Orders, Decorations & Medals - British Singles

Lot 3402    Session 12 (11:30am Thursday)    Orders, Decorations & Medals - British Singles

Estimate $5,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $4,000

ARMY OF INDIA MEDAL 1803-1826, - clasp - Ava, type with short hyphen between dates. Captn. H.Piper, Depy Ass. Adj. Gen. Impressed. Minor obverse edge nick, otherwise extremely fine.

Together with small unofficial case and photocopies of military service records and related documents including,

(1) application requesting the King's permission to purchase for �400 a commission as an Ensign in the New South Wales Corps vice Dalmer promoted in the 23rd Regt of Foot, signed by Hugh Piper and W Paterson Lt Col N.S.Wales Corps; (2) application under direction of Colonel Grose, commanding the New South Wales Corps, requesting Field Marshall His Royal Highness The Duke of York to move the King to grant such commission of appointment as Ensign to Mr Hugh Piper, dated 24th March 1799; (3) documents relating to purchase of Lieutenancy of Hugh Piper upon his promotion to Captain and many other documents relating to purchase of Captaincy including one under direction of Lieut General Grose to Lieut Colonel Torrens requesting he lay before Field Marshall His Royal Highness The Commander in Chief the recommendations for promotion of Lieut Piper to be Captain Piper purchasing the commission for �950 from Captain Winkworth Tonge, who is retiring, and taking command of his Company in the 102nd Regt, dated 13th June 1811.

Hugh Piper was born at Ayrshire, Scotland on 28 May 1784. He entered the Army at the age of 14 years 10 months when he purchased a commission as an Ensign with the New South Wales Corps (102nd Foot) on 29 March 1799. In doing so he was following in the footsteps of his brother, Ensign John Piper of the New South Wales Corps, who arrived at Sydney in 1792 aboard the Pitt and at his own request was sent to Norfolk Island in 1793, promoted to Lieutenant in 1795 and returned to the mainland and was then on leave 1797-1799. In 1800 he was given the local rank of Captain and became commandant of Norfolk Island in September 1804 being promoted to Captain in 1806. He returned to Sydney in 1810 but while on leave in England in 1811 he resigned his commission. In 1813 he was given the appointment of Naval Officer in Sydney and returned to take up his role in February 1814. A close family friend of John MacArthur, he was appointed a magistrate in 1819, became Chairman of Directors of the Bank of New South Wales in 1825 and was President of Scots Church Committee. He acquired land by grant or purchase at Eliza Point (renamed after John Piper and now Point Piper), Vaucluse, Woollahra, Rose Bay, Petersham, Neutral Bay, Bathurst, Van Diemen's Land and in George Street, Sydney. He also owned Vaucluse House.

Hugh Piper's service record is as follows, (Rank) Ensign, New South Wales Corps (102nd Foot), 29 March 1799 (by purchase); Lieutenant, New South Wales Corps (102nd Foot), 1806 (without purchase) (Caledonian Mercury 24 November 1806: War Office, Nov.18, - New South Wales Corps - Brevet Major George Johnston to be Major, without purchase, Lieut. John Piper to be Captain of a company, vice Johnston, Ensign Hugh Piper to be Lieutenant, vice J.Piper, Ensign William Lawson to be Lieutenant.); Captain, 102nd Foot, 13 June 1811 (by purchase); Captain, 102nd Foot, 13 June 1811 (by purchase); Captain, 38th Regt, 5 April, 1820 (transfer); Major, 38th Regt, 10 June 1828 (without purchase); Lieutenant Colonel, 38th Regt, 27 May 1837 (without purchase), Commanding Officer of 38th Regt; Retired by sale of commission 6 August 1840; (Service abroad) 1799-1800 Van Diemen's Land; 1800-1811 New South Wales; 1811-1818 Guernsey, Bermuda, Moose Island (an island in Maine, USA seized by the British in the War of 1812), St Andrew's, New Brunswick, St John's (now Prince Edward Island), Halifax, Nova Scotia; 1818-1820 England; 1820-1828 Cape of Good Hope, Bengal and Ava (Burma); 1828-1836 Bengal.

During Hugh Piper's Army career some of the highlights were, A member of the 'Lt Col William Paterson party' that sailed with H.M. Buffalo together with the armed tender, Lady Nelson, the Francis and Integrity arriving in November 1804 to Van Diemen's Land to establish a settlement at Port Dalrymple. This was a strategic move to secure a British interest in Bass Strait and also create another area to accommodate settlers removed from Norfolk Island. Thus York Town was established and this was the first declared permanent settlement in the north of Tasmania. From there, on 28 November, Paterson embarked on the Lady Nelson together with Ensign Hugh Piper, Mr Jacob Mountgarrett, a corporal and five soldiers and proceeded up the Tamar River to evaluate and explore the country to the north-west of Port Dalrymple. As a result of this expedition, various areas are named after Hugh Piper, namely Piper's Brook, Piper's River, Piper's Head, Piper's River Road and the town of Piper's River. There was also a location called Piper's Hut which is recorded on 1830, January 1 as the site of the killing of William Smith by natives near River Ouse, Piper's Hut at Bark Hut Plains.

Served as Brigade Major in the American campaign in 1813 under Sir Sidney Beckwith, the campaign in which there were battles at Chesapeake Bay, Craney Island and Hampton, Virginia which was captured; as Captain of the Light Company at the capture of Moose Island under Colonel Pilkington; as Captain and Deputy Adjutant General to the Bengal Force under Major General Sir A.Campbell during the campaign in Ava of 1824-25 and 1826.

In the Colonial Times and Tasmanian Advertiser, Friday 2 September 1825, p2 there is a report on the 'Burmese War in India', in part this states, 'The first official accounts of the progress of hostilities, are contained in dispatches from Brigadier-General Sir A.Campbell to George Swinton, Esq., Secretary to Government at Bengal; published on 23rd December last.... It appears that a Prince of the Burmese, named Maha Bundoola, appeared in front of the British position on the 1st of December, with a force of 60,000 men, well armed and appointed; including a numerous artillery, and a powerful cavalry; Sir Archibald's stile (sic) of writing may be understood from the following extract, which is a fair specimen of the whole. 'He says, their haughty leader had insolently declared his intention of leading us in captive chains, to grace the triumph of the golden monarch. But it has pleased God to expose the vanity of his idle threats, and crown the heroic efforts of my gallant little army with a most complete and signal victory.' The Brigadier-General then proceeds to give in detail the particulars of the first action; in which the 13th (King's) Foot, the 18th Madras Infantry, and two companies of the 38th (King's), under Captain Hugh Piper, (brother of Captain Piper, the Naval Officer at Sydney) were much distinguished.'

Hugh Piper was married on 15 May 1816 at St John's, New Brunswick. His wife bore eleven children, namely, William Donald 6/2/1817 St John's, New Brunswick; Margaret Isabella, 12/8/18 St John's, New Brunswick; John Sweedland 3/2/1840 Isle of Wight (died); John 21/2/1821 Cape of Good Hope; David Blair 27/11/1822 Berhompore, East India; Isabella 9/1/1824 Berhompore, East India (died); Hugh 22/1/1827 Chinsurah, East India (died); David Blair 28/5/1828 Canonpore, East India; Sarah 10/7/1829 Gharapore, East India; Isabella 18/3/1831 Gharapore, East India; Francis Rulate Skipton 12/1/1834 Berhompore, East India. Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Piper died on 20 November 1855 at the Island of Jersey, England.