The Rare and Impressive 'Maiwand' D.C.M. and L.S.G.C. Group of 4 awarded to Sergeant Frederick Lovell, 66th (Berkshire) Regiment, the senior N.C.O. of his regiment to be decorated for gallantry at the bloody and hard-fought Battle of Maiwand, Afghanistan, on 27 July 1880. He was presented his D.C.M. in person by Queen Victoria on 17 August 1881 alongside just 4 other men at a special parade at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, comprising: Distinguished Conduct Medal, V.R. (Sergt. F. Lovell, 66th Foot.); India General Service, 1854-94, single clasp, Perak (1980. Private. F. Lovell. 1/3rd Foot.); Afghanistan, 1878-80, single clasp, Kandahar (B/1503. Sergt F. Lovell 66th Foot); Army Long Service and Good Conduct, V.R., small letter reverse (1503. Sergt. F. Lovell. Rl. Berks: R.); Group mounted in order as originally worn, old cabinet tone, some contact marks and minor nicks, otherwise very fine or better, and rare (4) Sergeant Frederick Lovell (1852-1937) was born in October 1852 at Lane End, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and worked as a Labourer prior to his enlistment with the 3rd Regiment of Foot on 16 June 1870, at the age of 18. As recorded in ‘Maiwand – The Last Stand of the 66th Berkshire Regiment in Afghanistan, 1880’ by Stacpoole-Ryding, Lovell departed for service in India on 31 December that same year, joining the 1st Battalion at Seetapore in Bengal. He served with this battalion at Nyntal, Benares, Fort Chunar, Dum-Dum, Calcutta and Cawnpore, later taking part in the Perak Campaign of 1875-76. Soon afterwards he joined the 66th Foot, although sadly we do not know when (his service records state ‘Original sheet lost at Maiwand’).Rising to the rank of Sergeant, he marched with the 66th Foot from Bombay to Karachi in December 1878, continuing onwards to Kandahar in March the following year. The 66th soon after was selected to form part of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division, Kandahar Field Force, which after an initial period of relatively quiet service (Lovell spend 8 days in hospital with bronchitis) was sent in early July to join the Girishk Column led by Brigadier-General G. R. S. Burrows. This force was despatched to shore up the Wali of Kandahar’s own force in the face of an attack by the army of Ayub Khan, however the Wali’s forces mutinied on 14 July and were duly dispersed by Burrow’s force at Girishk. Now lacking any meaningful Afghan support or essential supplies, the combined British and Indian force soon realised that they must face Ayub Khan’s much larger force of cavalry, infantry and artillery alone. Burrows, in the meantime, received orders that his force must face Ayub Khan at the first opportunity – despite being heavily outnumbered (British intelligence estimated, conservatively, that the enemy might muster 36 guns, 6,000 infantry and an unknown number of cavalry, against their own 1,500 infantry, 500 cavalry and 6 guns). Having positioned themselves at the strategic location of Kushk-i-Nakhud, they sought to meet the enemy in battle in the following days, despite struggling in the scorching heat by day, in the bitter cold at night, and lacking much by way of forage, food and supplies.After a 13-mile march in the heat - recorded at 120 degrees in the shade - the day of battle came on 27 July, 1880, at Maiwand, where the British encountered a much larger force than anticipated (estimates ranged from 12,000-22,000 infantry & cavalry), on an open plain surrounded on three sides by hills in a carefully prepared battleground where the enemy held every advantage. The main body of the 66th (15 officers and 343 men) formed up on the extreme right of the British line, with the Headquarters Group and Regimental Colours just behind, maintaining a fast and disciplined fire upon the advancing enemy. Elsewhere, one officer and 42 men of 66th had been very recently ‘converted’ to temporary artillery gunners in order to serve with the make-shift smooth-bore battery of recently captured guns, and a final reserve of men (4 officers and 63 men) from ‘G’ Company of the 66th under Captain Quarry were tasked with defending the baggage train, ammunition, and temporary hospital station in a nearby nullah, alongside several other detachments of cavalry and men.The battle commenced in earnest between late morning and midday, and as the less-experienced men of 30th Bombay N.I. (Jacob’s Rifles), lacking water, hungry, under fire, and short of ammunition, suffered withering losses from Afghan artillery and gunfire until they finally broke ranks at around 2.30pm - 3.00pm, the chaos from which spread in turn to the 1st Grenadiers, leading to the famous fighting withdrawal of ‘E’ Battery, R.H.A. who attempted to ‘save the guns’ as their positions were overrun. With general chaos beginning to descend, and suffering their own losses in the line, the men of the 66th had no choice but to lead a staged retreat under fire, forming temporary squares with much hand-to-hand