Spring 2011 Issue 12

Registered Charity No 271943 THE LION AND THE DRAGON NEWSLETTER of THE Friends of ’s Military Museum The , King’s Own Royal Border Regiment & Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment

CONTENTS

Notes From The Chairman ...... Page 1 The Alma Project ...... Page 2 The Biggest Meccano Kit In The World ...... Page 2 Notes from the Chairman The Heritage & Archaeology of Alma Block ...... Page 3 Museum Jottings ...... Page 3 Despite the fact we have experienced one of the most severe winters Metal Detecting Rally, Underley for many a year with snow, ,ice, freezing temperatures, airports Park, September 2010 Page 4 closed, rail and road networks paralysed, the flu virus rampant, all Bonfire Night on The this and much more did not dampen the enthusiasm, dedication and commitment for the move of the Museum currently located in Queen Battlements ...... Page 4 Mary‟s Tower to Alma block in the Outer Ward of Carlisle Castle. Catching Culture & Inspiring Imaginations ...... Page 4 There will be a number of events organised by the Friends and the New Booklet ...... Page 5 Museum Support Group in 2011 to support fund-raising for this Who Do You Think You Are? essential move. The Museum Appeal still has to raise considerable ………………………...... Page 5 match funding and I appeal to all our readers to spread the news What’s In A Name?...... Page 6 throughout the county and beyond; any donation large or small will The 55th (Westmorland) be gratefully received and faithfully applied. The Museum is also trying to build up a pool of volunteers for a variety of tasks. THERE IS Regiment In Bhutan 1865 WORK TO BE DONE and if you can spare a couple of hours now ...... Page 8 and then it will be much appreciated just .give the Museum a call on 1st Battalion Home Coming 01228 532774……Sorry no vast remuneration but the odds are you Parade ...... Page 10 will get a nice “cuppa” at the end of your labours! The Lord Ashcroft Gallery At The ...... Page 11 Jim Ormiston Obituaries ...... Page 12 Chairman Future Events ...... Page 12 Membership Notes ...... Page 12

THE ALMA PROJECT Since the last issue a lot has happened. The Museum has tendered for various aspects of the Stage 1 Development work for the project, which received a generous grant of £100k towards the £119k cost from the Heritage Lottery Fund North West (HLFNW) last year. The work will include the Architectural Design, Design and Exhibition Layout & Plan and the Activity Plan. Swarbrick Associates (David Swarbrick) of Carlisle have been appointed as the Architects. PLB Ltd of Swinton, near Malton in North Yorkshire will be doing the Design & Exhibition and Activity Plans. The Museum Staff & Trustees will prepare the Business Plan and a Quantity Surveyor and Project Manager will also be appointed.

Amongst a number of projects on historic, listed and other buildings, David Swarbrick has previously done work at Carlisle Castle. PLB Ltd have carried out a wide range of work in the Museum & Heritage sector including the new History of the Tank in Warfare Gallery at the Tank Museum at Bovington in Dorset. They have also done a lot of work in the Education and Outreach sector including the development of discovery visits for school groups on English Heritage sites including Carlisle Castle. This experience of Activity Planning is crucial to the Project as the Museum seeks to cater for existing audiences and most importantly attract new ones through permanent displays, temporary exhibitions, education and research work, facilities and a range of activities and events for educational and other groups, individuals and families.

There is a considerable of work to do and all of the detailed plans and development work will form part of the Stage 2 Application to HLF in September 2011 for an HLF grant of £900k which, with additional match funding, will cover the cost of the work on the building and the exhibition and museum fit-out. The Project Manager will assist the Alma project team with the preparation of the Stage 2 HLF Application and the management of the Project. A decision from the HLF will be expected in early December 2011. Following tendering and appointment of contractors the actual work on the building would be planned for the second half of 2012 with completion towards the end of the year or early 2013.

As part of the architectural work, the Museum commissioned a computer based CAD-survey of the building both internally and externally. Andy Russell of Russell Geomatics completed the work in early February and produced an incredibly detailed set of drawings, both plans and elevations. The survey was completed in early February and the drawings have been put to good use by the architect to develop the building layout.

THE BIGGEST MECCANO KIT IN THE WORLD Alma Block was emptied of Archive material by Christmas 2010, but the County Council still have tenure on the building. They are currently in the process of the formal handover of the building to English Heritage and once completed we will formally take the building over in late Spring or early Summer.

