Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Havildar Mir Afzal, 20th Duke of Cambridge’s Own Infantry (Brownlow’s Punjabis), who was killed in action at Kut in September 1915

India General Service 1895-1902, 1 clasp, Punjab Frontier 1897-98 (68 Sepoy Mir Afzal 20 D.C.O. P.I.); China 1900, no clasp (68 Sepoy Mir Afzal 20th Pjb. Infy.); 1914-15 Star (No. 68 Havr. Mir Afzal, 20/Punjabis.); British War and Victory Medals (68 Havr. Amir Afzal. 20 Infy.) together with Bronze Memorial Plaque (Mir Afzal) nearly very fine or better (6) £300-£360

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the Collection of Peter Duckers.

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Havildar Mir Afzal Khan was killed in action in the battle of Kut on 28 September 1915. He was the son of Nazir Khan, of Tora Bera, near Pindigheb, in the Attock region of the Punjab, and is commemorated on the Basra War Memorial.

In the general advance under Townshend towards Baghdad, the 20th Punjabis were at Qaleh Salih in July and were part of the forward concentration at Ali Gharbi on 1 September. By 16 September they were at Sannaiyat. They then took part in the general attack on the Turkish positions near Es Sinn, south of Kut (battle of Kut) on 28 September 1915. The 20th Punjabis were part of General Hoghton’s right flanking force which was to attack the series of Turkish redoubts to the left of their fortified positions. This column went too far to its right to encircle the Turkish left and was late coming into action. The 20th were in the leading column of attack throughout the flanking movement and was exposed to severe artillery and rifle fire from a Turkish counter-attack before the force assaulted and took the Turkish redoubts from the rear. Havildar Mir Afzal was killed during this action.