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

The Indian Mutiny medal to Mr A. H. Bryson, ontime Sergeant Major of the 16th Lancers, a civilian volunteer acting as Sergeant of the Volunteer Cavalry at Chinhut, and killed in the subsequent defence of Lucknow

Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 1 clasp, Defence of Lucknow (Mr. A. H. Bryson) slightly later impressed naming, fitted with contemporary silver ribbon brooch, lightly toned, extremely fine
£2000-2500

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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Alexander Bryson, a member of the Uncovenanted Civil Service and a former Sergeant-Major in the 16th Lancers, was one of the 160 civilians who were co-opted to serve in the original Defence of Lucknow. Shortly before the Lucknow Residency was besieged, Sir Henry Lawrence raised a body of Volunteer Cavalry, composed of unattached officers, clerks and others. The key men of this unit were the commanding officer, Captain Radcliffe (qv) of the 7th Bengal Light Cavalry, his second-in-command, Captain Boileau, and Alexander Bryson who acted as ‘Sergeant’. On 29 June 1857, Sir Henry Lawrence received reports of the enemy’s presence at Chinhut, ten miles from Lucknow and sent out the Volunteer Cavalry to reconnoitre. The astute rebel commander Barkat Ahmad threw out piquets around Chinhut and although these were quickly driven in, they could not be pursued, and no information could be gleaned as to the enemy’s numbers. However, a small party of five of the Volunteer Cavalry, namely Lieutenant C. W. Campbell (qv) of the 71st N.I., Bryson, Private Sampson (formerly of H.M’s 32nd), and two Native Officers of the 7th Bengal Light Cavalry, spotted eighteen rebel sowars breaking from a wood. It remained impossible for them ‘to restrain their ardour, and gallantly dashing at them as hard as they could, pursued them for about five or six hundred yards. Our men then returned to Lucknow, without having accomplished the chief object of their expedition, viz, to ascertain what the number of the enemy really was’.

Accordingly next day, when Lawrence decided to meet the rebels with a force of some 600 men he did so without any fore knowledge of the enemy’s strength. Barkat Ahmad, with at least five thousand rebels under his command, deceived Lawrence into thinking the rebel forces were retreating at his approach, and lured the British on. The Volunteer Cavalry, numbering some 36 sabres, were ordered forward to charge a body of 400 rebel sabres blocking the road to Chinhut, which they did ‘right gallantly’. The rebel horse turned and fled and the Volunteer Cavalry pursued, crashing into the rebel skirmishers who were now leading a concerted attack on the British right and successfully driving back Lawrence’s infantry and guns. The British fell back, exhausted by the stifling heat and reeling before a fanatical enemy. Occasionally however the artillery and Volunteer Cavalry checked the enemy’s advance (notably at the Kokrail Bridge, cƒ. Capt. C. W. Campbell, Lot 96), but overall the retreat fast developed into a rout. One of the Volunteer cavalrymen, Sequera, gave his horse to a wounded man, and indeed ‘every other cavalry Volunteer was encumbered with two, three, and even four foot soldiers, one perhaps holding his hand, another laying fast hold on the crupper, the tail of the horse, or on the stirrup. Thus each of that noble body individually was the means of saving the life of more than one European comrade, and collectively they saved the whole force’ ... ‘The Volunteer Cavalry every now and then faced right about, and then proceeded on, their sergeant, Mr Bryson, being at least twenty yards in their rear and coming on at a gentle trot only. Several of them took firelocks out of the hands of the 32nd, and discharged them at the enemy.’

During the defence of the Residency itself, Bryson was assigned to Sago’s Post, and especially distinguished himself when a religious fanatic bearing a green standard broke through a gateway at the head of a party of Sepoys and matchlockmen, and nearly succeeded in overrunning the Financial Post and Sago’s. ‘Both garrisons were almost entirely defended by non-military men; and Mr Bryson, of Sago’s and Mr Knight of the Financial, the Sergeants of their respective garrisons, kept the enemy in check for some time, till Lieut. McCabe with a small detachment of the 32nd, reinforced ... All behaved well and gallantly; but among those who most distinguished themselves were Messrs. Bryson, Lawrence, Sequera, Knight, Anthony, Wharton, Chick, Capper, Barsotelli [qv], and Jeoffroy’.




Amidst the hardship and danger there were lighter moments at which harboured luxuries were shared out. L. E. R. Rees, the merchant from Calcutta, recorded a notable dinner given by the Freemasons on St. John’s Day. ‘We sat down about twenty, the Worshipful Master, McGrennan, presiding, and his Senior Warden, Bryson, acting as croupier. Seeing everyone happy and delighted with the present, all philosophically forgetful of the future and the past, the thought suddenly came over me, “How many of us, now enjoying the champagne and claret, which is profusely passing round, will be alive three months hence?” It was an ominous thought. Before the beginning of October, nine of our party were killed, and three lying grieviously wounded in hospital. There were no songs sung but speeches were delivered without number. The healths of the Royal Family, of Sir Henry Lawrence, of Sir Hugh Wheeler and his gallant band of heroes, who were then still holding out, of Capt. Alexander [qv] and the Artillery, of Colonel Inglis and the 32nd, and of almost everyone present were drunk; and appropriate speeches, of course made thereon, especially by Mr McGrennan. If good wishes would have preserved life and given prosperity, what calamities would have been averted.’

Of the nine who did not live to see October 1857, Mr Bryson was one, and, on 19 July, it became Rees’ sad duty to record the death of this most vigorous old soldier and defender of Lucknow. He later wrote ‘Poor Bryson, one of my best friends here, shot dead through the head. His poor wife is distracted, and treasures up his last words. He left her this morning gay and jovial, as he always was, and jestingly told her, when she begged of him not to expose himself too much, that the bullet had yet not been moulded that was to hit him. The fire constantly kept up on his garrison, and particularly on the narrow passage which leads up to the Judicial garrison, was so hot that his body could not be moved for many hours, for the evening was bright with a clear moonlight. McGrennan, a friend of ours, however, proposed that a party of volunteers should carry his body to the hospital, expressing his conviction that no bullet could hit us while engaged in such good work. And so we carried him up the steep passage slowly and carefully, and bullets fell all around but never touched us. Poor Bryson, he was a noble and gallant fellow, an excellent husband, a fond father [one of his four children also died during the Defence], and a staunch friend. A practical philosopher, he was always gay and smiling, hospitable and kind to all. As Sergeant of the Volunteer Cavalry, and every day during the siege, he behaved as a gallant and true-hearted volunteer should.’

Refs: History of the Indian Mutiny (Kaye & Malleson); A Personal Narrative of the Siege of Lucknow (Rees).