Ewbank's
Lot 3003
INDIAN MUTINY INTEREST Major General Charles Simeon Thomason (The first President of the Piobaireachd Society). 1857 Pattern Royal Engineers officers dress sword by Henry Wilkinson, Pall Mall, London. The slightly curved engraved blade (81.5cm) detailed 'Bengal Engineers', with a pierced gilt brass hilt, wire bound fish skin grip, brass scabbard, with red leather full dress sword belt with hangers, gilt lace facing, and gilt buckle.Provenance: By family descent ( Brigadier General William Thomas Clifford Beckett CBE DSO VD 1862-1956 Bengal married. Bessie Thomason Daughter of Major General Charles Simeon Thomason)Commissioned in the Bengal Engineers in 1852 he returned to India, the place of his birth, in 1854. On 11th May 1857 he was in a hospital just outside the walls of the city of Delhi, because of this he was one of the few to survive the massacre and managed to escape at night by dog cart, taking a few of the other patients with him, and using his knowledge of the local water courses to enable their safe passage through the enemy lines. For the next three months, often alone and under fire from grape shot and snipers, he went out to survey the area around the walls to aid in the preparations for the storming of the city. On 14th September he was one of the few engineers to survive the blowing up of the Kashmir gate. Note: You must be over 18 to purchase this item. Collection must be made in person or by arrangement with a delivery company that provides an age verification service. We do not provide a shipping service for bladed items.He is mention twice in the Diary and Letters of A.M.Lang'30 July.1857The enemy fired some shell and round shot very well at the elephantsworking at dragging trees in the grounds : one round came so close as Iwas on an elephant amongst a lot more, that I quite thought it was on us; only just over us it was. Meeting Thomason returning from surveying they had been trying grape on him - we got home to breakfast.' '31 July 1857This morning the firing being very heavy, four us went up to the Flag-Staff Tower. The alarm had been sounded from Hindu Raos. At this end, on the road below Flag-Staff Tower were Hodsons Plungers as his new Cavalry Regiment is called and the Jheend Horse. Went up to the Tower, The Horse Artillery officers there tried a gun (there are two light guns just under the Tower) at some Pandies who were out by Ludlow Castle. Thomason rode in, driven in from his survey by them. We came back to breakfast.' Condition Report: Blade is in good overall condition, hilt has minor signs of wear, mainly to the scroll, with and some oxidization to the inside, the scabbard has noticeable surface wear consistent with age and use, the sword belt is complete and in uncleaned condition.
