The Cabul 1842 medal awarded to Lieutenant Edward Webb, 38th Native Infantry, who was one of the five officers who volunteered to remain at Cabul as hostage in December 1841; he became a Colonel and was made a C.S.I.

Cabul 1842, with ‘Victoria Regina’ obverse (Lieut. E. A. H. Webb. 38th N.I. Qr. Mr. S.I. Force.) fitted with replacement swivel-ring floreate suspension with integral bar inscribed ‘CAUBUL’, good very fine £1,000-£1,400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals - The Property of a Gentleman.

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Edward Arthur Harvey Webb was born in London on 15 April 1814, and was educated by ‘Dr Hudson, Bath’. He was nominated a cadet for the Madras Infantry and passed E.I.C. Selection Committee on 4 April 1832. He then passed as Ensign on 13 December 1833; arrived at Madras on 11 July 1834; was made Lieutenant on 11 June 1838; and made Quartermaster and Interpreter to his corps, 38th Madras Native Infantry, on 11 June 1839. Webb’s services were then placed, on 17 July 1840, at the disposal of the Government in India for employment in the service of H.M. Shah Shooja-ool-Moolk, and he was subsequently appointed Quartermaster to Shah’s 6th Light Infantry on 24 July. On 29 December 1841 he taken as one of the hostages at the insurrection at Cabul, but was released from imprisonment in Afghanistan on 21 September 1842. Afterwards, Webb followed the force under Major-General Sor John McCaskill to the Rohestan and was present at the capture of Istalif. When he got back to India in November 1842, he rejoined his regiment, 38th N.I.. Webb was promoted Captain on 13 December 1848; Major on 21 September 1859; Lieutenant-Colonel on 18 February 1861; was appointed C.S.I., in June 1869; granted furlough to Europe on 6 July 1871; and was placed on Colonel’s allowance from 18 February 1873.

Lieutenant Webb took his beer tankard into captivity and put a notch in it for each day in captivity - 266 of them. This very tankard can be seen on display in the National Army Museum, London.

Sold with research and a photograph of his tankard.