Orders, Decorations and Medals

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, S.A. 1901 (Lieut. L. F. A. Cochran, Leins. Rgt.) top clasp loose on ribbon, good very fine £200-250

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Michael McGoona Collection to the Leinster Regiment.

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Captain Lionel Francis Abingdon Cochran was born in Edinburgh in March 1882. He was commissioned into the 3rd Battalion, Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment, as 2nd Lieutenant, at the age of 17 in February 1900; served in the lines of communication in the South African War, being invalided home early in 1901. In January 1901, having been recommended for a commission for services by the late Field-Marshall Earl Roberts, he was gazetted, as 2nd Lieutenant, to the Worcestershire Regiment; transferring to the Indian Army in July 1905, serving with the 72nd Punjabis, in Burma, the Andamans, and on the North West Frontier, where for some time he was Cantonment Magistrate during the Mahsud rising in 1912.

In September 1914, he was selected to join the 92nd Punjabis for active service, and proceeded with them to the Suez, where they disembarked to assist in guarding the canal at Ismailia. Captain Cochran was killed in action at Tussum, on the canal, whilst commanding two double companies of the 92nd Punjabis, which succeeded in surrounding a party of the enemy. The latter held up a white flag and made signs of surrender, whereupon Captain Cochran advanced towards them with some of his men. After these Turks had surrendered fire was reopened by the enemy and he and his men had to fall back. Reinforcements were sent up to charge the enemy, who immediately surrendered. It was during this second attack that Cochran was killed. Sold with copied biographical extracts from Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour and Bond of Sacrifice, including pictures of recipient.