Description
East and Central Africa Medal, bar 1898, 1195 Private Akhter Buland, 27th Bombay Infantry, 1st Baluch Light Infantry, Indian Army.
Officially engraved: “1195, Pte. Akhter. Buland, 27/Bom: Inf:”
Confirmed on the medal roll, which notes his service against the “Ogaden Somalis” and that at the time of the medals claims in later 1899 they were stationed at Karachi.
Only about 163 “1898” clasps awarded to the 27th Bombay Infantry for the Ogaden Somali Rebellion.
Particularly good preserved condition example.
Having only briefly visited East Africa during the 1868 Abyssinia Expedition in nearby Ethiopia, in the late 1890s, the Indian Army saw their first prolonged posting to East Africa being deployed into the Uganda Protectorate.
The British authorities in the region only had access to a small contingent of local Militia men from the recently formed East Africa Rifles in 1895, and bringing in a British Regiment would have taken a long time by ship so it was decided the ready to deploy Indian Army could get there faster via the Arabian Sea, and were more adaptable to the hot climate and conditions.
One of those ready battalions was the 27th Bombay Infantry.
The 27th Regiment (1st Baluch Battalion) of Bombay Light Infantry would become the sole recipient of the Battle Honour “British East Africa 1897-99”.
“In the late 19th century, the British took over control of area now forming Kenya and Uganda and declared it as the British East Africa Protectorate.
However, despite harsh measures, they faced stiff resistance from the local princes and chiefs. In 1897, the situation took a serious turn in areas now forming Uganda, when the Sudanese troops of the local militia mutinied and killed their British officers.
In December 1897, the 27th Regiment (1st Baluch Battalion) of Bombay (Light) Infantry (now 10th Battalion The Baloch Regiment of Pakistan Army) under Lieutenant Colonel WA Broome was despatched to East Africa to quell the rebellion.
After a tough anti-insurgency operation lasting for a year, the situation was brought under control by January 1899, and the battalion returned to Karachi in May.
During the campaign, the battalion suffered 56 casualties. For its services in the campaign, the Baluch battalion was awarded the Battle Honour of ‘British East Africa 1897–99’ in 1901. The Battle Honour is unique to this unit.
In 1922, when the Regimental Group System was adopted by the British Indian Army, the battalion was redesignated as the 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary’s Own) 10th Baluch Regiment, and the Battle Honour was extended to all the battalions of 10th Baluch Regiment.”
THE 1898 CLASP
This clasp was issued to a small force under the command of Major Walter Quentin, who fought against the Ogaden Somalis under Sultan Ahmad Bin Margha, when they rebelled in the region during the 1898 “Uganda Mutiny”.
In total about 777 clasps were awarded to the 4th Bombay Rifles, 163 including this medal awarded to the 27th Bombay Infantry, along with an unknown number of assisting soldiers from the 1st Uganda Rifles, East Africa Rifles and the 46th Native Field Hospital.
The Mutiny lasted between about 12th April 1898 until 3rd October 1898, breaking out following the recently settling of the Uganda Mutiny, after months of campaigning, the Sultan surrendered and sued for peace.
The following letter sent by the Commanding Officer Walter Quention was published in the Englishman’s Overland Mail on 23rd June 1898 recalls the first few weeks of the expedition:
“SERVICE IN UGANDA.— Major Quentin, who commands the headquarters wing of the 4th Bombay Rifles in Uganda, writes to a friend from Turk Hill, Juba River, under date May 7:—“We are here hunting Ogaden Somalis, who have been giving a lot of trouble raiding and murdering the police, etc. We had a ten days’ expedition up to Lake Wama the other day—at least Ford, Bickford, Kilkelty, myself and 150 men went. We had very hard marching, but it was great sport, especially as we went to places hitherto unexplored by Europeans. We didn’t come up with any Somalis: the beggars always got khabar of our approach and didn’t wait for us. This is our headquarters at present. It is a hill on the banks of the river about ten miles from Kismayu port, about 300 miles north of Mombasa; so we are pretty well out of the world. I have just sent Stevenson with a hundred men to a place called Youte, about 12 miles further up the river. We are going to fortify it, and are gradually going to establish a chain of posts between this and Lake Wama. I am now only waiting for transport to be collected to start on an expedition up to Afmados, which will take us a month or six weeks, I expect, as it is about 150 miles. We are all very fit and going strong. This is a healthy climate, I think. I have never felt so well in my life. Not a man went sick or fell out on our ten days’ march.”
The end of the campaign:
“OGADEN EXPEDITION.
TERMS OF PEACE SETTLED.
Bombay, Oct. 13.
Further news from the Ogaden country in British East Africa states that Major W. Quentin, 4th Bombay Rifles, had been placed on the sick list at Camp Soyal, Jubaland, on the 14th August and that on the 18th idem he proceeded to Kismayu, leaving Major Evatt, commanding the 1st Battalion Uganda Rifles, in command of the Ogaden Expeditionary Force, and Captain C. L. Fry in command of the 4th Bombay Rifles. The sharp lesson that the enemy had received at the hands of Captain Fry appears to have had a wholesome effect, as on the 19th August the Sultan of the Ogadens and all the Chiefs came in and sued for peace. Mr. Jenner, the Political representative, then explained the conditions, which were that the Ogadens should within four days hand over 150 head of cattle and 150 goats as a preliminary measure in compensation for the property destroyed or looted by them at different times, and that all the rifles and arms captured by them should be returned, that further terms would be arranged by Sir Arthur Hardinge, the Commissioner, who was shortly expected. The Sultan agreed to these terms, but said that it would be impossible to collect all the rifles for some time, as they were scattered all over the country. He handed over two Martini-Henry, and one Snider rifle, this making five rifles returned out of forty demanded.”
