Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, to include the Brian Ritchie Collection (Part I)

The Scinde campaign C.B. pair to General Thomas Conway, 22nd Regiment, who commanded the Light Company of the 22nd in the defence of the Residency at Hyderabad, and was wounded at the battle of Meeanee

(a) Order of the Bath, C.B. (Military) breast badge in 22 carat gold and enamels, hallmarked London 1843, maker’s initials WN, complete with gold ribbon buckle

(b) Meeanee Hyderabad 1843 (Captn. J. C. Conway, 22nd Regt.) correctly engraved in the regimental style, fitted with replacement silver clip and bar suspension, overall light contact pitting, probably from uniform buttons, otherwise nearly very fine, the first good very fine
£4000-5000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Brian Ritchie Collection of H.E.I.C. and British India Medals.

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Thomas Sydenham Conway was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel J. Conway, H.M’s 53rd Foot, and was born in Berkshire on 7 January 1810. In April 1823, Colonel Conway, who had been induced to quit the Army on account of ‘the wants of a numerous family’, submitted a memorial to Field Marshal His Royal Highness the Duke of York, under whom he had served in Flanders and Holland in 1794, seeking a commission for his son in a regiment where private means were not de rigueur - ‘...That your Memorialist now humbly prays that it may please your R. Highness to direct that his son, Thos. Sydenham Conway, now of the age of 14, may be noted for commission in H.M. S[ervice] when he has attained the age of 16. Your Memorialist begs permission to add that his son’s education is studiously directed to make him in every branch useful in His M. Service .... J. Conway. Late Lieut. Colonel 53rd Regt.’

The Colonel’s memorial being successful, young Conway was commissioned Ensign in H.M’s 22nd Regiment of Foot, without purchase, on 14 February 1828, and promoted to Lieutenant on 16 April 1831. In May 1833, he accompanied his regiment to Jamaica where he was appointed Adjutant, and, on 9 December 1836, he was advanced to the rank of Captain, this time by purchase. In May 1841 he proceeded with his corps to India.

In early 1843 Conway took part in Sir Charles Napier’s conquest of Scinde. While Napier was occupied with the destruction of the fortress of Emaum Gur situated deep in the Great Eastern Desert in January, Conway, commanding the Light Company of his regiment, was detailed to provide the escort for the Resident of Hyderabad, Major James Outram, who continued to seek a peaceful means by which the British could extract redress from the Amirs of Scinde following their hostile conduct during the First Afghan War. Outram’s efforts in this direction were, however, in vain as events confirmed on 15 February.

‘At about eight o’clock in the morning’, Conway afterwards reported, ‘large masses were seen moving from Hyderabad towards the Residency, which on nearer approach turned out to be bodies of horse and foot with elephants and camels carrying gingalls.’ The Residency, surrounded by mud walls no more than five feet high, being ‘a large paste-board looking house’ was ‘little adapted for a fortress, with an enclosure for pet deer in the garden.’ Nevertheless, it now fell to the Light Company of the 22nd to hold the compound against attack by an enemy 8,000 strong and equipped with artillery (London Gazette 11 April 1843).


Holding their fire against the repeated Baluchi onslaughts until the last minute, the soldiers of the 22nd contained the enemy for three hours, dashing from post to post pretending to be more in number than they were. At about 11 a.m., Outram announced that he needed another hour in which to destroy the Residency papers. Thus the defence continued until Outram gave the word to abandon the place on the grounds that the ammunition was about to run out. This Conway, perhaps in questioning Outram’s resolve, later maintained was false, stating that in fact his men still had some sixty rounds apiece. However, harried by the Baluchi artillery and carrying their dead and wounded with them, the Escort commenced its retreat over the marshy ground to the Honourable Company’s Vessels, Planet and Satellite, moored five hundred yards away on the Indus, and in which they ultimately effected their escape up river to join the main body of Napier’s troops.

Two days later, Conway marched out with Napier’s force of 3,000 to meet the Baluchi main army of 30,000 men entrenched in a dry river bed at Meeanee. At 1,000 yards from the enemy position Napier drew up his force in echelon of battalions with his twelve guns flanking the 22nd on the right. With Napier and his staff in the lead, the force advanced to within two hundred yards of the Baluchis and deployed into line, preparatory to charging the enemy’s centre. At the river bank the 22nd momentarily faltered before flinging themselves into the mass of the enemy. After three hours of desperate struggle, Napier ordered his cavalry to charge the enemy’s flank, and seeing them crashing through the Baluchi guns, and into the enemy’s rear, the 22nd redoubled their efforts, gradually forcing their opponents to retreat from the field. In this ‘soldier’s battle’, the 22nd lost twenty-four killed and fifty-eight wounded including Conway, who was slightly injured. Following the British victory at Meeanee, the Scinde Amirs surrendered, with the notable exception of Shere Mohamed who was attacked and defeated by Napier on 24th March at Dubba, on the outskirts of Hyderabad. In this last action Conway’s regiment sustained over half of the total British casualties of 270. For his services in the conquest of Scinde, he was created a Companion of the Bath, and was mentioned in the despatches of Major Outram and Sir Charles Napier.

In 1844-45, Conway was employed in the southern Mahratta country under Major-General Delamotte and was present at the investment and capture of Punella on 1 December 1844. He was promoted Major by Brevet in July 1843 and went home in July 1845, but returned to serve in India between July 1849 and January 1852. On 14 July 1854, he was appointed Lietenant-Colonel in the Grenadier Guards, with whom he served until being placed on Half Pay in 1864. Conway retired on 7 June 1880 with the Honorary rank of General, and died in London at 19 Bury Street, St. James’s.

Refs: WO 76/210; WO 31/615.