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Crimea Sebastopol 90th Regt

Crimea Medal, bar Sebastopol, Officially impressed: “J. Bounds 90th Regt” a Defender of Lucknow who was sent to an Insane Asylum following the Indian Mutiny and did not receive his medal

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SKU: J6170 Category:
Origin: United Kingdom
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Description

Crimea Medal, bar Sebastopol, Officially impressed: “J. Bounds 90th Regt” a Defender of Lucknow who was sent to an Insane Asylum following the Indian Mutiny and did not receive his medal.

 

Joseph Bounds was born in Ravensthorpe, Northampton during 1827. He enlisted for service with the 90th Light Infantry at Dublin aged 27 on 5th December 1854.

 

He served overseas for 6 month at Malta, 1 Year in Crimea and 2 years in India.

 

He served in the Trenches at Sebastopol during the Crimea War and during this time was once tried and imprisoned by Court Martial for insubordination from 18th January 1855 until 12th March 1855.

 

The regiment continued on after Crimea to the Indian Mutiny. He was part of the ‘First Relief Force’ of Lucknow which fought bravely in close quarters hand to hand combat to take control of the British Residency, only to be encircled and became the besieged at Lucknow.

 

His service during the war earned him the Indian Mutiny, 2 bars for Defence of Lucknow and Lucknow, but his is noted on the list of “medal returned to the mint” and does not appear to have been issued to him.

 

On 11th December 1860 he was discharged from service, the medical officers report simply stated “A Lunatic in Bow Asylum”

 

His sad fate is presumably a result of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder resulting from the harsh wars he fought.

 

Following the Crimean War there was an increase in the number of soldiers as well as a corresponding increase of “Discharged Military Lunatics” as such the Government entered into an agreement with the Asylum at Bow to pay for the treatment of a number of ex soldiers.

 

By 1860 when he was committed the Asylum housed 118 Ex-Soldiers paid for by the Central Government.

 

By 1867 the Asylum consisted of the Original Mansion at Grove Hall, Fairfield Road, Bow, and various Wards and outbuildings which had been added. Half the inmates were private patients, with the other half being paupers. In the Male Wing there were 257 patients, of whom 216 were mentally ill soldiers. They were looked after by 15 day attendants and 1 night attendant.
The patients were well looked after, provided with entertainment and dances in the wards. In the summertime groups of patients numbering from 60 to 70 were taken for picnics in Epping Forest

 

Further information on the hospital Grove Hall Lunatic Asylum