a hippy who was wearing it around his neck on a chain! It was remodelled with a suspender and we then obtained it Where the hippy got it from, goodness knows, but apparently he didn’t know what it was until told.” Collett adds an interesting note re. Colonel Wodehouse senior’s service during the Peninsular War “The 15th Hussars history has an interesting tale concerning Wodehouse during the Peninsular War he was billetted on a Spanish family when the British were occupying Badajoz fortress, and developed a strong interest in the daughter of the family some time later the fortunes of war meant that he was part of the force besieging the french in the fortress. Knowing that it was planned to storm the town the next day, and fearful of what would happen to his beloved when 10,000 rude British soldiers began to lay the town waste, he disguised himself as a peasant, scaled the walls past the French sentries, found the girl and took her out of the rear gate on a donkey as the storming began at the front gate! He had two musket balls through his cap but was otherwise unhurt. I wonder if he ended up marrying her? If so, Wodehouse would have been half Spanish!”

Provenance: Spink October 1977