LIEUTENANT (LATER COLONEL) H. MAXWELL, 1ST BENGAL EUROPEAN FUSILIERS (THE POST 1880 1ST BA
£1,100.00
LIEUTENANT (LATER COLONEL) H. MAXWELL, 1ST BENGAL EUROPEAN FUSILIERS (THE POST 1880 1ST BATTALION ROYAL MUNSTER FUSILIERS). Two: India General Service Medal 1854, 1 clasp, Pegu (officially renamed, engraved in running script: 1st. Lieutt. H. Maxwell 1st. En. Bengal Fusrs.) Indian Mutiny Medal 1857-58, 1 clasp, Lucknow (officially named, engraved in running script: 1st. Lieutt. H. Maxwell 1st En. Bengal Fusrs.). Mounted loose style, original ribbons, as worn, Good Very Fine.
Group accompanied by biographical details and copied extracts from Army Lists of the period.
Hamilton Maxwell (1826-1889), born 21/10/1826 in West Bengal, India, was the son of Major Hamilton George Maxwell, Laird of Ardwell, Wigtownshire, Scotland. Colonel Maxwell’s father died 17/6/1829, when he was only 2 years and 10 months old, the orphaned Maxwell eventually coming under the care of the Bengal Military Orphan Society, entering their orphanage on 1/1/1834 and being discharged from it on 24/10/1845. Maxwell entered the East India Company’s service as a Cadet in 1848, subsequently being commissioned 2nd Lieutenant (in the army) 9th June 1848 (1st Bengal European Fusiliers) 1st March 1849, promoted Lieutenant 7th August 1852, Captain, 18th February 1861, Major, 9th June 1868, Lieutenant-Colonel, 9th June 1874. Maxwell retired on 25th December 1878 and was promoted Honorary Colonel 19th February 1879.
Colonel Maxwell first saw active service during the Burmese War of 1852-53, being present at the storming and recapture of Pegu (awarded India General Service Medal with Pegu clasp). During the Indian Mutiny he saw service as Adjutant of the 1st Bengal European Fusiliers in the Trans-Goontee operations that terminated in the assault on and capture of Lucknow, and was also present during the subsequent operations in Oude, culminating in the defeat of the mutineers and capture of their guns (awarded Indian Mutiny Medal and Lucknow clasp).
Colonel Maxwell is mentioned on a number of occasions in the regimental history, which records that in late February 1853 the then Lieutenant Maxwell (rank incorrectly given as Captain in the regimental history) along with Captain Fanshaw, also of the 1st Bengal Fusiliers, saw service with a detachment of the Ramghur Horse that advanced from Tonghoo in pursuit of the retreating Burmese army. The regimental history also records that during the Indian Mutiny the then Lieutenant Maxwell, along with Lieutenant Ellis of the same regiment, almost came to a premature end during the capture of Lucknow, when one of the men from their regiment misunderstood his orders and set fire to a powder factory, which exploded, seriously injuring four men. Maxwell escaped unhurt from the explosion, but his fellow officer, Lieutenant Ellis, who was closer to the seat of the explosion, lost his eyebrows, whiskers and moustache, and was judged fortunate not to have lost his sight.
The engraving on both of these medals is identical, and is in the same style as that first seen on India General Service Medals with the North West Frontier clasp, awarded for the campaigns of 30th December 1849 to 22nd October 1868, the clasp for which campaigns was authorised on 1st July 1869 (see Alec A. Purves “Collecting Medals and Decorations”, naming style illustrated as 4g on page 37). Maxwells pair of medals undoubtedly an officially issued set of replacement medals, issued post 1868 onwards, to replace a lost set of original medals.
Colonel Maxwell was the son of Major Hamilton George Maxwell (1790-1829), Laird of Ardwell, Wigtownshire, grandson of William Maxwell, 3rd Baronet Maxwell of Montreith. Major Maxwell was admitted as an East India Company Cadet in 1803, arrived in India in 1805, being commissioned Ensign, 3/5/1805, promoted Lieutenant, 1805, Captain, 1818, Major, 1827, invalided on 24/1/1829, he commanded the 2nd Battalion Bengal Native Invalids from 14/2/1829 and died at Chunar on 17/6/1829.