A scarce Afghanistan D.C.M. pair awarded to Lance-Sergeant William Heath, 67th Foot, for gallantry at Doaba in November 1879, when he was wounded and had his right leg amputated

Distinguished Conduct Medal, V.R. (Lce. Sergt. W. Heath. 67th Foot); Afghanistan 1878-80, 2 clasps, Charasia, Kabul (1475 Corpl. W. Heath, 67th Foot) contact marks, otherwise very fine (2) £4000-5000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to the Hampshire Regiment.

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D.C.M. submitted to the Queen 19 March 1880:

‘That Color Sergeant George Wheeler, Corporal William Heath, and Corporal Michael Woolley, of the 67th Foot, be each granted a Silver Medal for Distinguished Conduct in the Field, without Annuity or Gratuity on account of their gallant conduct in action near Doaba on 10th November 1879 when opposed to a very superior force.’

63 D.C.Ms. awarded for Afghanistan 1878-80, including three to the 67th Foot.

The following account of this action is given in the regimental history:

‘Near here [Nagalo on the Kabul river] on November 10th, Captain Poole’s company, out escorting foragers, met fierce opposition. The party was approaching a village, Doaba, some miles up-stream of Nagalo, expecting to obtain supplies but met the inhabitants retiring in confusion and alarm. Pushing on nevertheless, Captain Poole ran into several hundreds of tribesmen. Sending half his party back with his baggage animals, he and the rest took post to cover them and by effective shooting kept the Afghans at bay for over an hour. By then the enemy, taking advantage of good cover, were getting round his flanks and threatening his retreat. He therefore fell back through a narrow defile along the river, so closely pressed that he had to leave his dead behind and had much difficulty getting his wounded away. He was hit himself, but Lt. Carnegy took over and carried on, Corporal Woolley, whose marksmanship was notable, making a gallant but unsuccessful attempt to rescue a wounded man who fell into the river. Meanwhile a sowar had carried the news back to camp and Major Baker was hurrying to the rescue with two companies of the Sixty-Seventh, four guns and other troops. These arrived in the nick of time, the guns opening fire and checking an outflanking movement on the verge of success. Lt. Atkinson’s company of the Sixty-Seventh now pushed forward up the defile, the other troops advancing parallel to its right. The pursuing tribesmen now found the tables turned; crowded in the defile they gave the guns and the Sixty-Seventh’s Martinis good targets and were pressed back beyond Doaba, suffering severely, but the Sixty-Seventh had four killed and several wounded.’

William Heath was born at Freshwater, Isle of Wight, and enlisted into the 67th Foot at Portsmouth on 30 November 1869, aged 18 years. During his period of service he was 128 days in British Burmah and 6 years 57 days in the East Indies. He was discharged at Netley on 10 August 1880, in consequence of ‘Gun Shot wound right leg (Leg amputated) in action 10th November 1879 (Afghanistan)’.