Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Ghuznee Cabul 1842 (Gunner James Donnelly 3rd Compy 1st Battn. Bombay Foot Ary.) fitted with original steel clip and silver bar suspension, minor edge bruise, otherwise extremely fine and scarce £800-1000

Provenance: A Collection of Medals to the Bombay Artillery, Dix Noonan Webb, December 2013 (Bought Spink 1961, ex McLaren Collection).

Approximately 360 medals awarded to European recipients with this reverse, including 25 to the two guns of the 3/1st Bombay Foot Artillery who remained at Quetta.

James Donnelly was born in 1807, a native of Garristown, Dublin. A Labourer by trade, he enlisted at Dublin on 18 July 1827, for unlimited service, aged 20. He embarked for India on 4 January 1828, in the Edinburgh, arriving on 1 June 1828. He was posted to the 3rd Company, 1st Battalion, Bombay Artillery, and was promoted to Bombardier in 1835. He served in Afghanistan in 1840-42, and was transferred to the Non-Effective List as Bombardier on 25 July 1844. Pensioned in January 1850 in the rank of an Artillery Sergeant, he is thought to be still alive in 1882.

The 3rd Company, 1st Battalion, Bombay Artillery, was present at the capture of Manora, near Karachi, in February 1840, Captain W. Brett in command. In January 1841, equipped as a Light Field Battery with six 9-pounders, four guns left Sukkur for Quetta, Captain C. Blood in command. Two guns, however, with Donnelly present, remained at Quetta when the other four guns marched to Candahar. These two guns rejoined at Candahar before Nott marched out to Cabul on 9 August, and took part in the action at Gohain, 29-30 August, the occupation of Ghuznee, 5-6 September, and actions at Beni Badam on the 14th and Maidan on the 15th of the same month. Nott’s force reached Cabul on 17 September, two days after the arrival of Pollock’s force.

On 30 September, two guns under Lieutenant Terry took part in the burning of the village of Istalif. The whole force left Cabul for India on 12 October, Nott’s force acting as rear-guard. On 6 November, Terry was mortally wounded at Ali Musjid, the final day of the campaign. The force reached Ferozepore on 17 December 1842.

Sold with research.