PRIVATE THOMAS HOLMES, 1ST EUROPEAN FUSILIERS (THE POST 1860 103RD ROYAL BOMBAY FUSILIERS

PRIVATE THOMAS HOLMES, 1ST EUROPEAN FUSILIERS (THE POST 1860 103RD ROYAL BOMBAY FUSILIERS AND POST 1880 2ND BATTALION ROYAL DUBLIN FUSILIERS), WOUNDED IN ACTION AT MOOLTAN, SUBSEQUENTLY INVALIDED TO EUROPE AND PENSIONED AS A RESULT OF WOUNDS RECEIVED AT MOOLTAN. Punjab Campaign Medal 1848-1849, 1 clasp, Mooltan (officially impressed: THOs. HOLMES, 1st. EUR. FUs.). Scattered rim nicks and surface contact marks, otherwise Good Very Fine, the Mooltan clasp scarce to the 1st European Fusiliers as a single clasp.

Punjab Medal scarce with single clasp Mooltan, only 102 single clasps medals awarded to the 1st European Fusiliers (in addition to 789 with two clasps, Mooltan and Goojerat clasp).

Medal accompanied by copied biographical and service details, Chelsea Pensioner admission record and copied extract published medal roll confirming Holmes entitled to single clasp Mooltan only and that he was invalided to “Europe”.

Thomas Holmes was born in Highgate, Middlesex (some records state Enfield, Middlesex). He enlisted into the Bombay Army at London on 28/12/1840 for unlimited service, giving his trade at the time of enlistment as labourer. Holmes sailed for India aboard the Euxine, arriving in 1841, where he was posted for service with the 1st Bombay European Regiment. Holmes was severely wounded in action at Mooltan, gunshot wound to chest, and evacuated to Europe as a result of his wounds, and pensioned on 8/5/1849, being admitted a Chelsea Pensioner on 19/9/1849 “left arm useless from gun shot wound in chest received in action at Mooltan”.

The siege, assault on and capture of the Sikh fortress at Mooltan, 7 September 1848 to 22 January 1849, was a protracted and hard fought affair. The regimental history of the 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers, “Crown and Company”, records the attacking forces’ artillery as having fired some 36,000 rounds during the operations at Mooltan and sustaining some 1,153 officers and men killed and wounded.