fighting. Breaking into two main groups, the larger first group, under Lieutenant-Colonel Galbraith, moved towards the settlement of Khig and across the Mundabad ravine, where the men of the 66th and a complement of Bombay Sappers and Miners and other survivors from the Bombay Grenadiers began a series of ‘stands’ within defensive walled gardens and houses, making every shot count in desperate close-range and hand-to-hand fighting that followed against the pursuing Afghan soldiers. Over time, this party (of approximately 150 men) was steadily whittled down to a final group of just 11 fighting men. The third and final ‘last stand’ was fought with remarkable discipline, bravery and tenacity, defending their two regimental colours until every round was spent, being finally cut down, to a man, facing their enemy.Meanwhile, the second group of men from the 66th, beat a fighting retreat towards their reserve position where additional men, ammunition, baggage, and wounded were located, en route to the second nearby settlement of Mundabad. As part of this second group, and with the fighting continuing, the remaining British forces (including Sergeant Lovell, most likely of ‘G’ Company) began their long and hard-fought 30-mile retreat towards Kandahar, with stragglers and wounded being harassed and picked off continuously by Afghan horsemen and soldiers until their arrival the next morning. All told, the Berkshires suffered the loss of 216 men killed and 28 wounded in the main battle (over two-thirds of their men in the fighting line), with an additional 45 men having been killed, missing, or died from heat or lack or water during the long retreat to Kandahar.At Kandahar, Sergeant Lovell and the other survivors of the 66th, two-thirds of whom were wounded, were set immediately to the defence of the city, which was now under siege by Ayub Khan’s emboldened forces. Now under the command of Major Charles Oliver, the 66th played their part undertaking guard duties, often under fire, at the Eadgah Gate which remained open to the north of the city. This continued between 28 July and 31st August, upon the arrival of Sir Frederick Roberts, with whom they were able to finally defeat Ayub Khan on 1 September, 1880, at the Battle of Kandahar.Sergeant Lovell returned to England with his regiment on 19 January 1881 (ten years since his departure to India), and was the most senior of the five men subsequently honoured with the award of the D.C.M. which included Lovell himself, Private Edward Battle, Lance-Corporal John Martin, Lance-Corporal Frederick Williams, Private Charles Kidgell, and Private William Clayton – accompanied by, remarkably, ‘Bobbie’ the dog, a regimental mascot of sorts, who had survived the entire ordeal alongside them despite taking a wound. The medals, recommended by the Commander-in-Chief, H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, were presented personally by Queen Victoria at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight on 17 August 1881, in recognition of their gallantry at Maiwand. Regrettably, we do not have access to the specific citation behind Lovell’s specific award – although ‘The Second Afghan War 1878-1880 Casualty Roll’ by Farrington’, in its section on gallantry awards, states that his award was specifically for ‘Maiwand’ and not for ‘Maiwand and Retreat’ – apparently placing his particular act of gallantry squarely within the context of the battle itself. Nonetheless, following this historic ‘reverse’ and the loss of both regimental colours of the 66th at Maiwand (and similarly those of the 24th Foot at Isandhlwana), it was decided that regimental colours would not be taken into action, or on active service thereafter.‘Fred’ Lovell married his partner Annie Holman on 4 March 1882, and continued on ‘home’ service in England and Ireland with the 66th for an additional ten years until his discharge in 1891 – whereupon he immediately re-enlisted with the Army Service Corps at the rank of Barrack-Sergeant. He received his discharge on 31 March 1896 at the rank of Barrack Colour Sergeant receiving his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal that same year. He latterly took up the appointment of Barrack Warden, a position in which he continued until 1906. Genealogical research shows that he died on 13 January 1937 at Mylor, Cornwall, as reported in the ‘West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser’ on 21 January that year (‘Old Campaigner’). The article also mentions his medal group specifically during his funeral, stating that his ‘coffin was draped with the Union Jack, and on top lay the deceased’s medals [this group], and a cypress wreath.’Incidentally, two of his sons later served with the regiment, and one, Frank Lovell, was killed in the Great War on 25 August 1914 – serving as a Sergeant, like his father, in the 1st Royal Berkshire Regiment.Ex Brian Ritchie Collection, D.N.W., 23 September 2005, lot 102 (£15,000 hammer)

Estimate: GBP 20000 - 30000