Awards to the Indian Army from the Collection of AM Shaw

A rare Indian Police Medal and Bar group of five awarded to Lieutenant T. M. Farmer, Bombay Police and Supply and Transport Corps

Indian Police Medal, G.V.R., for Distinguished Conduct, with Second Award Bar (T. M. Farmer, Sergeant, Bombay Police); British War and Victory Medals (Lt. T. M. Farmer); India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, Waziristan 1919-21 (Lt. T. M. Farmer, S.T.C.); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Iraq (Lieut. T. M. Farmer. S. & T. Corps), mounted as worn, some contact marks, nearly very fine (5) £2000-2500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Awards to the Indian Army from the Collection of AM Shaw.

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Indian Police Medal Gazette of India 1 January 1936:

‘On the 18th March last an excited and unruly mob of Muhammadans estimated to number twenty thousand attempted to take the body of a Muhammadan, who was executed for murder, in procession through the streets of Karachi. The density of the crowd made communication between the police at the graveyard and at headquarters most difficult and dangerous. Sergeant Farmer volunteered to get in touch with them and when information was received that the procession was actually approaching nearer the City, Sergeant Farmer proceeded in a car with a military officer, two Honorary Magistrates and a detachment of military and police in motor lorries to intercept it at a certain point. The head of the procession however had already passed the point of interception and the lorries conveying the military and police were forced to halt as they could make no headway through the dense crowd. Sergeant Farmer's car managed to go with the stream until it reached the head of the procession when the crowd stopped and stoned it, smashing the windscreen. Sergeant Farmer got out of the car to stop the attack and was struck with stones and sticks, and injured. Both the Honorary Magistrates also received injuries from stones, one in the ribs and the other a deep gash on the jaw. With the assistance of a plain clothes Inspector who happened to be on the scene the mob's attention was diverted, which enabled the driver to start up and drive away the car. Sergeant Farmer managed to drag himself into it amid a shower of stones and lathi blows. His action in facing the mob undoubtedly helped the party to extricate themselves from a very dangerous situation. His conspicuous courage and devotion to duty in the midst of an excited mob is worthy of the highest praise and recognition’.

Bar to Indian Police Medal Gazette of India 11 May 1940:

‘Sind. On 5th August 1939, at about 11 a.m. one Amir made a murderous attack on a prostitute near the Denso Hall in Karachi. A large crowd collected to watch the murderer, who kept on stabbing his unfortunate victim; but none dared to interfere. Sergeant Farmer, who was off duty but happened to be passing by in a gharry, heard the woman's screams and came to the rescue. Though himself unarmed the Sergeant pushed through the crowd grappled with the murderer and forced him to drop the knife. Having secured the murderer, the Sergeant rendered what first aid he could to the dying woman and sent her off to hospital in an ambulance. Sergeant Farmer's action in tackling a man filled with blood-lust and still engaged in stabbing his victim showed great courage and devotion to duty’.

Trevor Mervyn Farmer was born in India on 21 October 1892. By occupation a Dairy Farmer, on enlistment his father was listed as a Captain serving at Station Hospital, Lucknow. He declared previous service with the Simla Volunteer Rifles, 1906-08 and the Cawnpore Volunteer Rifles Mounted Corps, 1909-12. He enlisted into the 1/4th Battalion Dorset Regiment in February 1916 but appears to have been immediately transferred to the Supply and Transport Corps as a Sergeant. With the Corps he saw service in Mesopotamia during the Great War. In August 1918 he was discharged to a commission in the Indian Army and served with the 40th Mule Corps and later 62nd Pony Corps in Waziristan and later Iraq. His papers show he was fluent in Urdu and spoke colloquial Arabic, Bengali and Punjabi. Farmer married in June 1916 at Lucknow. Lieutenant Farmer was discharged in March 1921 and subsequently saw service with the Indian Police.

One of 20 recipients of the Indian Police Medal bar for gallantry - of which only six were awarded to Europeans.

Sold with seven ‘Bombay District Police’ buttons; also with copied m.i.c., military service papers and gazette extracts.