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

The First Afghan War C.B. group of three to Lieutenant-Colonel A. B. Taylor, C.B., K.H., who served with the 89th Foot at Chrystler’s Farm, was severely wounded at Lundy’s Lane in 1814, slightly wounded in Burma in 1824, Commanded the 9th (Norfolk) Regiment in Afghanistan and at Moodkee, after which he succeeded to the command of McCaskill’s Brigade and was killed in action at Ferozeshuhur

(a) The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (Military) C.B., breast badge in 22 carat gold and enamels, hallmarked London 1815, makers mark TD over HD, with original wide swivel-ring suspension and gold ribbon buckle

(b) Cabul 1842 (Lt. Colonel A. B. Taylor, 9th Foot) contemporary engraved naming, fitted with original steel clip and bar suspension and silver ribbon buckle

(c) Sutlej 1845-46, for Moodkee 1845, 1 clasp, Ferozeshuhur (Lieut. Col. A: B: Taylor C:B: & K:H: 9th Regt.)

(d) Oval Portrait Miniature, Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor in uniform, circa 1840, the C.B. with minor enamel chips to wreaths, otherwise good very fine £6000-8000

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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Abraham Beresford Taylor was the second son of James Taylor of Cranbroke, Co. Fermanagh, and was born in 1793. He was commissioned Ensign in the 2nd Battalion, H.M’s 82nd on 14 February 1811. In June of the following year he accompanied his corps to the Channel Islands, serving on Guernsey and Alderney until December 1812, when he was promoted Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion, H.M’s 89th Regiment. He joined his new regiment at Halifax, Nova Scotia, in early 1813, and accompanied it to Quebec in June and afterwards to Kingston. He commenced his long active service career in November 1813 at the brilliant action of Chrystler’s Farm where a British force of 830 men, known as the Corps of Observation, repulsed an American force of over 3,000 men under Major-General Boyd and thwarted their plans to capture Montreal.

Thereafter Taylor was present at the bloody battle of Lundy’s Lane, near Niagra Falls, where he was severely wounded ‘through the right leg’; the siege of Fort Erie, including the unsuccessful attack on the outworks on 15 August 1814; and the repulse of the American sortie of 17 September. Having thus ejected the Americans from lower Canada, the 2/89th Foot returned to England in August 1815, and were stationed successively at Chichester, Portsmouth and Sheerness until November 1816, when it was disbanded and Taylor transferred to the 1st Battalion.

Taylor joined the 1st battalion at Quilon in Malabar, and, in January 1818, he accompanied a detachment of six companies to Bombay and joined a force for field service in the Third Mahratta (Pindarry) War. He served throughout the operations in Southern Konkan, taking part in the reduction of the forts at Loghur, Koarree and Ryghur

Aterwards, in 1819, he was present, as Brigade Major and Quartermaster of the 1st Brigade throughout the Sawant Wari Campaign which saw the storm and capture of Roree - ‘the Gibraltar of the Western Ghats’. At the close of the war, he returned to Quilon and in 1821 went to England on three years leave. By the time he returned to India the 1/89th Foot were on field service in Burma and he rejoined at Rangoon.

He took part in the campaign of 1824-25 in lower Burma, participating in the severe fighting at Rangoon in December 1824. On evening of the 8th, he was one of the seven officers and fifty-four men sent to capture some guns which constituted a severe threat to British shipping. Next day, the party was considerably reinforced and an attack made on three stockades at Dalla. During this affair in which the enemy was driven off and pursued for several miles, Taylor was slightly wounded.

By the 10th, however, he had sufficiently recovered to lead a reconnaissance consisting of twenty men of the 89th Foot and thirty men of the 30th Madras N.I. into the jungle. In February 1825, he took part in the advance on and capture of Panang, the unsuccessful assault on Donaby, the eventual reduction of that place, and the final advance to and occupation of Prome.

He was advanced to the rank of Captain in April 1825, but having fallen ill at Prome was invalided to Calcutta. He rejoined his regiment at Madras in April 1826 and came home with it in January 1831. In April 1833, he was promoted ‘Major unattached’, and placed on half pay. Two years later, he was appointed Major in H.M’s 9th Regiment, and sailed to India once more, landing there in October to await the regiment’s arrival from Mauritius.

In 1837, Taylor was appointed a Knight of the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, and, in late 1841, was promoted to the command of the 9th Foot with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1842, Taylor led his regiment on Pollock’s march into Afghanistan, being present at the forcing of the Khyber Pass, the advance to Jellalabad, the actions of Mamoo Khel, Jagdalak, Tazeane and Haft Kotal, the re-occupation of Cabul and the destruction of Istaliffe. On the Army’s return to India, he was created a Companion of the Bath.

During the First Sikh War, Taylor commanded the 9th Regiment at the battle of Moodkee on 18 December 1845. The death of his divisional commander, Major-General Sir John McCaskill (Ritchie 2-32), in that action caused Taylor to succeed to the temporary command of a brigade in Sir Walter Gilbert’s 2nd Division, composed of H.M’s 80th Foot, and the 41st Native Infantry. Two days later the British advanced on the Sikh positions before Ferozeshuhur and, when leading his Brigade with distinguished gallantry to the assault of the enemy entrenchments, Taylor was killed at its head, the service losing in him “a most gallant and accomplished officer”.

Refs: Historical Records of the Eighty-Ninth Princess Victoria’s Regiment (Brinckman); Soldiers of the Raj (De Rhé-Philipe); Hart’s Army List 1845.