Australian Groups

Lot 2476    SESSION 17 (11.30AM FRIDAY 25TH NOV)    Australian Groups

Estimate $5,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $12,500

DCM FOR CRIMEA GROUP OF FOUR: Distinguished Conduct Medal (Trophy of Arms type); Gwalior Star (Punniar) 1843; Crimea Medal 1854-56, - clasp - Sebastopol; Turkish Crimea Medal (British Issue) 1855-56. Serjt William Hart. 3rd Regt on first medal, Private William Hart H.M. 3rd Regt on second medal, Serjt W. H. Hart. 3d. Foot. on third medal, last medal unnamed as issued. First medal impressed, the other two named medals engraved, the second in running script style. In a custom made case, all medals with pin-back buckle ribbon suspenders, the first and third medals with many contact marks, otherwise fine - very fine.

DCM: Military Order 28/1/1856 to 1113 Sgt William Henry Hart, 3rd Foot.

3rd Foot was The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment).

William Henry Hart was born in the Parish of St Philip, one of four small parishes in the original Sydney Cove colony, NSW on 8 July 1823 into a military family. In all probability the award of a DCM to him would be the first gallantry award to an Australian born soldier. Following is the family history from 1796 culminating in the death of William Henry Hart in 1881.

William Hart, the father of William Henry Hart, was born in England at Merton in Surrey on 29 October 1796 and enlisted in The Buffs on 24 November 1814. His next-of-kin at the time was wife Jane, who was shown in his small-book as 'with the regiment'. At the time the 1st Battalion of his regiment was in North America and the 2nd at Brighton in England. William Hart was probably with the 1st Battalion when it formed part of the Army of Occupation in France in 1815-18 as the 2nd Battalion had been disbanded in 1815.

He then proceeded with the regiment to New South Wales. About that time his wife died and he married again and his second wife, Mary, accompanied him to Sydney. They had a son, William Henry Hart, born on 8 July 1823 at Sydney and then another son, John, born on 3 October 1825. William Henry Hart was christened at St Philips Church, Sydney on 20 July 1823, this confirmed from church records. The family then moved to India with the regiment and William Hart, who was now a Sergeant, died at Bhagalpur, India on 21 July 1828. His widow, Mary, married again becoming Mrs Morissey. She died on 1 July 1835 and was buried at Ghazipur, India where the Buffs were quartered. It is therefore safe to assume that her husband was with the regiment and raised his stepson, William Henry Hart, for the next two years at which time he enlisted in The Buffs at Meerut, India on 3 August 1837 at the age of 14 1/2.

William Henry Hart served in the campaign at Gwalior and was present in the action at Punniar on 29 December 1843 and thus was awarded the Gwalior (Punniar) Star. In 1844 The Buffs returned to England and were quartered at Winchester, Hampshire where Hart was married on 24 November 1845. He was promoted to Corporal on 10 July 1846 and then Sergeant on 16 June 1846. He was awarded two Good Conduct Badges, the first on 10 July 1846 and the second on 5 July 1851. In 1853 he left on active service landing with the regiment in Malta on 9 November 1853 then to Greece on 16 November 1854 and the Crimea on 3 May 1855.

Sergeant William Henry Hart was severely wounded in the head at the storming of the Redan (Sebastopol) on 8 September 1855. This was the day Colonel Maude and Private Connors were awarded the Victoria Cross and on this occasion William Henry Hart was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. He was also a recipient of the Crimea Medal with clasp Sebastopol and later the Turkish Crimea Medal. As the result of his wounds he was discharged as being unfit for service, thus ending his military career at the age of 32. One of the things he used to relate to his family in his recollections of the war in Crimea was how he was nursed by Florence Nightingale after undergoing major surgery of having a silver plate fixed in his skull.

After his discharge from the army, Hart worked as a carrier at Canterbury, Kent, England with the firm of Sutton & Co. His wife died and he remarried to Mary Maxted of Whitstable, a town north of Kent. He died on 11 March 1881 at the age of 58 and was buried at Wincheap Cemetery in Canterbury.

With research including copy of St Philip's Christening Register, The Buffs' Crimea Medal roll, Attestation and other papers from The Buffs for William Henry Hart, and Crimea DCM Roll.