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

The magnificent Indian campaign group to Colonel William Garden, C.B., Bengal Army, Quarter-Master General of the Army in India 1841-50, recipient of the rare 2nd Class of the Order of the Dooranee Empire for his services at Ghuznee in 1839

(a) Army of India 1799-1826, 2 clasps, Nepaul, Bhurtpore (Lieut. Wm. Garden, Asst. Qr. Mr. Genl.) short hyphen reverse, officially impressed naming

(b) Ghuznee 1839, unnamed as issued, fitted with contemporary wide silver bar suspension

(c) Maharajpoor Star 1843, unnamed, fitted with adapted hook and straight bar suspension and worn with a buckle from an unrecorded (proposed?) ribbon

(d) Sutlej 1845-46, for Moodkee 1845, 2 clasps, Ferozeshuhur, Sobraon (Lieut. Col: W: Garden 36th Regt. N:I:)

(e) Punjab 1848-49, 2 clasps, Chilianwala, Goojerat (Lieut. Coll. W. Garden, C.B. Q.M.G. Bengal Army)

(f) Afghanistan, Order of the Dooranee Empire 1839, an exceptionally rare 2nd class set of insignia, comprising neck badge, 55mm x 50mm, gold and enamels with central circlet of 15 pearls, of local Afghan manufacture but the arms more highly embellished than usual, the colours of the central enamelled Persian inscription in reverse, and the reverse centre with stylised floral design, suspended from a detachable hinged gold ring and exceptionally rare 3.5-inch silk neck cravat, this fitted with gold clasp for wearing; and breast star, 70mm x 70mm, silver, gold and enamels with central circlet of 18 pearls, a superb London-made piece utilising the body similar to that of a K.C.B. star, the reverse fitted with gold pin for wearing (very few stars were locally manufactured due to shortage of time and materials), all contained in a fine contemporary fitted case by Harvey & Co, Goldsmiths and Watch Makers, Regent Street, with space for C.B. badge and accompanying note “Medal returned on death of Col. W. Garden”, generally extremely fine, an attractive and very rare group ((7) £9000-12000

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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William Garden, the son of Alexander Garden, was born in Aberdeenshire in 1790. He was appointed Ensign in the 1/8th Bengal Native Infantry in 1812 but did not join his corps until 1815, being employed on survey duty. In late 1815 he was appointed Adjutant of the 1/8th and in 1816 served in the Nepal War with the battalion in the 1st Brigade, Right Column. In the Third Mahratta War Garden found his metier as Quartermaster and thereafter never returned to regimental duty, serving successively as Deputy Quarter-Master-General of the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st classes and taking a share of the Deccan Prize Money. On the reorganization of the Army he transferred to the list of the 36th N.I. and next served in the field as Acting Quarter-Master-General at the Siege of Bhurtpoor. In 1832 he was appointed A.Q.M.G. of the Army, and owing to the incapacitation of one Captain Froyer, was made officiating A.D.C. to the Governor-General, Lord William Bentinck.

In 1838 Garden was appointed D.Q.M.G. to the Army of the Indus on the invasion of Afghanistan with the rank of Major, and was present at the storming of Ghuznee for which he received, on 26 March 1841, the 2nd Class of the Order of the Dooranee Empire. In reporting the capture of Ghuznee to Bentinck’s successor, Lord Auckland, Sir John Keane wrote: ‘I must now inform your Lordship that since I joined the Bengal Column in the valley of Shawl I have continued my march with it in the advance and it has been my good fortune to have had the assistance of two most efficient Staff Officers - Major Craigie, Depy. Adjt. General & Major Garden, Dy. Q.M. Genl. It is but justice to these Officers that I should state to your Lordship the high satisfaction I have derived from the manner in which all their duties have been performed up to this day and that I look upon them as promising officers to fill the higher ranks.’ Moreover, according to his obituary, Garden, at this time, was the ‘pride of the Bengal Army. During the whole course of the advance he rode out every day with a few troopers into the new and hostile country to select ground for the army to occupy, and returned to camp the same day. He thus went over exactly three times as much ground as every other man in the advance.’

In November 1841, he became Quarter-Master-General of the Army with the official rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and served in that capacity throughout the Gwalior campaign and both Sikh Wars. He was named in Sir Hugh Gough’s report on the Battle of Maharajpoor, which stated that the exertions of ‘Lt-Colonel Garden, Qr. Mr. General of the Army’, were ‘as creditable as they were unceasing’ (London Gazette 8 March 1844), and was also promoted Lieutenant-Colonel by Brevet ‘for services at the battle of Maharajpore’ (London Gazette 30 April 1844). However, in the usual course, promotion was slow for Garden. At that time, for instance, he was still was listed as a regimental Captain, and was not advanced to Major on the roll of the 36th N.I. until November 1846. In December 1845 Garden received a severe contusion at Ferozeshuhur from which he never fully recovered. In recognition of his services during the Sutlej campaign he was created a C.B. (London Gazette 3 April 1846) and having returned to England he was appointed A.D.C. to Queen Victoria and promoted Brevet Colonel. Ill-health finally overtook him and he died in London on 29 July 1852.

Refs: Hodson Index (NAM); Officers of the Bengal Army 1758-1834; Modern English Biography (Boase); IOL L/MIL/10/23.