The Brian Ritchie Collection of H.E.I.C. and British India Medals

An interesting and rare group to Lieutenant Robert Pigou, Bengal Engineers, one of the Engineers at the Cabul Gate during the storming of Ghuznee, who later died whilst attempting to reduce a fort in Afghanistan when, having cut his fuse too short, he was blown up and his body thrown a distance of eighty yards by the sudden explosion of the powder bags

(a) Ghuznee 1839, unnamed as issued, with original suspension

(b) Royal Humane Society, large silver medal (Successful), (R. Pigou Armo. Vit. Ob. Serv. Dono Dat Soc. Reg. Hum. 1836)

(c) Georgian silver presentation Snuff Box, hallmarked London 1825, the gilt inner lid with inscription ‘Presented to Ensign Pigou, by the E.I.C. Sappers & Miners, as a humble token of their gratitude in his saving the life of one of their comrades whilst pontoning [sic] on the river Medway on the 27th August, 1835’, the R.H.S. medal with edge bruising and contact marks, therefore nearly very fine, otherwise good very fine £1500-2000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Brian Ritchie Collection of H.E.I.C. and British India Medals.

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Robert Pigou was the son of Henry Minchin Pigou, B.C.S., of Banwell Castle, Somerset, the Commissioner for Revenue at Jessore, and was born in India on 5 October 1816. He was baptised at Dacca on 13 October of that year, and in due course was sent home to Rugby School. He was nominated for his Cadetship in the Bengal Engineers by P. Muspratt, Esq., at the recommendation of ‘the executors of the late D. Stuart, Esq.,’ and was admitted to the Establishment in August 1830. Between 1833 and 1834 he attended Addiscombe and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant on 12 December of the latter year. He continued his studies at Chatham, and while there became conspicuous by his gallant conduct in saving the life of one Private Edward Williams on 27 August 1835. His selfless act was reported to the Royal Humane Society by Colonel Pasley in the following terms:

‘Sir, - I beg leave to make known through you the gallant conduct of Mr Pigou, yesterday, in saving a man’s life at Pontoon practice, as reported to me by Captain Alderson, of the Royal Engineers, who was the senior officer present when the circumstances occurred.
The East India Company’s sappers and miners were employed at the time, in concert with the Royal sappers and miners, the men of both corps being mixed in each Pontoon, according to custom. Mr Pigou had command of one Pontoon: and in returning to his moorings, on leaving off for the afternoon, private Edward Williams fell overboard into deep water, the tide running very strong at the time, so that he must have been drowned, but that Mr Pigou, who is an excellent swimmer, immediately plunged in after him, and saved him, all the other Pontoons being at some distance at the time. The man himself could not swim.
I have noticed Mr Pigou’s conduct, in order that he may meet with that praise which he deserves; and I have great pleasure in now reporting the circumstance.

I remain,

C.W. Pasley, Col., R.E.’

The Royal Humane Society’s Silver Medal medal was subsequently voted to Pigou in January 1836 (Morning Chronicle 19 January 1836).

Pigou arrived at Fort William in July 1836 and was appointed assistant to Captain Fitzgerald, the Garrison Engineer at Fort William and Civil Architect to the Presidency. He went on to serve in the Canal Department, and to work on the surveys of the Pertraub Kally creek and the Aolabariah Road and Canal. In July 1838, Pigou’s services were brought to the notice of the Governor-General and he was subsequently directed to join the headquarters of the Bengal Sappers and Miners at Delhi on account of his esteemed ‘scientific attainments and high promise’. Later that year he qualified as an Interpreter and was placed at the disposal of Sir William MacNaghten, the scholarly and autocratic Envoy and Minister to the Court of Shah Soojah-ool-Moolk, who was to accompany the Army of the Indus on its circuitous march into Afghanistan, following Lord Auckland’s decision to depose Dost Mohamed.

Accordingly Pigou was one of the Bengal Engineer officers under Captain George Thomson, who went ahead of the Army with the 2nd and 3rd Companies of the Sappers and Miners to Rohri to make the necessary preparations for the crossing of the Indus. Under normal circumstances, given trained men, good boats or pontoons, and plenty of material at hand, building a bridge to span the river, which at this point ran in two channels, of 133 and 367 yards, separated by the fortified island of Bukkur, would not be difficult. But Thomson, Pigou and the others were faced with every difficulty.

At first only eight boats could be procured and all good timber had to be floated 200 miles downstream from Ferozepore. The Sappers had to make 500 cables of grass and manufacture all the nails they required. None of the young officers had any practical experience of large floating bridges, nor could anyone speak the dialect of the local labourers. Furthermore the current was rapid and floods often endangered the whole structure. Nevertheless, the Indus was bridged successfully and, by 18 February 1839, 38,000 troops and camp followers, 30,000 camels, artillery, and ordnance carriages had crossed easily and safely.

After a long and laborious march to Candahar via the sombre defile of the Bolan Pass and the mud village of Quetta, the Army was exhausted; paralysed by its loss of transport animals and on the point of starvation. On 27 June, 7,800 fighting men including the Engineers who had bridged the Indus, plodded on towards Ghuznee, which, unbeknown to MacNaghten, had been heavily fortified by Hyder Khan. The Commander-in-Chief, Sir John Keane, was ill-prepared to lay siege to the fortress and found himself in a desperate quandary. He had no more than a few days’ supplies and was being carefully watched by two large armies of Ghilzai tribesmen. Once again Keane was obliged to seek the advice of his Chief Engineer, Captain Thomson, who suggested blowing in the Cabul Gate.

The gate was duly blown at dawn on 23 July by the Explosion Party, led by Captain Peat of the Bombay Engineers, and Lieutenants Durand and MacLeod (qv) of the Bengal corps. Pigou, leading some Sappers equipped with two scaling ladders, took part in the assault with the main storming party under Brigadier-General ‘Fighting Bob’ Sale, and was engaged in the hand to hand fight in the gateway. After the Capture of Ghuznee, Pigou continued with the Army to Cabul which was entered unopposed on 7 August. In early January 1840, Pigou marched out from the British cantonment at Cabul with a force under Lieutenant-Colonel Orchard to reduce the fort at Pushoot, fifty miles northeast of Jellalabad. He was duly selected to lay the powder by the fort’s inner gate and ignite the charge, being three times obliged to advance to the gateway under a heavy fire. Unfortunately his efforts to flash the train were foiled by a heavy downpour of rain. Nevertheless he was praised in Orchard’s despatch for his gallant and meritorious conduct (Calcutta Gazette 15/2/1841).

On 25 January 1841, he was promoted Lieutenant, and the next month took part in the expedition under Brigadier Shelton against the Sangu Khel in the Nazian Valley. On 24 February he made the fatal error of cutting his fuse too short and was unable to make good his retreat before the explosion took place. Brigadier Shelton afterwards reported, ‘A few men held out in two Forts and obliged me to blow open the gates which was effectually accomplished by Lieut. Pigou of the Engineers supported by the Light Co. of H.M’s 44th Regt. under Capt. Robinson. It is to me a source of deep regret to have to report the second occasion proved fatal to Lt. Pigou who was blown up and killed on the spot, and his body thrown a distance of eighty yards by the sudden explosion of the powder bags. The cool intrepidity with which he performed this trying duty does credit to his memory. In him the service has lost a talented and promising young officer’ (Calcutta Gazette 1/4/1841).

Refs: Hodson Index (NAM); Officers of the Bengal Army 1756-1834; IOL L/MIL/10/30; The Indian Sappers and Miners (Sandes).