The Council have kindly granted us access to the building since Above – the former Restaurant/Bar with the January to complete the computer original bar on the left, dismantled shelving in based survey and other the centre and the patterned linoleum floor. This development work. However, in order for the survey to be room will be the temporary exhibition gallery of completed inside the building, Museum Staff had to dismantle the new Museum. the mass of dexion steel racking, which the Archives did not require and which had been left. This filled the basement, one ground floor room, and the whole of the first and second floors (600 sq. metres). On the first floor this was constructed to mezzanine level almost to the ceiling and one estimate was that there was some 4.5 miles of shelving!!!!!

The massive task of dismantling was organised by Tony Goddard, the Assistant Curator with volunteers Chester Forster & Matt Lund and with occasional help from Nick Hazlewood and Stuart Eastwood of the Museum Staff, Mike Milbourn from the Friends Group and Graham Cameron of the 1st Battalion Duke of Lancaster‟s Regiment. One building surveyor assumed that a gang of 20-30 men had spent a month doing the work. Tony and his team are to be congratulated on their phenomenal achievement, which if it had not Page 2 been done would have caused long delays to the project. By avoiding the use of contractors, they have also saved a huge amount of money.

THE HERITAGE & ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE ALMA BUILDING

Remarkably the Museum has no internal photographs of Alma and no plans of the original internal layout of the building. However, as the building has been cleared many original features have been revealed for the first time since 1959 and we have worked out the original usage of the rooms. The former Dining Hall on the ground floor has a narrow oak planked floor throughout. The rear of the building includes the kitchen, preparation & storage areas. In the basement there were two class-rooms. On the first floor there are three principal rooms at the front of the building; the Games Room (left) with its mahogany floor and the marks where the feet of the billiard table have been; the Restaurant/Bar with the original mahogany bar and linoleum floor in regimental colours of yellow & green; and the former Corporals’ Room again with the coloured linoleum floor; these and other features will be retained wherever possible. Behind the bar was another kitchen, pantry, stores and the living room and bath-room of the canteen manager. The three rooms on the second floor formed the rest of the manager‟s accommodation.

MUSEUM JOTTINGS

Despite the freezing weather of late November and December, the overall visitor numbers to the Castle in 2010-2011 have matched the previous year. The Museum coped with the cold, but inside temperatures rarely made it into the mid-50‟s. A burst water pipe in the store was discovered in the nick of time on 27th December; the dining room of CHQ became the temporary home of the reserve costume collection for three weeks. The usual routine of work plus the Alma Project have kept the staff very busy. The wide range of acquisitions have included a canteen of cutlery presented to Sgt. Percy Puckett MM on retirement in 1932, photographs of the NW Frontier and the Thal Relief Force in Afghanistan 1919, a range of Army posters and prints from the National Army Museum and the loan of a BSA M20 500cc motorcycle complete with despatch rider from Tony Murning of Millom. In December we welcomed representatives of the Kendal Branch of the Regimental Association to CHQ where they presented their Old Standard to the Museum and John and Lynne McLean ( below) who presented the medals of their late father ex-CSM Alex Mclean ex- 4th Battalion Border Regiment during WW2; Major Mike Brandwood accepted them on behalf of the Museum. Jack Gill, accompanied by Ray Gill, Brian Thewlis and John Hodgson also presented a generous donation of £500 from the Branch to the Museum Appeal and the Branch made a further donation of £200 in memory of Alex McLean and their late Chairman Brian Coulter.

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Metal detecting rally, Underley Park 19th. September 2010

