Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A very scarce H.E.I.C. Officer’s M.G.S. medal, awarded to Colonel H. G. Jourdan, 10th Madras N.I., attached to the 59th foot, who was wounded during the assault on Fort Cornelis on 25 August 1811, where the 59th sustained the brunt of the casualties; Jourdan afterwards held temporary command of the regiment during the Arakan campaign in 1825

Military General Service 1793-1814, 1 clasps, Java (H. G. Jourdan. Lieut 10th Madras N.I.) minor edge nicks, otherwise nearly extremely fine and extremely rare to unit £2,200-£2,600

Only 46 Military General Service Medals awarded to soldiers of the H.E.I.C., the vast majority Bengal who supplied a large number of troops. Just 12 medals were issued to the Madras Service (all ranks), the Madras only supplying men on attachment or Staff.

Henry George Jourdan, 10th Madras Native Infantry was born in Spitalfields, London on 1 June 1784, his father being a weaver. He joined the Madras service as a Cadet in 1804 and was promoted Lieutenant on 17 July 1805, in the 10th Madras Native Infantry. Seconded to the Quartermaster General’s Department in 1810, he was reported to be on survey duty on the Borar Frontier 1809-10, in particular survey marches of the Poona Subsidiary Force through country unexplored by troops. Rejoining the 10th N.I. in February 1811, he was selected to take part in the Java expedition. It seems the Imperial Regiments may have been under-strength in Officers, as five other Madras Officers were attached to British Regiments during the expedition, with Lieutenants Jourdan and Lowe being attached to the 59th Foot.

During the invasion of Java, the 59th Foot - along with the 14th Foot and a battalion of Bengal Volunteers - formed part of the Right Brigade under Colonel Gibbs. The 59th were conspicuous for their gallantry at the storming of Fort Cornelis, where they assaulted the enemy guns by the point of the bayonet, but were attacked by an enemy column advancing on their left flank. The attack was driven off but not before the Regiment took a large number of casualties. Indeed, during the battle the 59th Foot suffered a higher number of casualties than any other regiment; 5 Officers and 44 other ranks were killed, and 11 Officers and 107 other ranks were wounded, including Lieutenants Jourdan and Lowe of the Madras service. Only one of the wounded 59th Officers survived to claim their Military General Service medal.

It is unknown whether Jourdan was back with the 59th for the Invasion of Palambang; however, after the close of hostilities, Jourdan and a number of other particularly qualified Officers were to stay on in Java in various posts; Jourdan being appointed Resident at various locations. In 1813 he is noted as Local Resident at Surakarta; he was the first resident at Probolingo in 1814; and he is noted in the same position at Passourouang from 1815-16. He seems to have been back with his regiment in 1817 and was brought to the favourable notice of the Madras Government for his service in Java, being recommended for advancement.

Jourdan was granted 3 years’ furlough to England in 1819 and was promoted Captain on 14 May 1821. He took part in the Burma War 1824-5, his regiment taking part in the Arakan Expedition as part of the 5th Infantry Brigade (Medal with Clasp. The Colonel of the 10th Madras Native Infantry commanded this Brigade and in his absence, Captain Jourdan commanded the regiment during 1825. Of this particularly hard-fought campaign its was said:

‘The Arakan was a strange territory and no one had studied the difficulties of warfare in the fever infested jungles, made doubly dangerous by the monsoons, swamps and inundated rice fields checked any advance, while an unseen enemy dealt death from stockade and tree. It was probably the first jungle battle experience for the British and Indian armies.’

Jourdan was promoted Major on 24 May 1828 and Lieutenant-Colonel on 6 July 1833, and again commanded the Regiment in the absence of its Colonel between 1828 and 1835. He retired from the Service on 16 February 1836, and was promoted to the honorary rank of Colonel on 28 November 1854.

Colonel Jourdan died at Westbourne Park on 10 November 1860, aged 77. During his entire service his regiment had been the 10th Madras Native Infantry, and later became the 10th Gurkha Rifles.