Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The important Indian Mutiny medal awarded to General Thomas Carey, Bengal Native Infantry, attached Quarter Master General’s Department, sole survivor of the ambush and murder of Captain Fletcher Hayes, Lieutenant Barbor and Mr Fayrer; his famous escape is considered among one of the most dramatic incidents of the uprising and is included in all the major narratives of the mutiny. Carey was described by Lord Roberts as the best horseman in the Indian Army

Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 2 clasps, Relief of Lucknow, Lucknow (Major T. A. Carey, Qr. Mr. Genl. Dept.) toned, about very fine £3000-3600

Provenance: Brian Ritchie Collection of H.E.I.C. and British India Medals, Dix Noonan Webb, September 2004.

Thomas Augustus Carey was born in Guernsey on 16 February 1827, the son of Thomas Carey, of Rozel, and his 2nd wife Barbara, daughter of Colonel Jackson of Enniscoe, co. Mayo, M.P. Educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey, he was nominated by John Masterman on the recommendation of Thomas Masterman. He travelled on the overland route to India, 16 May 1843, arriving in June 1843.

He was commissioned Ensign in the 17th Bengal Native Infantry, 10 November 1843, a regiment he stayed with until 1856. On the annexation of Oudh he was appointed second in command of the 4th Oudh Light Infantry. He became Captain in September 1856, was appointed Commandant, 7th Oudh Light Infantry, 25 September 1856, and in late May 1857 was at Cawnpore where he had entered Wheeler's Entrenchment, waiting to proceed to northern India. At the Entrenchment he met his old friend Captain Fletcher Hayes, the Military Secretary to Sir Henry Lawrence who had come down from Lucknow with a small force of some 300 men to make a situation report. On 27 May Hayes left Cawnpore to investigate the state of communications to the north, taking with him 240 troopers of the 2nd Oudh Irregular Cavalry. He was accompanied by Lieutenant Barbor, Mr Fayrer, a volunteer, and Carey, who, continuing his journey north, accepted Hayes’s invitation to join him. This fortuitous meeting between Carey and Hayes certainly saved Carey from being another statistic in the tragic events at Cawnpore. On the 31st, about one hundred miles from Cawnpore, Hayes learnt that a local Rajah had thrown aside British rule and left the body of Irregular Cavalry under Barbor and Fayrer and went off with Carey to consult with the civil authorities eight miles away at Mynpoorie concerning an attack against the rebel Raja.

Carey’s own account of the subsequent events was penned at Mynpoorie on Tuesday the 2nd of June 1857:

‘I thank God that I am at this moment alive and well, and that I am able to write and tell you so; for last night we buried in the churchyard here my three poor companions, who were ruthlessly murdered by the sowars we were taking with us to assist in suppressing the mutinous spirit rising in these districts. I wrote to you from camp Gosanjunje three or four days ago. On arrival at Bowgous about half past 7 p.m. on Saturday, Hayes was determined upon cantering into Mynpoorie, about eight miles, to consult with the magistrate about attacking the Etah rajah, who had set himself up as king, and set our rule in defiance. All Sunday we remained at Mynpoorie, sending poor Barbor, the adjutant of the 2nd irregular cavalry, directions to proceed up to Kurrowlee, and that there we would join him on Monday morning. The Thanadar came in from Bowgous saying our men were mutinying, and begged us not to trust them; but when Hayes’s escort came in the evening, and said their men had been complaining about the long marches etc, we thought it was nothing. Well, we cantered along, all merrily, in the morning, talking of how we would open the road to Allygurh, and carry all before us; and after riding about eleven miles we came up in sight of our men apparently going along the road and quite orderly. They were on one road we the other. I said “Let’s cross the plain and meet them.” As we approached they faced towards us and halted, and when we had cantered up to within fifty yards, one or two native officers rode out to meet us, and said in a low voice, “Fly, Sahibs, fly.”’

‘Upon this poor Hayes said to me as we wheeled round our horses, “Well, we must now fly for our lives,” and away we went with the two troops after us like demons, yelling and sending bullets from their carbines flying all round us. Thank God neither my horse nor I was hit. Hayes was riding on the side nearest the troopers, and before we had gone many yards, I saw a native officer go alongside of him, and with one blow cut him from his saddle. It was the work of an instant, and took much less time than I have to relate. On they all came shouting after me, and every now and then “ping” came a ball near me. Indeed, I thought my moments were numbered; but as I neared the road at the end of the maidan a ditch presented itself. It was but a moment I thought, dug my spurs hard in, and the mare flew over it, though she nearly fell on the other side; fortunately I recovered her, and in another moment I was leaving all behind but two sowars, who followed me together with poor Hayes’s horse tearing on after me. On seeing this I put my pistol into my holster, having reserved my fire until a man was actually upon me, and took a pull at the mare, as I had still a long ride for it, and knew my riding must stand me a good turn; so I raised the mare as much as I could, keeping those friends about 100 yards in the rear; and the sowars, I suppose, seeing I was taking it easy, and not urging my horse, but merely turning round every now and again to watch them, pulled up, after chasing me two good miles. Never did I know a happier moment, and most fervently did I thank God for saving my life. Hayes’s Arab came dashing along, and passed me; I still continued to ride along at a fast pace, fearful of being taken and murdered by some who had taken a short cut unknown to me...’