Thanks to the kindness of the Pease family, a metal detecting event was arranged by John Ferguson and Peter Yorke with much historical information on the site provided by Mr Henry Armitage at Underley Park near Kirkby Lonsdale. With recent important finds in Cumbria, hopes were high that this would inspire a substantial attendance. In the event, the appalling weather literally put a damper on the proceedings and the turnout, instead of the 50 or 60 expected was a more modest 13 hardy souls. The rain was relentless and the mud reminiscent of Flanders Fields. However, the day was not without incident and a hammered Elizabethan groat of 1569, Tudor buckles, George III silver sixpence and tuppeny cartwheel, Georgian shoe buckles, William IV silver sixpence, a mediaeval scale weight, a heavy silver ring which is having further research and a smaller ring. The larger ring came out of the ground whole but being made partly of silver and partly of pewter it had degraded and soon fell apart. The finder has reported the find to the local Finds Liaison Officer (FLOS) and as it is made of silver and possibly over 250 years old it may be declared 'Treasure Trove'; it has been sent to the British Museum for evaluation and the finder is still awaiting the outcome of their considerations; still, a very good find that has created a lot of interest. The estate has been made aware of the find and progress. A military collar badge and many copper coins were amongst the items discovered. As one of the promised fields was still under crops, John Ferguson hopes to arrange a further event at the same location to search the ground more thoroughly.

Our thanks to John and Peter Yorke and to Underley Estate for making the event possible and also to Mr and Mrs Tom Altham of Sellet Mill for their kindness in allowing the event to take place over their fields and for moving their stock so we could have a decent area to detect over.

Bonfire Night on the Battlements Following the success of last year‟s “event”, Museum Staff organized another evening on the battlements of the Inner Ward at the Castle for guests to watch the bonfire and fireworks in Bitts Park on Saturday 6th November. Over 170 guests enjoyed drinks and excellent food - four varieties of soup, bread, cake and biscuits prepared by Paul Chandler, John Crouch and Peg Eastwood. Thanks are especially due to Tony Goddard for setting up the illuminations, to Stuart Eastwood, Neal & Nala Kellett & family, the Goddard family and Nigel Lewis for their help on the night and to Braid Aitken, Tim Coombe and Richard Sutcliffe for encouraging so many folk to come along and support the evening. The event raised a magnificent £1100 for the Museum Appeal.

Catching Culture and Inspiring Imaginations – The Museum as a Resource for Teachers

The museum took part in another very successful Catching Culture day for teachers in training as part of the CONNECT learning network. The day was held in conjunction with The University of Cumbria and numerous institutions from throughout Cumbria including Tullie House, North Pennine Heritage Trust, Cumbria Records Office and Keswick Pencil Museum as well as ourselves. The visit consisted of five groups of students each with a minimum of 10 trainee teachers who had a flying introduction to the museums education services in 40 minutes. They had an introduction about the museum, who we are, what we can do for visiting schools and outreach provision. They then had the chance to get hands on with the education and handling collection which seems to have been the most popular part of their time with the museum on that day. There was certainly no hesitation from the students to try on various items of uniform or investigate genuine World War 2 artefacts! A chance to explore the museum galleries followed the object handling session before it was time for a new group of students arrived for us to start all over again. Although the number of students and the short time slots make the day a challenge for all involved it seemed to be extremely well received by all who attended our section of the day and has hopefully inspired some future teachers to see the museum as the flexible multi-talented resource for learning that it is. The feedback provided by the students was extremely positive in its praise for the work of the museum. Page 4

New Booklet – last year Mrs. Enid Stilling from Kendal very kindly donated the file of papers of her late husband Bryan Stilling, who served with D Company 4 Border, was taken POW at Incheville and held in Stalag VIIIB. This remarkable collection of paperwork now forms part of an 63 page booklet which Mrs. Stilling has compiled and published, raising funds for the Help for Heroes Charity. This covers the whole of her husband‟s time in the Army and the five years that he was held prisoner; the documents include letters, Lagergeld the paper money paid to the POW‟s, lists of the contents of Red Cross parcels and a wide range of photographs. Mrs. Stilling has generously donated copies of the booklet as a fund-raiser for the Museum and copies are available from the Museum @ £4 or posted @ £5

Who Do You Think You Are? – a lecture by WO1 (Adjutant) Geert Jonker of the Royal Dutch Army‟s Logistic Corps on the work of the RNLA‟s Recovery and Identification Unit at Thursby Parish Hall on Saturday 19th March.

