Description
A poignant Ghuznee Medal of Irishman turned Jerseyman, Corporal Michael Doran, 17th Leicestershire Regiment.
In a long army career spanning 17 years, Doran spent over 5 years on service in the early days of Australia, where the 17th Foot were stationed as convict guards for Europeans who had been sent there to the Penal Colony and also as brutal enforcers protecting the Eupopean Colonists who were in the middle of the long standing “Frontier Wars” with the Aboriginal People of Australia, during his tenure under command of the cruel Commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal Colony (now known as the City of Brisbane), Captain John Oliphant Clunie, an Officer of the 17th Foot who had recently been sent to the Colony to replace his predecessor, the murdered “Founder of Queensland” Captain Patrick Logan, alongside a number of soldiers including Pte Doran, Clunie’s first job, was finding the dead body of the man who he was replacing, who had just been murdered.
It has been recorded that during this time the men of the 17th Foot were ordered to commit multiple atrocities and massacres against the Aboriginal people.
Ghuznee Medal, 23rd July 1839, Private Michael Doran, 17th Foot, additionally engraved in script with his battle honours.
Rim of the medal contemporarily engraved in upright capitals: “MICl DORAN 17th REGt.”
This style of naming seen on other medals to the regiment, including one we sold.
The reverse of the medal engraved in attractive running script with his battle honours reading: “Affghanistan Ghuznee Khelat”.
Replacement silver suspension bar fitted to the original suspension post which is still installed.
The 17th Foot is better known as the Royal Leicestershire Regiment.
With copy service papers, which also confirm his presence at Ghuznee.
His papers recall that he served 17 years 337 days in the regiment.
Of which 12 years and 9 months were overseas consisting of:
New South Wales, Australia, 5 Years 4 Months
The East Indies, 7 Years 5 Months
It then writes that he served:
“In the campaign of Affghanistan present at the storm and capture of Ghuznee 23rd July 1839 & of Khelat 13th Novr 1839”
Michael Doran, 17th Foot, was born circa 1805 in Armagh, Ireland.
He first enlisted into the 17th Regiment at Edinburgh on 29th November 1825.
He saw an unusual posting in that he was sent over with the 17th Foot to what is now Australia, he was there the entire time that the regiment served there from 1830 to 1836.
At the time it was the “Moreton Bay Penal Colony” now replaced by the City of Brisbane, it is recorded that during there stay the 17th Regiment were involved in the violent suppression of the Aboriginal People of Australia in aid of the European Colonists, and were noted as being involved in at least 2 documented instance of Aboriginal Massacre under command of Captain James Oliphant Clunie, 17th Foot.
Clunie had recently taken over the role from the freshly murdered Army Officer Patrick Logan, “The true founder of Queensland” who was a particularly cruel Commandant to the local convicts who were under his rule in the Penal Colony.
It is believed that he was murdered in an ambush by “a large armed group of Aboriginals” much to the joy of those imprisoned in the penal colony he ruled with an iron fist who sang all night from the prisons after hearing the news.
You can read about the infamous Captain Clunie in the Australian Biographical Dictionary here:
https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/clunie-james-oliphant-1907
On one occasion on Moreton Island, home to the Ngugi People on 1st July 1831, the Commandant of the Colony, Captain James Oliphant Clunie took a detachment of the 17th Foot and surrounded a Ngugi camp at dawn on the edge of the freshwater lagoon close to the island’s southern extremity, where they killed up to 20 of them.
George Watkins, would record: “Nearly all were shot down. My informant, a young boy at the time, escaped with a few others by hiding in a clump of bushes.”
The next year came another massacre, in late December 1832 on the neighbouring Island of Minjerribah, now known as Stradbroke Island or “Straddie”, 6 members of the local Nunukul tribe were also killed at the hands of Captain Cluie and the 17th Regiment, in a reprisal attack on for the alleged Aboriginal attack on a ship in the area.
The 17th would also be involved in other conflicts in Australia, at the time of the Mid 1830s, the Gringai People who lived in the valleys and hills to the north of Newscastle (NSW), were at war with the European Colonists who had settled there.
One day in 1835, in response to the murder of 2 Shepherds, the New South Wales Governor Sir Richard Bourke, ordered 50 soldiers from the 17th Regiment to proceed to the scene of the disturbance. The military operation was commanded by Major William Croker, and his directive from Governor Bourke was to vigorously suppress the resistance. Croker’s Men would return after a month in the disputed area.
Following there long service in Australia, they proceeded to India in 1837, and in 1839 would be deployed on active service in the First Anglo Afghanistan War.
This is where Michael Doran would earn this medal, for their participation in the Storming of the Citadel at Ghazni or Ghuznee, they would also take part in the Battle of Khelat in November 1839.
Michael would unusually have these Battle Honours engraved on the reverse of his medal.
During the campaign the 17th joined the Bombay Column of Sir John Keane’s force for the Scinde Campaign of 1838, which captured Hyderabad and Kuarrachee.
They then proceeded to Afghanistan to take part in the famous storming of the Fort of Ghuznee on 23rd July 1839, shortly after capturing Ghuznee the Army inflicted severe punishment on the Baluchi Khans of Khelat, in retaliation for their repeated attacks on British supply lines, after some fierce fighting in the surrounding hills, the walls of Kelat were stormed and the city was taken on 13th November 1839.
At the storming of Kelat the 2nd and 17th Foot were the only British regiments in a small force of 1261 men, the force took around 140 casualties, about one in seven men, the 17th losing 6 rank and file killed with 1 Captain, 3 Sergeants, 29 rank and file wounded, artillery were very effective in taking down the gates of the fortress as the 17th storming in, General Wilshire rode up to the 2nd Regiment waving his hat at full pace shouting, “Forward, Queen’s!” “Or the 17th will be in before you.”
Notably following his service in Afghanistan having spent the majority of his career as a Private he was promoted up to Corporal on 29th May 1842.
He was finally discharged on 11th June 844 in consequence of being “worn out by his service”
His conduct was said to be: “Character is excellent and he is in possession of 3 distinguishing badges.”
His papers recall on discharge that in 1874 his pension increased noting the issue to “Jersey S.O.”
It looks like Michael went to settle in Jersey, in the Channel Islands, a Marriage on 16th April 1853 can be found in St Luke, Jersey, where a 49 year old Michael Doran, a widower and “Pensioner” marries Elizabeth Truscott, 40 year old spinster.
