Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Honorary Major-General O. Hamilton, Bengal Staff Corps

Punjab 1848-49, no clasp (Captain, 7th Bengal Cavy.) naming officially re-engraved in running script; Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 1 clasp, Delhi (Captain, Pay. Mr. & Suptt. of Native Pensioners Haupper Circle) naming officially engraved in running script, first with some contact marks, very fine and better (2) £500-600

Octavius Hamilton was born on 15 February 1821, the 8th son of Lieutenant Augustus Barrington Price Hamilton, R.N. He was educated privately at Boulogne, France. Entering the Bengal Army, he joined the 7th Bengal Light Cavalry in 1839. He then commanded a detachment of the 9th Bengal Irregular Cavalry on the Scinde Frontier in 1844 and held that appointment until 1845. He was then appointed Commissioner for the Scinde Frontier, 1845-47, and in 1845 served in the campaign under Sir Charles Napier against the hill tribes of Scinde. In 1847 he returned to the Army and served in the Second Sikh War as Sub Assistant Commissary General to the Field Force under Sir H. Wheeler. Hamilton was promoted to Captain in 1851, Major in 1858, Lieutenant-Colonel in 1863 and Colonel in 1870. Appointed A.D.C. to H.E. Sir William Gomm in 1854, he held this post until October the following year when he was appointed Superintendent and Paymaster of Native Pensioners. He was employed as such until March 1866 when he was appointed Divisional Paymaster, Meerut Circle. In May 1857, during the Indian Mutiny, the Pension Pay Office being necessarily closed, he volunteered his services to Major-General Hewitt commanding the Meerut Division and was appointed Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General with orders to form an Intelligence Department. On 27 May he left Meerut with the force commanded by Brigadier A. Wilson and was present at the actions on the Hindun River for which he was mentioned in despatches. On 7 June Wilson’s force joined with that of Sir H. Bernard Hill, K.C.B. The following day, Hamilton was present at the battle of Badlie-ke-Serai, had his horse killed from under him and was again mentioned in despatches. He then served at the siege of Delhi as D.A.Q.M.G., attached firstly to the Artillery and latterly to the Cavalry. In August 1857 he was forced to leave the siege because of illness and thus was absent in the assault and capture of the city. For his services in the Mutiny he was awarded the brevet of Major. Copied correspondence indicates there was some delay before his claim for the Indian Mutiny Medal with clasp for Delhi was allowed. At the same time that he received his Indian Mutiny Medal it is likely that he received a replacement and renamed Punjab Medal to replace his original, probably lost in the confusion of the Mutiny. Colonel Hamilton, 2nd Bengal European Cavalry, retired from active service on 1 August 1875 and on 23 October the same year was given the honorary rank of Major-General. The General died on 14 August 1904.

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