It was afterwards ascertained that Fayrer had been murdered earlier in the day, when, drinking at a well, a mutineer had crept up behind him and practically cut off his head. Barbor, seeing what had happened, leapt into his saddle and galloped off down the road, but the way was blocked by a knot of sowars who hacked him to peices.

Carey continues:

‘Thus, up to the sixth mile from home did I continue to fly, when, finding my mare completely done, and meeting one of our sowars, I immediately stopped him, jumped up behind, and ordered him to hasten back to Mynpoorie. After going about a mile on this beast we came up to poor Hayes’s horse, which had been caught; so on him I sprang, and he bore me safely back to the cantonments. It was indeed a ride for life or death; and only when I alighted at the magistrate’s Cutcherry, in which all the Europeans were assembled, did I feel at all comfortable. Men were immediately sent out to look for the body [Hayes] and bring it in, and ascertain the fate of Barbor, the adjutant, and young Fayrer, who were known to have left their last encamping ground with the men. In the afternoon poor Hayes’s body was brought in, his head most frightfully hacked about, his right hand cut off, and his left fearfully lacerated - his watch, rings, boots all gone, and his clothes all cut and torn to pieces. Poor fellow! It was a sad fate for such a good and clever man, and deeply do I feel the loss of one who was ever a kind friend to me, anxious to serve me by every means in his power; gladly would I have assisted him had I had it in my power; but what could I do against 200 infuriated fanatics? Poor Hayes was not eight yards from me when he fell, and one instant’s delay would have been certain death to me. One old Sikh sirdar with two followers, who stood aloof from these acts of murder, and one of Hayes’s servants, brought in his body, and from them I learned that poor young Fayrer’s and Barbor’s remains were also being brought in. A dastardly villain of a sowar, stole behind young Fayrer, as he was drinking at a well, and with one blow of his tulwar on his neck killed him; he fell back, his head half severed from his body. The old Sikh rushed forward to raise him, and ordered them to seize the murderer, when another man said, “What are you with these kaffirs; take care of yourself.” On raising up poor young Fayrer’s head the poor man breathed his last.’

‘Barbor fled up the road, several giving chase; he shot one horse and two of the sowars, when he was hit with a ball and then cut down, his property taken off, his horse seized, and then they all rode off towards Delhi. Fayrer was killed about ten minutes before we came up; then they killed poor Hayes, then Barbor. Thus you see, through the mercy of God, I escaped these poor fellows fate. I am now with eight others in the Cutcherry of Mynpoorie; we have lots of ammunition. It is a large pukka building, and from the top we can make a good fight if no guns are brought against us. We have 100 infantry and cavalry all round, and now have about 100 each or more, besides a few men of the 9th Native Infantry who remained true to their salt, and did not desert with the rest. The Gwalior Horse, Major Raikes seems very confident in; but since the last émeute in our men I do not place trust in a single native. Deeply do I feel for my unfortunate companions who left Cawnpore with me, full of hope, and anxious to be the first to cut our way through this Etah rajah’s country, and open the road for government to Allygurh, which has now been closed some days. We were all anxious to distinguish ourselves, and every day we tried to inspire our men, who swore they would follow us; and thus with a deceitful lying, outward show of entering heartily into our views, did they lead us on, and then became the murderers of those poor men who had never injured them, and promised them all sorts of rewards if they would fight well and stick to our side like men. Thus is our dream dispelled. I, the only one left of those four it is sickening to contemplate.’

Carey finally found refuge in the fort at Agra where he performed the duty of Assistant Executive Engineer. He volunteered to do duty with the 20th Punjab Infantry, forming a portion of the flying column from Delhi to Lucknow under Colonel Greathead, C.B., 14 October 1857. He later served in the Quarter Master General’s Department and took part in the second relief of Lucknow under Sir Colin Campbell, and in the capture of Lucknow city. It was in this capacity that he was Mentioned in Despatches no fewer than 9 times for services in the field, including for the Relief of Lucknow, 18 November 1857; Cawnpore, 10 December 1857; for Suwerespore( sic), 11 December 1857; twice for the capture of Lucknow, 26 March 1858; for Roarch, 16 April 1858; for Alligunge, 23 April 1858; for Bareilly, 8 May 1858, and for Siseyah Ghat, 16 June 1859.

In 1866 he was appointed Commandant of the 36th Bengal Native Infantry before transferring as Commandant to the 8th Bengal N.I. in 1871. In February 1878, he was promoted Lieutenant-General, and the following November he was advanced to the rank of full General and retired. General Carey died at 6 Wetherby Place, South Kensington, on 23 May 1892. He is buried at Bromton Cemetery together with his wife Frances Adele, née Short, whom he married on 2 December 1879.

Sold with a comprehensive file of research.