Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 1 clasp, Central India (Surgn. J. Ewing, 95th Regt.) good very fine £500-£600

John Ewing was born on 24 December 1816, son of Surgeon John Ewing. He qualified M.R.C.S. in 1840 and was appointed Assistant Staff Surgeon on 21 May 1841, and the following month was appointed Assistant Surgeon to the reserve battalion of the 97th Foot. After service at Malta he was, in March 1848, transferred to 1/97th Foot and left for Nova Scotia the following July. He was promoted to Staff Surgeon 2nd Class on 12 March 1852, and served in the Crimea from November 1854, and was attached to the 95th Foot from September 1855 to June 1856. He was present at the siege of Sebastopol (Medal with clasp and Turkish medal).

Surgeon Ewing accompanied the 95th to India and served with it in the suppression of the Indian Mutiny and was at the siege and capture of Kotah, the battle of Kotah-ke-Serai and the general action resulting in the capture of Gwalior (Medal with clasp).

He exchanged to the Staff on 13 May 1859 and was appointed Surgeon to the 62nd Foot on 25 May 1860, and promoted to Surgeon-Major on 21 May 1861. He became Deputy Inspector-General on 7 December 1865, and Deputy Surgeon-General on 7 December 1867, on duty at Manchester. He retired on half-pay on 28 April 1876, and died in London on 27 July 1889.

Sold with copies of two letters from Surgeon Ewing, dated 23 March 1855, from the Barrack Hospital, Scutari. The first concerns his report after inspecting the vessel Avon which was carrying casualties from the Crimea to hospital. The second concerns the vessel Belgravia, in which Surgeon Ewing states: ‘I regret that it is not in my power to answer the list of questions you enclose relative to the sick which arrived here onboard the Belgravia transport. The sick had left the ship many days before your letter was written, and when I disembarked on the 27th January, it was to be admitted into this hospital as a patient labouring under fever. Under these circumstances, being unable to look after my own affairs, my notes and memorandums were lost.’