Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The excessively rare Royal Humane Society Medal in silver-gilt awarded to Brevet Major Charles Craufurd Fraser, 7th Hussars, who, despite being wounded, effected the rescue of an officer and several men of his regiment who were in imminent danger of being drowned in the River Raptee, 31 December 1858 - for this gallant action he was awarded both the Victoria Cross and the Royal Humane Society Medal

Royal Humane Society, large silver-gilt medal (successful), reverse inscribed, ‘Capt. & Brevet Major Chas. Craufurd Fraser 7th Hussars. Vit ob Serv. D.D. Soc. Reg. Hvm. 31. Decr. 1858’, fitted with a swivel ring and straight bar suspension, with silver-gilt buckle on ribbon, the medal contained in its modified Warrington, London case of issue, edge bruising, good very fine £4000-5000

V.C. London Gazette 8 November 1860.

‘For conspicuous and cool gallantry, on the 31st December, 1858, in having volunteered, at great personal risk, and under sharp fire of musketry, to swim to the rescue of Captain Stisted, and some men of the 7th Hussars, who were in imminent danger of being drowned in the River Raptee, while in pursuit of the rebels.

Major Fraser succeeded in this gallant service, although at the time partially disabled, not having recovered from a severe wound received while leading a Squadron in a charge against some fanatics, in the Action of Nawabgunge, on the 13th June, 1858.’

Further details are given in the citation appearing in Acts of Gallantry, by Lambton Young:
‘During the battle of Raptee, on the 31st of December, 1858, on the frontiers of Nepaul, Major Stisted and four men of the 7th Hussars were washed on to a sandbank in the middle of the foaming torrent, and as their horses had been drowned, there seemed no chance of their lives being saved, when the Lieutenant-Colonel in command of the 7th Hussars, Sir W. Russell, Bart., called for a volunteer to swim out to them. Major Charles Craufurd Fraser begged to be allowed to go, and he swam out to them under a sharp fire from the enemy, who were on the opposite side, and after great difficulty, owing to the rapidity of the stream, he reached them. They were quite exhausted, but he succeeded in saving the lives of Major Stisted and the men with him. It was a most dangerous service, and was most gallantly performed by him, when we call to mind that Major Fraser at the time had only a partial use of his right hand, owing to a severe wound which he had received at the battle of Nawabgunge, and from which he had not nearly recovered.’

Charles Craufurd Fraser was born in Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin, on 31 August 1829, the second of three sons of Sir James John Fraser (1789-1834), 3rd Baronet of Leadclune and Morar, Inverness, and his wife, Charlotte Anne (née Craufurd). He was baptised on 15 October 1829 in St. Peter’s Church, Dublin and was re-baptised on 13 October 1832 in Hampreston, Dorset. He was educated at Eton College, Windsor.

When he was 18 years of age he purchased a commission of Cornet in the 7th Hussars on 3 December 1847. He subsequently gained the rank of Lieutenant by purchase in June 1850 and Captain by purchase in April 1854. With his regiment he served in India from 29 August 1857. On the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny, Fraser served as Orderly-Officer to Brigadier-General Colin Campbell at the affair at Munseata, near Allahabad, 5 January 1858. Subsequently he served with his regiment at Meeangunge, the siege and capture of Lucknow, the affairs at Baree and Sirsee and the action at Nawabgunge, 13 June 1858. It was here that he was severely wounded while leading his squadron against Gazzie fanatics. He was mentioned in Sir Hope Grant’s despatch for ‘most conspicuous gallantry’ and was promoted to Brevet Major. Fraser’s wounds kept him out of action for a few months. By December 1858 he was back in action and served until March 1859 in the Trans-Gogra Campaign of General Sir Hope Grant, in the pursuit of the rebel Nana Sahib. This included the affair at Chudda, the taking of Fort Meejedia, the attack on Bankee and the pursuit to the River Raptee, the advance into Nepal and the affair at Sitaghat. It was at the action at the Raptee River that Fraser was mentioned in despatches and earned the Victoria Cross and Royal Humane Society Medal.

Leaving India in March 1859, Fraser gained the rank of Major by purchase in May 1859 and transferred to the 11th Hussars in August that year. Obtaining the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel by purchase in January 1861, he commanded the 11th Hussars, 1861-68, gaining the brevet of Colonel in January 1866. Fraser fought in the Abyssinia Campaign, being present at the capture of Magdala. For his services he was mentioned in despatches ‘for unceasing vigilance’, and was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. He became Colonel of the 8th Hussars in June 1868 and was promoted to Major-General in July 1870. Served as A.D.C. to the C-in-C., 1873-77. Fraser, as a Major-General, A.D.C. to the Duke of Cambridge and as a prominent member of London society, was involved in the Chesterfield Letters scandal. As a friend of a Colonel Charles White, M.P., youngest son of Lord Annaly, he went to confront the supposed author of the anonymously written Chesterfield Letters of 1873, which caricatured and slandered White. Talk of a duel was mentioned until a suitable written retraction was obtained. The scandal and Fraser’s part in it was widely reported. Appointed Inspector-General of Cavalry in Ireland, 1880-84. Attaining the rank of Lieutenant-General in October 1886, he retired on full pay in January 1890, being awarded the K.C.B. in 1891. Fraser served as Conservative M.P. for North Lambeth, 1885-1892. He died at Sloane Street, London, on 7 June 1895, aged 65 years.

The silver-gilt Royal Humane Society Medal granted to Fraser, through the special intervention of R.H.S. Treasurer, Benjamin Hawes, is one of only two such medals known to have been issued. Both were to recognise especially gallant and publicly high profile acts - the other being awarded to the first recipient of a V.C. - Midshipman Charles Lucas, R.N.

In 1859 Fraser’s bravery in rescuing an officer and several men from drowning on the Raptee River was brought to the attention of the Royal Humane Society, whose committee recommended it to the Society’s General Court as a potential silver medal case. The General Court sat on 11 January 1860 and the award of a silver medal was duly approved. However, as a result of a proposal by Hawes, and as a special mark for his distinguished bravery, Fraser was actually issued with a silver-gilt medal. The pattern issued was the standard ‘large’ medal fitted with a suspension to enable it to be worn. With the introduction of the ‘small’ medal in 1867, Fraser naturally requested the new type. The committee considered his request on 20 May 1868 and they agreed to issuing him with a small medal but in silver only, noting that on his original medal the ‘gilding was done by direction of the then Treasurer’. After further communication and with Fraser himself putting his case before the committee, it was agreed ‘that the medallist be authorised to prepare for him at his own cost a small duplicate of the medal originally made for him’. The careful wording re. ‘his own cost’ and ‘duplicate of the medal originally made for him’, indicates that he had managed to get his own way and that a small R.H.S. Medal in silver-gilt was in due course produced for him. As the small medal was produced at his own cost, no mention was made of returning the original large medal. The whereabouts of the small medal is unknown.

With two original studio photographs of Fraser; several copy photographs and other images; four Vanity Fair ‘Spy’ prints, two of Charles Craufurd Fraser (duplicated - one repaired) and one each of his brothers, William Augustus and James Keith Fraser; together with copied research which includes: War Office V.C. recommendation; officers’ service papers; papers from the Select Committee on Army and Navy Estimates - evidence given by Lieutenant-General Fraser, M.P.; newspaper extracts and an article from the Journal of the Life Saving Awards Society, ‘Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Craufurd Fraser: The Royal Humane Society and Victoria Cross’, by Roger Willoughby. Also with a C.D. containing images from the relevant R.H.S. committee minutes re. his award.