Orders, Decorations and Medals

India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1908 (Lieut. R. Rainsford Hannay, 45th Rattray’s Sikhs), good very fine £400-500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Bahadur Collection of Medals to Sikh Regiments.

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Collection

Ramsay Rainsford Hannay was born in April 1884, the son of Colonel R. W. Rainsford Hannay, of Creetown, Kirkcudbrightshire. Commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1904, he was appointed a Double Company Commander in the 45th Sikhs in June 1905, witnessed active service in the North West Frontier operations of 1908 and was advanced to Captain in August 1912. Gaining advancement to Major in the Great War, he served in Mesopotamia and was killed in action at Shatt El Hai on 1 February 1917, while commanding ‘B’ Company. He had been ordered to lead two bombing parties to clear the “Quadrilateral” feature of Turks, a task that was successfully accomplished, but on moving forward to the “Bank” feature, ‘the intrepid Captain Rainsford Hannay was killed, setting a grand example’ (The History of the 45th Rattray’s Sikhs refers). He was posthumously mentioned in despatches and is commemorated on the Basra Memorial.

Also see Lots 208 and 209 for the I.O.M. awarded to Havildar Kaka Singh, and the I.D.S.M. awarded to Havildar Kaka Singh, both for the gallant but costly action Shatt El Hai.