A scarce North West Frontier I.D.S.M. group of seven awarded to Risaldar Guli Lal, Tochi Scouts, formerly Northern Waziristan Militia

Indian Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (Risaldar Guli Lal, Tochi Scouts); India General Service 1908-35, 3 clasps, Afghanistan N.W.F. 1919, Waziristan 1921-24, North West Frontier 1930-31 (538 Sowar, N.W. Militia); India General Service 1936-39, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1936-37 (Risldr., Tochi Scouts); 1939-45 Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals, very fine (7) £600-800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals formed by the late Alan Wolfe.

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I.D.S.M. London Gazette 10 December, 1937: ‘For services rendered during the operations in the Khaisora Valley in Waziristan, North West Frontier Province’.

The Northern Waziristan Militia became known as the Tochi Scouts in April 1922. In 1931 the strength of the corps consisted of 11 British Officers, 2033 Infantry and 117 Mounted Infantry. Risaldar Guli Lal would have been the senior Indian Officer of the Mounted Infantry, each of the two M.I. troops being commanded by a Jemadar. The Tochi Scouts were heavily involved in the operations of 1936-37 and suffered a significant number of casualties. The following is one of two anecdotal mentions of Guli Lal which appear in The Frontier Scouts by Charles Chevenix Trench:

April/May 1937: ‘One afternoon Guli Lal, the tough little roly-poly Seni Khattak Risaldar, told me that a patrol had brought in rather an odd chap, and it might be interesting for me [Victor Wainwright, who was on an operation with the Mounted Infantry] to be in on the questioning. “Dump your cigarette case and lighter,” he said, “and cadge Marouf’s cigarettes. In your partog you’ll pass as a Pathan, but if you want to talk you’d better rattle some stones in a tin can in your Afridi-brogue act.” Polite chap, our Guli.
The prisoner turned out to be a Khostwal, a rather nice little old chap with a long heel-rope wound round his tum. He said that rumour in Khost was that the British were on their way out and loot was easy, so he was looking for a horse or mule to take back. We gave him something to eat and a handful of chupattis to carry, and told him to go home and say the British were so rich that even the poor Pathan Militia could afford to feed horse-thieves.’

Note: It seems unlikely that Guli Lal would be entitled to the Italy Star or the Defence Medal but should have, in their place, the India Service Medal.