Orders, Decorations and Medals

Four: Private W. Chalmers, 71st Highland Light Infantry

Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (No. 3702 W. Chambers (sic), 71 Hd. Lt. Infy.) engraved naming; Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 1 clasp, Central India (Wm. Chalmers, 71st Highlanders Lt. Iy.); India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Umbeyla (3702 W. Chalmers, H.Ms. 71st Regt.); Turkish Crimea 1855, Sardinian issue (No. 3702 Willm. Chalmers, 71 Hd. Lt. Infy.) fitted with ‘British Crimea’ style suspension, note spelling of surname on first, edge bruising and contact marks, good fine and better (4) £600-700

William Chalmers was born in Whitburn in the County of Linlithgow. A Tailor by occupation, he attested for the 71st Regiment at Edinburgh on 4 February 1854, aged 18 years. Posted to the Crimea, he saw service at the siege of Sebastopol. With the regiment during the suppression of the Indian Mutiny, he saw action at the attack on Fort Mahighur. Later still, during November 1863, as part of the Yusafzai Field Force, the regiment took part in the stiff fighting to retake ‘Crag Picket’. Chalmers was finally promoted to Corporal in April 1872, having been promoted to that rank and then reduced to the ranks twice before in his military career. He was discharged at Netley in 1875, aged 39 years. With a quantity of copied research, including discharge papers, roll extracts and regimental history extracts.