*The Rare Army of India Medal awarded to Captain James Burn, 59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Foot, who as Acting Brigade Major of the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, was severely wounded as part of the storming party of the 59th during the Siege of Bhurtpoor on 16 January 1826. Reaching the rank of Captain, he later joined the 4th (The King’s Own) Foot in 1839 as Paymaster before to emigrating to Australia c.1849 upon his retirement, comprising: Army of India, 1803-1826, short-hyphen reverse, single clasp, Bhurtpoor (Lieut. & Actg Adjt James Burn, 59th Foot.), court-mounted on card for display, with original delivery letter & envelope with wax seal, lightly toned, a few very light hairlines, otherwise good extremely fine and lustrous, extremely rare with original letter and envelope. Captain James Burn was born on 17 December 1791 in Watten, Caithness, Scotland. He entered the 59th Foot as Ensign (by purchase) on 1st October 1811 and was promoted to Lieutenant (without purchase) on 16 June 1813. He served in the Eastern Islands, including at the taking of Macassar, Island of Celebes, on 7 June 1814 as Lieutenant and Acting Quarter Master. Served in the Mahratta Campaign of 1817-1818 as Lieutenant with the Flank Company, under the Marquis of Hastings, and was present at the siege and storming of Bhurtpoor as Lieutenant and Acting Adjutant. On the day of the storming of the city (16 January 1826), he was Acting Brigade Major of the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, under Lord Combermere. The 2nd Brigade, of which the 59th formed the storming party, led the attack, during which Lieutenant Burn was wounded in action. According to ‘Medals of British India, Volume Two, Part III’ by Puddester, seven companies of the 59th Foot (alongside the 31st Bengal N.I. and 100 Sirmoor Gurkhas) attacked the left breach in the Long-Necked Bastion. Serving constantly in India and the East Indies since his original commission, he finally returned to England with his regiment on 28 June 1829. He was placed on Half-Pay with the rank of Captain on 19 December 1834, and was soon after appointed Paymaster with the 4th (King’s Own) Foot on 6 February 1835, serving in this position until retiring to Half-Pay on 26 January 1849. He appears to have emigrated to Australia and was living in Sydney in 1851 when he claimed his Army of India Medal. He died there on 14 March 1875. Ex Glendining, June 1993

Estimate: GBP 2000 - 2500