Indian Mutiny, Central India and Abyssinia pair – 95th Derbyshire and 4th (Kings Own Royal) regiments.

Description Indian Mutiny, Central India and Abyssinia pair – 95th Derbyshire and 4th (Kings Own Royal) regiments. Indian Mutiny,clasp, Central India, Thos Faulks 95th Regt; Abyssinia, 1527 T. Faulks 1st Battn 4th The K.O.R. Regt. (Mounted on card for display) Thomas Faulks as born in about 1832 in Waltham near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire.  He was the son of James Faulks, an agricultural labourer, and his wife Mary (nee Penistone).  The 1841 Census shows the family living in Waltham on the Wolds. When Thomas attested, the 95th were serving in the Crimea, a campaign which was to result in the regiment suffering severe casualties.  The regiment’s overall losses in the Crimea were 637 dead and 462 invalided out. Thomas was amongst the men of the 95th who embarked for the Cape of Good Hope in June 1857.  Within days of arriving in September 1857, the regiment was sent on to India to help suppress the Mutiny that had begun there. The 95th Regiment had been home from the Crimea for less than a year when it was ordered overseas again, this time for service at the Cape of Good Hope.  The 95th embarked at Kingstown with the left wing, commanded by Major J.A.R. Raines sailing aboard the hired transport the “Polmaise” on the 18th June 1857.  The Headquarters, together with the light and grenadier companies under Lieutenant-Colonel H. Hume C.B. sailed on the 26th on the transport “Beechworth”. During the week between the sailings, new of the Mutiny in India reached England and both the Polmaise and the Beechwood were diverted to India, landing at Bombay in October.  On arrival, the regiment was involved with mutineers who had been arrested, Major Raines presiding over their court martial.  One was transported for life but the other two were sentenced to death by being blown from the muzzles of guns.  The sentences were carried out on the 13th October in the presence of the “mutinously inclined regiment” with the 95th providing a large armed presence to keep the peace. After some more local policing, the 95th started its march through Central India in early 1858, the regiment coming together completely in February.  Over almost a year and a half, the battalion marched around 2500 miles carrying out its part of the Central India campaign. During this campaign the 95th took part in a series of actions including: 6th January 1858 – Rowa The 95th stormed the fortified village of Rowa and it was there that Private Bernard McQuirt was to win the 95th’s first Victoria Cross which he earned for gallantry in saving the life of Captain McGowan who, after being first into the village, had become separated from his men.  McQuirt was shot through the arm and received 5 sword cuts: he was one of 3 men severely wounded in this action 22nd – 30th March 1858 – Kotah Kotah was a large fortified city in Rajputana where the mutineers had fortified a portion of the town near the Palace. A significant force under Major-General Roberts was assembled to besiege the mutineer’s positions which were stormed on the 30th.  It was at Kotah that the 95thcaptured the Ram that accompanied the regiment throughout the rest of the campaign and started the tradition of the Ram as the regimental mascot.  The storming cost the 95th one officer and two other ranks killed 25th – 28th May 1858 – Chundaree After a long and gruelling advance on the town, the 95th were to find that the forces had been withdrawn. 17th June 1858 – Kotah-ki-Serai The 95th were engaged at the battle of Kotah-ki-Serai along with a number of other units including the 8th Hussars and the 1st Bombay Lancers and suffered 7 casualties (1 officer and 6 other ranks).  Brigadier Smith in his report of the action said “I have only to add that I cannot speak too highly of the steady and soldierlike conduct of both the officers and men of the 95th Regiment and of the 10th Native Infantry, who, though exhausted by fatigue and want of food, stormed the heights under a burning sun and a heavy fire”. 19th June 1858 – Gwalior Imperial forces including the 95th came together on the 18th June in anticipation of the battle for Gwalior which commenced in earnest on the 19th.  The fighting around Gwalior lasted a total of 4 days, the 95th suffering 1 killed and 17 wounded.  5 officers, the Regimental Surgeon and 4 other ranks were mentioned in despatches. 21st August 1858 – Powree 1 officer and 1 private were wounded during the operations relating to the storming and destruction of the fortifications at Powree.  The garrison was known “to have consisted of some of the most guilty and formidable of the mutineers” and men were sent in pursuit, the force consisting of men from the 95th, the 8th Hussars, the 10th Bombay Native Infantry and the 25th Bombay Native Infantry. 5th September 1858 – Beejapore In the battle at Beejapore, the Company of the 95th led the attack as dawn broke.  Many of the enemy were killed and their forces chased from the field.  Lieutenant Fawcett was killed and two men wounded, one of whom died. 14th November 1858 – Koondrye This was the last action of the Mutiny in which the 95th was engaged as a battalion. Although this was the last full battalion action for the 95th, detachments were to see action at Sandwaho, Kownee, Pertabghur and the demolition of the fort of Narghar.  Some mopping-up operations followed and at Jamnir the Brigade with which the 95th had served was broken up, its work done. The three medal rolls submitted by the 95th contain a total of 777 names.  On the 2nd August when, at Poona, the medals with the “Central India” clasp were presented to the regiment by General Sir William Mansfield K.C.B. 14 officers and 527 men received their awards In 1861, the records show that Thomas was serving with the 95th and was stationed at Poona in India. In December 1867 Thomas transferred from the 95th to the 4th (King’s Own) Regiment with which he was to take part in the British Expedition to Abyssinia,  was a rescue mission and punitive expedition carried out in 1868 by the armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian/Abyssinian Empire. Thomas and his regiment returned to England and at Aldershot on the 11th July 1873 he was discharged on account as having been found unfit for further service due to chronic rheumatism.  It was recorded in Thomas’s discharge papers that the disease was attributable to military service in a tropical climate. His condition had difinated (grown bigger / become worse) in the change of climate in the winter of 1870-and his constitution was noted as being greatly enfeebled. Thomas’s discharge had come after a total of 18 years and 19 days service of which he had spent 13 years and 7 months in India and 5 months in Abyssinia.  His conduct had not, to say the least, been exemplary and was rated only as “Good”.  During the course of his military service Thomas was to earn Good Conduct badges on no less than four occasions but to lose them three times.  His name had appeared 10 times in the Regimental Defaulters Book including one trial by court martial.  He was noted to have the “medal for Central India with the clasp for Central India” and the medal for Abyssinia. In July 1905, Thomas and others from the Veterans association attended the ceremony when King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and in 1908 he was amongst the Veterans to be treated to a day out which included a show by Poole’s Myriorama. The 1909 Regimental Annual of the Sherwood Foresters notes that Thomas died on the 1st October 1908, the Sheffield Evening on Friday 2nd October carried the news (See images) Condition – Although nicely toned both medals are GVF NOTE: Sorry we cannot accept payment by PayPal for this item, We can accept payment by Credit / Debit Card, Bank Transfer or Cheque.