Beschreibung:

I have been given the privilege of presenting this cross to you as a token of Her Majesty the Queen Empress’ appreciation of the devotion shown by you to her sick and wounded soldiers in the Hazara campaign of 1888. It has often fallen to my lot to present decorations to English soldiers but, in the very nature of things, they have been chiefly for taking life. The cross that I have now the honour of presenting to you is an emblem of fairer fame, to commemorate dangers voluntarily faced and hardships endured for the sake of alleviating suffering and of saving life; and I am sure that all those gathered here tonight to show sympathy on the occasion of this ceremony will agree with me that England is not likely to fall from her proud position amongst the nations when her soldiers are as ready as they have ever proved themselves to face all dangers, and while her daughters even press forward to face the same trials, in order that they may be ready to extend help to those who are sick and suffering in their country’s cause. Self-abnegation, gentleness and kindness, under such conditions, are the highest forms of courage.’ General Sir George White addressing the gathered throng at Welchman’s R.R.C. investiture. An extremely rare Black Mountain expedition R.R.C. group of three awarded to Sister E. Welchman, Indian Medical Service, afterwards the wife of Lieutenant-Colonel T. C. Watson, V.C., Royal Engineers: among other duties, Miss Welchman undertook a two day journey with her senior, Miss Loch, an Indian soldier and a groom, camping out at night in hostile country - luckily, she and Miss Loch felt relatively secure, having been issued with revolvers, with which they ‘rather distinguished themselves at fifteen yards’ during instruction under Dr. Fawcett Royal Red Cross, 1st Class, V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, on Lady’s riband bow, in its Garrard & Co. fitted case of issue; India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Hazara 1888 (Sister E. Welchman, Indian Nursing Service); British Red Cross Society Medal 1914-18, together with a Queen Mary’s Nursing Guild enamelled badge, and Royal Engineers’ sweetheart brooch, in silver and enamel, with pastes, good very fine (5) £4000-5000 Footnote One of three R.R.Cs awarded for the Black Mountain Expedition and one of five India General Service Medal with Hazara 1888 clasp to members of the Indian Nursing Service; see Norman Gooding’s Honours & Awards to Women to 1914, for roll verification and further details. R.R.C. London Gazette 27 October 1891. The Military Nursing Service of India was instituted in 1888, when Lady Roberts, wife of the C.-in-C., drew attention to the need of skilled nursing for the British soldier in that country and the Government of India consented to the formation of an Indian Nursing Service. Accordingly, in March of that year, a band of eight nurses under the superintendence of Misses Loch and Oxley arrived in India - Miss Loch with five nurses, including Sister Edith Welchman, went to the military hospital in Rawalpindi and Miss Oxley with three sisters went to Bangalore. There they worked to establish a modern nursing system, overcoming prejudice, primitive conditions and the shortcomings of the untrained staff on hand. However, Miss Loch, as Senior Superintendent, received many letters of encouragement from Florence Nightingale who took a particular interest in the progress of the Service. And the detachment under Miss Loch became ‘blooded’ almost at once, for in September of the same year her band of nurses was ordered to Abbottabad, and thence the base hospital for the Black Mountain Expedition at Oghi, where, Miss Loch observed, ‘our troops having gone over the crest of the mountain, we could not see them but we heard shots and saw the smoke of burning villages’. Having then treated our wounded, Miss Loch and Sister Welchman were ordered to Darband, having to undertake a two day journey through hostile country, in the company of an Indian soldier and groom - Dr.