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

The Cabul and Defence of Jellalabad campaign medals to Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Cunningham, Madras Infantry and Broadfoot’s Sappers, who won distinction as field-engineer in the defence of Jellalabad

(a) Cabul 1842 (Lieut: Francis Cunningham, 23rd Madras Light Inf: Broadfoot’s Sappers) contemporary engraved naming, fitted with original steel clip and bar suspension
(b) Defence of Jellalabad 1842, Flying Victory (Lieut: Francis Cunningham, 23rd Madras Light Inf: Broadfoot’s Sappers) contemporary engraved naming, fitted with original steel clip and bar suspension, good very fine £2500-3000

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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Francis Cunningham was the youngest son of the distinguished author and poet Allan Cunningham (1784-1842) and younger brother of Captain Joseph Cunningham (See Lot 46), the ‘historian of the Sikhs’. He was born on 31 August 1820, was educated under the Rev James Wilkie at Twickenham, and was nominated for a Cadetship in the Madras Engineers by John Locke, Esq., on the recommendation of his father. He entered Addiscombe in 1837 but resigned from the Seminary the same year for a direct appointment in the Madras Infantry. Before leaving England, he was briefed by the sculptor Sir Francis Chantrey in the intricacies of erecting at Madras his recently completed equestrian statue of Sir Thomas Munro. By arrangement with the authorities Cunningham sailed with the statue in the Asia on 28 February 1838. He was commissioned Ensign on 24 April and arrived at Madras on 25 August.

Having executed his brief in Madras, he was ordered to duty with the 19th adras N.I. and, on 30 January 1839 was promoted Lieutenant. In November he joined the headquarters of his own corps, the 23rd Madras N.I. at Barrackpore but, in September 1840, was appointed Quartermaster to a force of Shah Soojah-ool-Moolk’s Sappers and Miners, commanded by Major George Broadfoot, a Bengal Engineer who had another assistant from the Madras Army, Lieutenant S. G. G. Orr. When speaking of his two subalterns Broadfoot would refer to them as ‘My two Mulls’. Officers of the Madras Army were known as ‘Mulls’, from mulmull, a fabric in which the East India Company once traded, or possibly from mulligatawny soup, whereas Bengal officers were ‘Qui-hyes’, from the custom of shouting ‘Koi hai ?’ meaning ‘Is anyone there ?’ to summon a servant, and Bombay officers ‘Ducks’ after the dried fish sometimes eaten with curry.

In October 1841, Cunningham left Cabul and caught up with Broadfoot and his Sappers who were returning to India with Sir Robert Sale’s brigade. By this time however the country was on the brink of revolt. On the 29th, shortly after the main body of Sale’s column had set off from Jagdalak, the Ghilzais fell upon the baggage and the rear guard. The Sapper company looking out for the enemy were picketing the heights, but ‘five Sapper orderlies followed Braodfoot, Cunningham, Sergeant-Major Kelly, and two infantry officers in a charge which checked the swordsmen and saved several hundreds of men and most of the baggage from destruction’. Nevertheless, Sale lost some 120 men in this affair and on reaching Gandamak on the 30th prepared to defend the place. On 10 November, however, he received an urgent appeal from the British Envoy to return to Cabul. A council of war was held and by a majority it was agreed that the force should garrison Jellalabad instead. Next day Cunningham was sent with Sergeant-Major Kelly and a party of 30 Sappers to destroy the fort at Mamoo Khel, and was subsequently brought to the notice of Sir Robert Sale for his conduct in the ‘trying circumstances and amidst so many obstacles’. Thereafter, Cunningham was present at the defence of Jellalabad from November 1841 to April 1842. On 11 March 1842, he took part in the sally made by a detachment under Colonel Dennie to defeat a suspected attempt by the enemy to drive a mine under the defences. In this encounter Broadfoot records that two of his companies were closely engaged, and ‘that Orr, Cunningham, Kelly and Bruen were conspicuous when the Sappers repulsed a charge of cavalry while retiring into Jellalabad’. For work in assisting the Garrison Engineer during the siege Cunningham was again brought to the favourable notice of Sir Robert Sale.

In August 1842, Cunningham took part in General Pollock’s advance on Cabul and was present at the successful action in the Tazeane Pass which opened the road to Cabul in September. In his despatch of the 14th, Pollock wrote: ‘the slaughter was considerable and the fight continued during the greater part of the day, the enemy appearing resolved that we should not ascend the Haft Kotul, one spirit seemed to persuade all, and a determination to conquer the obstinate resistance of the enemy; who were at length forced from their numerous and strong positions, and our troops mounted the Haft Kotul; giving three cheers when they reached the summit. Here Lieut. Cunningham with a party of Sappers pressed the enemy so hard that they left in their precipitation a 24 pounder Howitzer and limber, carrying off the draft Bullocks’ (Calcutta Gazette 30 October 1842 and London Gazette 24 November 1842).

In March 1844, Cunningham was appointed an assistant to the Commissioner of Mysore, and later was placed by Lord Ellenborough on the Mysore Commission under Sir Mark Cubbon. He received his Captaincy in May 1850, and continued in Mysore until his retirement in 1861. Following his return to England, Cunningham enjoyed a notable literary career as a regular contributor to the Saturday Review and as a commentator on the works of Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe. Colonel Cunningham died on 3 December 1875 at 18 Clarendon Road, South Kensington.

Refs: Hodson Index (NAM); Dictionary of Indian Biography; Modern English Biography (Boase); Dictionary of National Biography; IOL L/MIL/11/46.