A couple of years ago Stuart Eastwood, the Museum Curator invited Geert Jonker to give the Friends a talk on the work of the unit he is in charge of. Geert has become a great friend of the Museum through the links between his organisation, the Museum and the Regiment. The talk attracted an audience of 70 people who were enthralled by Geert Jonker‟s lecture. He traced its origins from WW2 to the present day and outlined their role to recover the remains of Allied, Dutch and German servicemen and Dutch civilians, who died during WW2 and whose remains were not found. Geert described their pain-staking and fascinating work which combines archaeology, military history and forensic science to recover and identify remains often found during building, construction, landscape and forestry work. Amongst the many casualties found and identified have been five Border Regiment soldiers killed during the Battle of Arnhem and who now lie in marked graves in the Airborne Cemetery at Oosterbeek near Arnhem. The unit has also assisted in similar work in Belgium and France with remains from both World Wars. The unit‟s close working relationship with the Regiment and the Museum dates from 1993 is a result of the efforts to identify the five Border Regiment soldiers, through military and other records and trace their next-of-kin. They work closely with the UK Ministry of Defence and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and many other agencies. The interest from the audience was reflected by the many questions after this superb lecture.

After the interval the audience enjoyed a pie and pea supper and a bar was available throughout the evening. Special thanks are due to Geert Jonker and our other great Dutch friend Martijn Cornelissen for coming over from the Netherlands, to Stuart and Peg Eastwood, who hosted them, Doreen Parsons for the excellent supper and to Paul Chandler and members of the Thursby Parish Hall Committee for their help. The Chairman, Jim Ormiston personally thanked Geert and has made him an Honorary Member of the Friends (below centre); Geert with the Curator (right) and below left Private Arthur Foster from Bolton with his wife Lilly from Stanwix, Carlisle. Pte. Foster was killed at Oosterbeek in September 1944, his remains found and recovered by Geert‟s team in 2003 and reburied by the Regiment with full military honours in 2005 in the Airborne Cemetery at Oosterbeek.

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What’s in a Name? Article by Mike Rosling

What‟s in a name, or more to the point a nickname? Many people pick up a nickname at school and sometimes it follows them in to adult hood but in the main the nickname is forgotten as they go on in life. With military formations it is rather different, particularly with army units who acquired nicknames which refer to their type of dress, military prowess and deeds done in battle, parts of the world in which they served and where stationed, or just general abuse from other units. Even some Roman legions had nicknames based on the above, so it‟s not a new practice or indeed one peculiar to the . However, unlike with people, military nicknames stay with the unit long after the members of the unit serving at the time when it was bestowed, are long gone.

On the day my copy of the „Kingsman‟ arrived and I had read the notes from the 2nd Battalion Duke of Lancaster‟s Regiment on the use of the term „Lions of England‟. I had earlier seen a group of soldiers from the Regiment in Kendal, one of whom was wearing a blue tracksuit top with „Lions‟ emblazoned across the back. The two events together evoked a memory from over forty years ago, when on a wet and miserable night in a draughty NAAFI, I witnessed an impromptu game of housie housie (bingo to the uninitiated) military style. The organiser was a corporal from the Tyneside Scottish Company of 4/5/6th Battalion The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. In those days most soldiers‟ tended to use the NAAFI and go in uniform. Battle-dress was still worn and on general issue to the TA. This chap had a number of WW2 medals and several other campaign medals, so he had been about a bit and with fairly long service.

So to the game. Normal bingo card but when the number was called it was the regiment‟s nickname, so you not only had to know a little military history but the old numbering system, so it would go something like this:- First number:- Pontius Pilate‟s Bodyguard Second number:- The Invalids Third number:- The Holy Boys Fourth number:- The Rosshire-Buffs Fifth Number:- The Die Hards At this point someone could in theory shout line and the numbers would be:- 1 (The Royal Scots 1st Foot) 41 (The Welch Regt 41st Foot) 9 (The Royal Norfolk Regt 9th Foot) 72 (The Seaforth Highlanders 72nd Foot) 57 (The Middlesex Regt 57th Foot)

Woe betide anyone who got it wrong. The scorn and derision directed at them was unbelievable, and so the game continued. The prize for a line was a small NAAFI apple pie. For the card, six pies. Of course anyone who remembers NAAFI apple pies will remember that they were invariably stale! So all the above set me thinking about the nicknames of the Duke of Lancaster‟s antecedent regiment‟s nicknames, and after a little research I came up with the following. Some of the more „robust‟ nicknames have not been used.

