Description
Cabul 1842, Private Miles Reilly, 13th Regiment of Foot, Somerset Light Infantry, one of the hero defenders of Jellalabad, who died on service in October 1842 whilst marching back through Afghanistan.
“The Defence of Jellalabad, situated amid scenery of wild and savage grandeur, against an undisciplined but desperate enemy, who used his rude implements of war with deadly prevision, will ever excite the highest admiration, and the British nation owes a lasting debt of gratitude to Major General Sir Robert Sale, and the gallant band of heroes composing the garrison. These successes, contrasting so forcible with the unforeseen disasters at Cabool, which partook more of the character of a hideous dream than of stern reality, may well make the 13th refer with honest pride to the part they bore in these achievements.” – The 13th Foot’s Regimental History recalls.
A posthumous issue, impressed in the exact typical style of the 9th Foot: “Miles Reilly 13th Regt”
Provenance ex DNW, 26th September 2018.
Good preserved condition, with original clip and bar suspension, now slightly rusted.
As noted in previous sales, this medal has been neatly “Edge prepared prior to naming” a practice used before stamping the rim with impressed naming, other medals to the 9th Foot that feature this style of impressing have this same effect.
The Cabul 1842 medal predates “Official Impressing” as was later done a few years afterwards for the China 1842 medal and onwards.
Cabul medals were received unnamed and named in the prevailing style of the regiment that issued them, however Pte Reilly was already dead by the time of issue, having died on 18th October 1842.
Therefore his medal did not get named in the usual naming style of the 13th Foot, and it has been instead impressed in the recognised style as seen on medals to the 9th Foot.
The font style is identical in every way to this style of naming, making it a very unusual example of a posthumous 13th Foot Cabul issued after his death being “officially” named in a recognised style, but not that typically seen to the regiment due to this.
A comparison picture has been attached comparing it to a surviving impressed 9th Regt Example
According to research done previously, looking to be from a dig through the Muster and Pay Lists:
Private Miles Reilly, first attested for service with the 13th Foot at Chatham, during March 1839.
He was probably too late to have fought in the Siege of Ghuznee likely being part of some reinforcements that joined them in the Afghanistan War.
He served in Afghanistan, and was present during the Siege of Jellalabad, aka Jalalabad, as part of Captain Hamlet Coote Wade’s Company.
The 13th Foot had fought in Cabul before being forced into a retreat, taking refuge in the fort at Jellalabad, where they were under siege from 12th November 1841 – 7th April 1842.
As soon as they fought their way out in the famous Final Sortie, this coincided with the arrival of General Pollocks “Army of Retribution” the 13th Foot joined up with the Army and went back into Cabul to fight out the rest of the war where they earned this “Cabul 1842” medal.
He died just as the campaign was wrapping up and the men were marching back through Afghanistan, ‘Died in the line of march, 18th October 1842”.
At the time he died, the Regiment had returned to Cabul and left there on 12th October, that night the regiment had lost Lieutenants Scott and Frere who “fell victim to the fatigues and vicissitudes of the campaign”.
The regiment was forced into a number of skirmishes on its return through Afghan Territory on the way back to India.
They had reached Jellalabad, the scene of their gallant defence earlier that year on 24th October.
Based on the date of his death, being 18th October 1842, Pte Reilly failed to survive the difficult march back, like many others of the regiment who succumbed to the campaign.
Once the men returned to India, they were lauded as heroes, and were presented with the freshly minted “Mural Crown” Jellalalabad Medals in mid December 1842, as Pte Reilly was since dead, he likely never got to share in the celebrations he rightfully earned and the medal, one of the great regrets of Lord Ellenborough was that the medals were only awarded to survivors.
