Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Cabul 1842 (Jn. Lemon 31st Regt.) regimentally impressed naming, fitted with original steel clip and bar suspension, edge bruise, otherwise good very fine £360-£440

John Lemon attested for the 31st Regiment of Foot at Manchester on 5 July 1820 and embarked with the right wing of the 31st Foot for Bengal in the East Indiaman Kent in late February 1825.

On 1 March 1825, in heavy seas in the Bay of Biscay, an oil lamp was accidentally dropped into the hold of the Kent, setting fire to some spirits leaking from a cask. The fire took hold and spread rapidly. With hopes of saving the vessel swiftly vanishing, the officers and men of the regiment preserved the utmost order in the face of almost certain death. Providentially, the brig Cambria of 200 tons under the command of Captain Cook appeared on the scene.
In his report of 4 March 1825, Cook writes, ‘... we discovered a large sail to the westward, and on approaching found her to have a signal of distress flying, which induced me immediately to render every assistance in my power, and on nearing, found her to be on fire.
About 3 p.m. being then on her bow, we succeeded in getting the first boat from the vessel ... with troops and passengers amounting to 637 souls. From 3 to 8 p.m. the boats were constantly employed in bringing the people to the Cambria and succeeded in saving 296 officers, non-commissioned officers and privates of the 31st Regiment, 46 women and 52 children appertaining to ditto, 19 male and female private passengers and Captain Cobb and 139 of the crew, amounting in all to 553. The flames now becoming exceedingly fierce, I could not urge the sailors again to return to the ship, nor deem it at all prudent for the preservation of lives already on board my vessel to remain longer near the Kent, expecting her instantly to blow up. By accounts since made it is supposed that 68 soldiers, 1 woman, 21 children and 4 of the crew were left when Captain Cobb quitted the vessel, whose conduct during the trying occasion is beyond my humble praise, displaying the greatest coolness and intrepidity, and by his exertions, and those of Colonel Fearon, the commander of the troops, who were last to quit, the women, children and passengers were got into the boats; and they did not leave themselves until their influence to induce any more to go into them was useless.
At 2 a.m. the Kent blew up after being completely enveloped in flames for four hours previously.... I feel the greatest gratification in stating that the gentlemen and their Cornish miners, in all 36, with my crew, 11 more, behaved throughout the trying period with the greatest kindness in getting the people from the boats, soothing their sufferings, giving up their own clothes and beds to the women and children, volunteering to go into the boats ... and leaving nothing undone to make them as comfortable as the limited size of my brig would allow. It would be pleasing also could I speak as highly for the crew of the Kent, but I cannot refrain from expressing my disappointment of their conduct (in which I am borne out by Captain Cobb) derogatory in every respect to the generally received character of a British seaman - by refusing to return to the Kent for the people, after the first trip, and requiring my utmost exertions and determination to compel them to renew their endeavours to get out the soldiers, passengers, and the remainder of their own shipmates, who were left behind; and it was only by coercive measures, in conjunction with my own crew and passengers, and telling them I would not receive them on board unless they did so, that they proceeded, though reluctantly, in their duty.’

Lemon was one of the survivors, and subsequently sailed for India in the East Indiaman Lord Hungerford. He served for the next 17 years in India, and died in service at Ferozepore on 20 December 1842.

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