Beschreibung:

The Brian Ritchie Collection of H.E.I.C. and British India Medals The Indian Mutiny medal to Doctor John J. Halls, Civil Surgeon, one of the gallant defenders of Arrah in 1857 and author of the best contemporary account of the affair Indian Mutiny 1857-59, no clasp (Dr. John A. Halls) note incorrect second initial, extremely fine and very rare £2000-2500 Footnote John James Halls was born on 1 September 1820. Educated at Canterbury (B.A. 1842) Halls qualified as M.R.C.S. in 1846 and F.R.C.S. in 1850. He was appointed an Assistant Surgeon in the Bengal Service on 10 June 1854, and posted as Civil Surgeon to the District of Shahabad on 16 April 1855, where he became register of deeds and Marriage Registrar on 2 February 1856. At the outbreak of the Mutiny, Doctor Halls was stationed at Arrah, a small town not far from Dinapore in the District of Shahabad. It was subsequent to the outbreak at Meerut and the massacre at Delhi that the European inhabitants of Arrah realised that they too were at great danger. On the 9th of June a meeting of the male Europeans was held at the magistrates house whereby it was decided to evacuate the women and children to Dinapore, where the presence of 600 men of H.M’s 10th Regiment would ensure their safety. That evening, the ladies and children were embarked in the guard-boat and conveyed by river to Dinapore, accompanied by Mr Vicars Boyle, the resident railway engineer. However, for the most part, all the remaining non-official males also ‘made the best of their way, some by boat, some on horseback, to Dinapore, carrying with them a formidable battery of double-barrelled guns and revolvers.’ Thus the party at Arrah was reduced to just six officials, subsequently joined by three railway engineers, including Vicars Boyle upon his return from Dinapore. These six, Mr Littledale (the Judge), Mr Coombe (the Officiating Collector), Mr Wake (the Magistrate), Mr Halls (the Civil Surgeon), Mr Colvin (the Assistant Magistrate) and Mr Field (the Sub-Deputy Opium Agent), all moved into the Judge’s house which they left by day to carry on their public business as usual, and by night to patrol the town in turn, accompanied by a force of native police and watchmen. When, on the 25th of July, news was received that the native troops at Dinapore had mutinied and were headed for Arrah, the Europeans moved to Mr Vicars Boyle’s residence which, defying the sarcastic comments of his colleagues, he had fortified by bricking up the veranda arches and placing numerous sandbags against the walls. To augment the large supply of rice, grain, biscuits, water, brandy and beer already stored there, they brought with them a few dozen cases of port and sherry, which belonged to Doctor Halls, and settled into their little fortress. Here they were joined by the Muslim Deputy Collector, two native servants, six Eurasian volunteers, and fifty Sikhs, recently arrived from Patna in charge of treasure, whose loyalty they were obliged to take on trust. No sooner had they bricked themselves up in the building than the mutineers arrived in Arrah, looted the Treasury of 70,000 rupees, broke open the gaol and, joined by the prisoners, guards, and hundreds of bandmashes, charged down upon Boyle’s two-storeyed fortified building, ‘shouting like demons and firing as fast as they could’. This first attack was held off but, as Doctor Halls recorded, very much to the surprise of the defenders: ‘The first rush of the vast force was certainly the most fearful: and, judging of the feelings of others by my own, I suspect few of us had much hope beyond that of selling our lives as dearly as possible. Indeed, had the rebels had the pluck to advance, they might have kicked down our defences, or have scaled the walls and overwhelmed us by their weight of numbers. Fortunately, however, they had not; and, when this their first attack had been repulsed, our hopes began to revive, especially as we all escaped providentially without a wound, and expected that