Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The important Boer War medal to Hon. Lieutenant Dost Muhammad Khan, Bahadur, O.B.I., I.O.M., I.D.S.M., 18th King George’s Own (Tiwana) Lancers, recipient of the only Order of Merit for the Boer War, awarded for his gallantry at Sanna’s Post in March 1900

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Paardeberg, Driefontein (1706 Dafedar Dost Mslid Khan, 18th B.L.) note transcription error in spelling of part of his name, suspension claw tightened, edge bruising and contact marks, otherwise nearly very fine £500-700

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals formed by the late Alan Wolfe.

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Order of Merit 3rd Class G.G.O. 875 of 1901: ‘No. 1706 Sowar Dost Muhammad Khan 18th Bengal Lancers, was admitted to the 3rd class for conspicuous gallantry in action at Sanna’s Post, South Africa, on the 30th March 1900, on which occasion he, under a heavy rifle fire at close range, went with Lieutenant A. G. Maxwell to the assistance of a trooper of Roberts’ Horse, whose horse had been killed, and helped him to mount and retire with the rest of the corps.’

Dost Muhammad Khan was the only man to win the coveted Order of Merit during the entire Boer War. Typical of the harsh treatment to which many medals have been subjected over the years, in and en route to the bazaar in India, the top three of its original six clasps have been broken off or removed from the Q.S.A. which should have clasps for Cape Colony, Paardeberg, Driefontein, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, and Wittebergen. Additionally it has become separated from his outstanding and substantially larger group of medals. He enlisted in March 1896 and first saw service in the Samana operations and with the Tirah expedition on the Punjab Frontier in 1897-98 (Medal with 3 clasps). As one of the relatively small number of Indian soldiers who served in South Africa during the Boer War, he uniquely won the Order of Merit for gallantry at Sanna’s Post (Queen’s medal with 6 clasps, King’s medal with 2 clasps). He was a member of the 1902 Indian Coronation Contingent (Medal) and further distinguished himself in 1908, by winning the Indian Distinguished Service Medal for services with the Consular Guard at Isphan, in Persia. He attended the Delhi Durbar in 1911 (Medal) and served during the Great War, being awarded the Order of British India 2nd class in 1917 for services in France (1914-15 Star, British War and Victory Medals).

Dost Muhammad Khan was made Honorary Lieutenant upon his retirement on 5 April 1921, and had served as Aide-de-Camp to the Commander-in-Chief, India, from October 1916.