Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Ghuznee 1839 (Qr. Mr. Serjt. Jn. Terry. 4th. Troop Boy. H.B.) naming engraved on edge, original suspension but ‘hinge’ now fixed with solder, nearly very fine £400-£500

Dix Noonan Webb, December 2013.

John Terry was born in 1810 and resided in Liverpool. A stationer, he attested for the Army of the Honourable East India Company on 27 October 1830, embarking for India aboard the Marquess of Huntley on 21 January 1831. Posted to the Bombay Artillery, he was transferred to the 4th Troop, Bombay Horse Artillery, rising through the ranks from Corporal to Riding Master Sergeant. Originally raised in Poona, India, No. 4 Troop served in Afghanistan under the command of Captain T. E. Cotgrave, taking part in 177 marches encompassing a total distance of 2,194 miles. An excellent diary account of these marches and the ensuing battles and skirmishes can be found in the Narrative of the March and Operations of the Army of the Indus.

Recorded on the muster of 1 October 1844 as Quarter Master Sergeant at Camp Poona, Terry re-enlisted for a further 5 years on 27 October 1847, at the end of which he was pensioned at his own request, following 21 years and 4 months of service. He received 2 rupees, 12 annas, and 1 paise in prize money for Ghuznee, returning home aboard Earl of Hardwicke on 26 June 1852. With civilian life in England proving unappealing, Terry joined the Ambulance Corps at the start of the Crimean Campaign. Sent initially to Turkey, he died at Varna, Bulgaria, on 7 July 1854, most likely from sickness associated with polluted water and unsanitary conditions.

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