Kings Own Royal Border Regiment (4.34 &55) COB‟ S Corruption of the short title, Kings Own Border (KOB) Lions From the cap and collar badges

Kings Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) (4th Foot) Barrels‟ Blues From Colonel‟s name (18th century) and facing colour Lions From cap and collar badges

The Border Regiment (34th & 55th) Snotty Cuffs From the cuff colour in full dress Border Boys From the Regiment‟s name Cumberland gentlemen From the 34th in the Spanish peninsula Cattle Reeves After cattle thieves (from both sides of the border) The Two five‟s From Regiment‟s number 55th

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The King‟s Regiment (8th, 63rd, and 96th) Kings Thieving scouse and manc gits (I will make no comment on that one! ) Kingo‟s From the name Rocking horse and boy scout brigade From the cap badge

The King‟s Regiment (Liverpool) (8th) Leather hats From type of headgear 18thcentury

The Liverpool Scottish (TA) The scouse jocks

The Manchester Regiment (63rd & 96th) The tram driver‟s - until 1923 the Regiment wore the arms of the city of Manchester as their cap badge, in the blue service dress cap other units said they looked like tram drivers The blood suckers - The post 1923 cap badge was an old badge of the 63rd, a Fleur-de-Lys, which was said to look like a West Indies blood-sucking insect, the 63rd having long service in the West Indies

The Queen‟s Lancashire Regiment (30th, 40th, 47th, 59th, 81st & 82nd) The Queens Last Resort From the initials QLR Queers, Lesbians‟ and Rapists Again from the initials QLR Quick Lets Run Again from the initials

The Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales‟s Volunteers) (30th, 40th, 59th and 82nd) Painters, Whitewashers and Varnishers From the initials PWV Lancashire Lads From the regiments name

The East Lancashire Regiment (30th & 59th) Lilywhites‟ From the facing colour The three tens From the regimental number The triple X‟s From the regimental number

The South Lancashire Regiment(Prince of Wales Volunteers) (40th & 82nd) Painters, Whitewashers and Varnishes From the initials PWV Fighting Fortieth 18th century The XL‟s From the regimental number The Excellers From the regimental number

The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)(47th & 81st) The Cauliflowers From the early facing colour Lancashire Lads From the recruiting area Wolfe‟s Own From service under General Wolfe in Canada

So taking the above in to account, I assume it will only be a matter of time before the present regiment will start to be called the “Duke‟s‟. Quite what the „Havercake Lads‟, also known as the „Duke of Boots‟, formally the Duke of Wellington‟s Regiment and now the 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, would make of that I am not sure. So as a died-in-the-wool snotty cuffed, cattle reiving fifty fiver I will watch with interest and await developments!

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THE 55th (WESTMORLAND) REGIMENT IN BHUTAN 1865 by Harry Fecitt MBE TD

Bhutan used to be one of the most isolated countries in the world. It lies towards the eastern end of the Himalayan mountain range, bordered by Chinese occupied Tibet to the north and India to the west, south and east. The geography of the country ranges from sub-tropical plains in the south to Himalayan mountains in the north. The people share the facial characteristics of the Tibetans and practice the Buddhist religion.

As Britain developed its hold over India there were frequent border clashes with the Bhutanese, starting with a small war in 1772 when East India Company troops drove Bhutanese soldiers back into Bhutan after they had occupied Indian territory. Further clashes occurred in 1828, 1835 and 1836 and in 1841 the British, in exasperation at what was considered to be a state of anarchy in Bhutan, crossed the frontier and occupied eleven of the strategic routes into the country on the Bengal border.

Nevertheless further Bhutanese cross-border raids occurred in the 1850s and 1862. In 1864 four British columns of Indian infantry, cavalry, artillery and engineers advanced against Daling, Buxa and Dewangiri in what became known as the Duar War. In a series of short and sharp actions Bhutanese fortified stockades were quickly taken. Although some respect for the Bhutanese soldiers was granted the British became complacent at the speed of their advance, and the war was declared over and the British troops started withdrawing back to India.

The Bhutanese soldiers‟ most effective weapon was a bamboo archery bow, with which they were very proficient. Some men carried large matchlock guns which could kill at 800 yards range; these guns needed to be rested on walls or on the shoulder of another soldier. Others favoured sling-shots and stones which were lethal at short ranges, and some carried spears or single-bladed swords without a hilt, and shields. For artillery the Bhutanese used large catapults about 15 feet high, powered by men hauling back on ropes, which flung stones to around 150 yards range. When in the open the Bhutanese could not withstand the musket volleys of the Indian troops, but they could fight well defensively from their stockades which they were adept at constructing quickly. „Panji‟ stakes (sharpened bamboo stakes set in the ground) were used to protect stockades. When attacking an enemy the Bhutanese preferred the cover of darkness.

