*An Interesting C.I.E. Group of 4 awarded to Superintendent Francis Erskine Dempster, Indian Telegraph Department, comprising; The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, Companion’s neck badge in gold and enamels, 36mm width, with neck riband and clasp; Afghanistan, 1878-80, no clasp (Asstt. Supdt. F. Dempster. Indian Tel: Deptt); India General Service, 1854-1895, single clasp, Chin-Lushai 1889-90 (Asstt Supdt F. E. Dempster. Indian Tel: Deptt), officially erased and re-engraved; India General Service, 1895-1902, single clasp, Relief of Chitral 1895 (Supdt F. E. Dempster. Indian Tel: Deptt); Group loose, lightly toned, the first with small marks to reverse, generally good very fine. Superintendent Francis Erskine Dempster, C.I.E. (b.1858) was the son of Captain H. L. Dempster, Madras Artillery. Educated at Edinburgh Academy and at Cooper’s Hill College, he joined the Indian Telegraph Department in 1878. His saw service in the Second Afghan War, 1878-80, during the Chin-Lushai Expedition of 1889, and during the Chitral Expedition of 1895, where he was in charge of Field Telegraphs with the Chitral Relief Force. He rose to the rank of Superintendent of Indian Government Telegraphs, and was Deputy Director of Telegraphs in India. He was a member of the Imperial Legislative Council, and lived in Calcutta. In 1883, he married Susan, daughter of the late George Stuart (‘The Indian Biographical Dictionary, 1915’ refers)(4)
Estimate: £1200-£1500