Beschreibung:

An Impressive Afghan and Indian Campaigns Group of 4 awarded to Major-General Henry Pelham Burn, 4th Bengal Native Infantry, Honourable East India Company, who served in the Afghan Campaign of 1840-2 at the siege of Jellallabad, and during the Mutiny of 1857-8 was present at the siege of Delhi and granted the position of Military Governor upon its fall. He personally interrogated the great Mughal court poet Mirza Azadullah Khan Ghalib - but aware of his fame and importance he provided him safe passage to his home, thus helping to ensure the survival of his own correspondence and writings from that time, comprising: Jellalabad Medal, 1841-2, 2nd ‘flying victory’ type reverse, with contemporary replacement gold suspension and top bar, Cabul Medal, 1841-2, ‘CABUL 1842’ type reverse, with contemporary replacement gold suspension and top bar (Sub Ast Comy Gen Capt H. P. Burn Regt Native Infantry) Punjab Medal, 1848-9, no clasp, with silver ‘claw’ top bar (Bt Major H. P. Burn, 1st Bengal N.I.), Indian Mutiny Medal, 1857-59, single clasp, Delhi (Col H. P. Burn, 4th Bengal Eurpn Regt); the first unnamed, the second engraved in a running script, the third and fourth officially impressed, medals with reverse pins for wear, group mounted singly on velvet in a dark wood frame for display, mounted beside his sons medal (below). Lightly toned, surface marks from wear and polishing, a few spots of discolouration and some light traces of lacquer in places, otherwise very fine, and a pleasing combination of medals. Sold with the medal awarded to his son: INDIA GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL, 1854-95, single clasp, Burma 1885-7 (Captn H. P. Burn 1st Bn Rif. Brig.) officially engraved in a running script, with reverse pin for wear. Lightly toned, a few light marks and hairlines, a little discolouration in parts, otherwise good very fine. (5) Major-General Henry Pelham Burn (1807-1882) was born on the 18th of November 1807, the son of John Burn of Kingston, East Lothian, Scotland, and the great-nephew of Major-General William Burn (1745-1814 HEIC) after whom Burn Bastion was named in Old Delhi, on the walls north of the Kabul Gate, and who had successfully conducted the defence of the city against attacking Mahratta forces in October 1804. Henry Pelham Burn joined His Majesty’s Honourable East India Company as an Ensign with the 1st Bengal Native Infantry on the 16th of August 1824 at the age of 16, being promoted to Lieutenant in May 1825, Captain in July 1837, and was reputedly selected for service personally by Sir Claude Wade in the First Afghan War of 1839-1842. He was present at the siege of Jellallabad and the defeat of Akbar Khan, and then at the re-occupation of Cabul, being rewarded with a Staff appointment with the military audit department. He later served in the Anglo-Sikh War of 1848-9 and was made Brevet-Major, and was for a time Deputy-Adjutant General. At the time of the Indian Mutiny Lieutenant-Colonel Burn was attached as Field Officer to Brigadier-General John Nicholson’s Brigade, and was present at the siege and subsequent fall of Delhi, for which he was mentioned in despatches (15.12.1857) as having ‘earned the approbation of the Government’. He was appointed the city’s Military Governor, which marked his last and most important role, whereupon he was given the ‘Sword of Delhi’ which was taken from one of the sons of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah, (which remained in the family as an heirloom before its generous repatriation in 1957). As mentioned above, he also interrogated the famous poet Mirza Azadullah Khan Ghalib, and creditably sent him home safely. Having been brought before Colonel Burn, and appearing in a Turkish-style headdress, Burn, being somewhat bemused, asked him in simple Urdu “Are you a Muslim?” to which Ghalib replied simply “Half.” Rather confused, Colonel Burn asked “What does that mean?” and in response Ghalib replied “I drink wine, but I don’t eat pork.” Despite his position, he was unable to stem the wide