INDIA GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL

A FINE AND SCARCE INDIA GENERAL SERVICE, CLASP PEGU TO AN OFFICER OF THE BENGAL MARINE, WHO WAS MENTIONED FOR HIS SERVICE DURING THE DESTRUCTION OF A NOTORIOUS CHINESE PIRATES FLEET IN 1849 AND IN COMMAND OF ONE OF PHLEGETHON’S CUTTERS DURING THE ATTACK ON PEGU, 4 JUNE 1852

INDIA GENERAL SERVICE 1854, CLASP PEGU, ‘C. C. SEVENOAKS, 3RD OFFR, “MAHANUDDY”’.

3rd Officer C. C. Sevenoaks, Bengal Marine served aboard the steam vessel, Mahanuddy during the Pegu campaign.

It is not clear when he joined Mahanuddy as in June 1852 he is mentioned in reports as one of two Officers, commanding two cutters of the steam vessel Phlegethon during the attack on Pegu, 4 June 1852. Listed here as a Midshipman, he may well have been promoted 3d Officer into Mahanuddy, which took part in the attack on Pegu in November 1852.

Sevenoaks had clearly served aboard Phlegethon for some years as he was mentioned for his services in the boats of Phlegethon during the battle of attack and destruction of 58 piratical vessels, mounting 1,200 crew and 3,000 men under the command of the notorious pirates, Chui-A-poo and Shap-Ng-Tsai in September and October 1849. A narrative of the expedition can be found in:

‘An Account of the Destruction of the Fleets of the Celebrated Pirate Chieftains Chui-Apoo and Shap-Ng-Tsai on the Coast of China in September and October 1849’ A copy PDF version of this book comes with the digital research:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qn8DAAAAQAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://marksimner.me.uk/hunting-chui-a-poo-the-royal-navys-suppression-of-piracy-in-the-south-china-seas-1849/

Detailed research should bring up more details of this officer’s full service.

115 medals issued to Mahanuddy, of which 29 were to Europeans.

Condition GVF, with original ribbon. With digital research. A scarce Bengal Marine Officer’s medal.