Two of the British columns successfully withdrew from Bhutan but the other two, withdrawing from Dewangiri by night, lost their way and panic ensued as around 1,500 of the enemy followed the Indian troops and harassed them. Some of the British wounded were abandoned as were two 12-pounder artillery mountain-howitzers. Although the guns were thrown down a steep ravine by their Eurasian gunners, the Bhutanese triumphantly recovered them and took them into the interior of their country to show the Tengsa Penlop, the ruler of Bhutan. The British troops reached safe ground but with the humiliation of having

Page 8 abandoned some of their wounded and having lost their guns. This enemy success was followed by further Bhutanese attacks on British posts along the border.

When news of the withdrawal reached Army Headquarters in Calcutta immediate steps were taken for recovering British prestige and for strengthening the British-garrisoned border posts. In late February 1865 a second British advance into Bhutan commenced, using two brigades. The force numbered around 7,000 men and included the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment based in Lucknow, the only British infantry unit involved apart from the Head Quarters of the 80th Regiment. On the border it was decided not to utilise the left wing of the 55th and so it was ordered to move to Dum Dum. The Head Quarters and right wing of the 55th were in the Right Brigade that advanced on Dewangiri.

Brigadier General Sir Henry Tombs CB VC was the force and he advanced with the Right Brigade. A British deception group of Indian cavalry and infantry successfully decoyed many Bhutanese to defend a pass that was in fact not going to be used, and on 1st April the vanguard of the Right Brigade advanced without contact along another route to within two miles of Dewangiri. British outposts were positioned about half a mile from the three stockades built on a ridge that were the key to the defence of Dewangiri.

On 3rd April General Tombs attacked, using two mortars and two howitzers against the second stockade, which was built like a blockhouse with a flat roof, and which was the most important target. At 1030 hours one company of the 55th was thrown forward in skirmishing order to subdue the enemy fire. The artillery advanced and a second company of the 55th moved up to join the first, which was now in a stone enclosure 150 yards from the blockhouse. The men of the 55th were firing Enfield rifles and as this was the first occasion on which the Bhutanese had come up against the deadly fire of this weapon it appeared to paralyse them.

A storming party of three companies of the Indian 29th Infantry now attacked the blockhouse. Most of the Bhutanese in all the three stockades fled but around 150 of them decided to fight to the death in the blockhouse. Three British officers discovered an under-roof gap two feet high which led into the blockhouse and they gallantly entered followed by Sepoys of the 12th and 29th Infantry. After 30 minutes of carnage the firing in the blockhouse ceased and about 100 dead Bhutanese soldiers were found piled up, with about 40 survivors who had burrowed beneath the dead. Many of these survivors were very severely wounded.

Meanwhile the other stockades and buildings in Dewangiri were taken by the British but the Bhutanese fled so quickly, and the British troops were so exhausted from their exertions, that a pursuit was not possible. The Bhutanese lost 250 soldiers dead or captured and had many wounded who managed to escape, from a total force of between 2,000 and 3,000 men. The British casualty list was four officers and around 30 men wounded from a force total of 1,800 men. All the structures in Dewangiri were destroyed, the place being untenable for British troops during the rains, and an unopposed withdrawal was made to the border.

Meanwhile the Left Brigade had succeeded in its attack on stockades at Tazigong, Bala and Chumarchi, killing 46 Bhutanese for the loss of three Sepoys killed and one officer and 19 men wounded. General

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Tombs then withdrew his force to Gwalior but left outposts on the border. A further British expedition was planned for October after the rains had ceased, but Political Officers settled a Treaty with the Bhutanese. Relative stability returned to the border region, the British gained a small piece of territory west of the Jaldaka River in the south-western corner of Bhutan, and the two abandoned artillery guns were returned by the Bhutanese.

Head Quarters and the right wing of the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment moved to Dum Dum, but „Bhutan Fever‟ (probably a strain of malaria) struck. Within a month there were 400 admissions to hospital, and mortality amongst the 55th was the highest of any regiment in India that year. The 55th returned to Lucknow after almost a year away. Participants in the expedition were entitled to the clasp „BHOOTAN‟ to be worn on the India Medal. A number of these medals are on display in the Regimental Museum at Carlisle.

