A Collection of Awards to the Scinde Rifles

A fine Mesopotamia operations C.I.E., O.B.E. group of nine awarded to Colonel A. H. Burn, 59th Scinde Rifles, who was thrice wounded and five times mentioned in despatches in a long and distinguished career that saw him in action on the North-West Frontier, on the Western Front and in Mesopotamia

The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, C.I.E., Companion’s 3rd type neck badge, gold and enamel; The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 1st type breast badge, silver-gilt, hallmarks for London 1919; India General Service 1908-35, 3 clasps, North West Frontier 1908, Waziristan 1921-24, North West Frontier 1930-31, M.I.D. oak leaf (Lieut. A. H. Burn, 59th Rifles (F.F.)); 1914 Star, with clasp (Capt. A. H. Burn, 59/Rfls.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Capt. A. H. Burn); General Service 1918-62, 2 clasps, Kurdistan, Iraq, M.I.D. oak leaf (Major A. H. Burn); Defence and War Medals 1939-45, the third and seventh with minor official corrections, very fine and better (9)
£2200-2500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Awards to the Scinde Rifles.

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C.I.E. London Gazette 9 September 1921.

O.B.E. London Gazette 3 June 1919.

Alexander Henderson Burn was born in February 1885, the son of Lieutenant-General James Burn of Bath, late Bombay Army. Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in January 1904, he entered the Indian Army in the following year, when he was appointed a Lieutenant in the 59th Scinde Rifles.

Present in both the Zakka Khel and Mohmand Expeditions of 1908, including the action at Kharga that May (Medal & clasp), he was advanced to Captain in January 1913 and, on the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, an Officiating Staff Captain to the Jullundur Brigade in France.

In January 1915, owing to heavy losses among its officers, Burn rejoined the 59th Scinde Rifles, and was himself severely wounded in the thigh at Neuve Chapelle on 12 March -one of four officers of the regiment wounded that day, and the only one to survive the War. He was invalided to England.

Rejoining his regiment in Mesopotamia as an Acting Major, he was wounded on two more occasions, namely in the fighing at Mohamed Abdul Hassan on 9 January 1916 and at Tekrit on 5 November 1917. He was awarded the O.B.E., the only such distinction given an officer of the regiment in the Great War, and twice mentioned in despatches (London Gazettes 27 August 1918 and 5 June 1919 refer), in addition to being the recipient of two kisses from ‘a fat and oily Arab sheikh’ on being the first to enter the town of Baquba. a source of much amusement among his men.

Such challenging incidents aside, Burn remained actively employed in the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force up until early 1922, and was present in operations in Kurdistan and Iraq (Medal & 2 clasps - one of just two such awards to the regiment), gaining the C.I.E. and another “mention” (London Gazette 9 September 1921 refers). And he added yet another “mention” to his accolades for his subsequent services in Waziristan in 1922-23 (clasp).

Advanced to Lieutenant-Colonel and appointed Commandant of the 6/13 Rifles in April 1928, he held command of the Razmak Brigade during further operations on the North-West Frontier in 1930 (clasp), prior to being placed on the Retired List as a Colonel in June 1934. He was, however, recalled in September 1940, for ‘special employment’.

Burn was a keen archaeologist, having collected a variety of antiquities during his time in India and Mesopotamia - some of which are now held by the British Museum - and in retirement he participated in a number of expeditions to Syria in the 1930s, the leader of one them crediting him as a trained archaeologist and fluent Arabic speaker who was invaluable colleague. He died in London in February 1949; sold with further details and research.