Two Victoria Crosses were awarded for gallantry during the campaign. The recipients were Major Trevor William Spottiswoode and James Dundas, both of the Bengal Engineers. Both officers were wounded during the assault. The two citations are similar and this is that of Lieutenant Dundas: 30 April 1865. At Dewan Giri, he (together with Major Trevor) led an attack on a blockhouse containing two hundred of the enemy. To gain entry, the men had to climb up a 14-foot high wall and then enter the blockhouse head-first through a small gap between the wall and the roof. At once Sikh soldiers followed the officers in. He was wounded during the action, but the blockhouse was taken, 60 of the enemy surrendering, the others killed, fighting to the last.

SOURCES: Frontier and Overseas Expeditions from India Volume IV compiled by the Intelligence Branch, Army Headquarters, India. Armies of the 19th Century. Asia. Central Asia and the Himalayan Kingdoms by Ian Heath. Tried and Valiant – the story of The Border Regiment 1702 – 1959 by Douglas Sutherland. Symbol of Courage – a complete history of the by Max Arthur.

1st Battalion Home Coming Parade

Above 1st Battalion Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment led by the CO Lt-Col. Fraser Lawrence OBE marching from Carlisle Castle to the City Centre and (right) Brigadier Mike Griffiths CBE takes the salute along side the Mayor of Carlisle Mary Styth

Originally scheduled for 3rd December 2010 and cancelled because of a traffic accident and not the weather for once, the 1st Battalion of the Duke of Lancaster‟s finally paraded through Carlisle on a glorious sunny spring like day on Wednesday 4th March 2011. Dressed in the new multi terrain camouflage kit, The Battalion marched along Castle Street to the Cathedral and then Brigadier Mike Griffiths CBE Colonel of the Regiment took the salute in site of the War Memorial outside the Crown and Mitre Hotel. Crowds of people lined the streets and applauded the Regiment as it marched past to the civic centre.

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THE LORD ASHCROFT GALLERY at THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM by Jim Ormiston The Lord Ashcroft Gallery was opened by The Princess Royal on Thursday 11th November 2010 at ‟s Imperial War Museum. Lord Ashcroft‟s collection of 164 Victoria Crosses estimated at over £30m now joins the Museum‟s own considerable collection of Victoria and George Crosses. The exhibition displays some 240 medal groups, making it the largest collection in the world.

Thanks to the magnificent generosity of Lord Ashcroft a specially planned gallery has been build which houses the whole of this unique collection which includes such outstanding VCs , as William Rhodes-Moorhouse, Ian Fraser and Mick Magennis, Norman Jackson, John Chard and Robert Jones of Rorke‟s Drift fame. The merger of the two collections into one brings together Charles Newman, Robert Ryder and Stephen Beattie VCs won at the St Nazaire Raid; others include Leonard Cheshire, ”Boy” Jack Cornwall, Sir John Smyth and one of the most recent acquisitions being the double VC of Noel Chavasse RAMC.

Since he was a boy Lord Ashcroft has been fascinated by the VC and the daring deeds in which each medal was won. He was in his early twenties when he became aware that VCs occasionally came up for auction but the guide prices were prohibitive and beyond his means. It was not until he was in his thirty‟s when he was more financially secure he could afford his first one, which was the VC won by leading Seaman James Magennis who displayed unbelievable courage whilst as a diver on a mini- crippling a Japanese warship towards the end of the Second World War

Ashcroft has not simply thrown money into his hobby with an open cheque book. Instead the collection has been build up honourably, sensitively and patiently over the years. A trust was established there has been no “Ambulance chasing” or going in pursuit of VCs that were not on the market. The only ones in the collection are those who which either the recipients or their families wanted to sell and have been bought at public auctions or in a few cases the trust has been approached by someone wanting to sell privately and discreetly. Some families part with their VCs, because the medal means little to the more remote descendants, others cannot agree which member should have the medal, and some sadly hit hard times and need to sell it,

Lord Ashcroft has never hidden his desire that one day the medals would be put on public display so that the acts of courage and self-sacrifice could be remembered and cherished by a wider audience. He is also aware if he had not been in a position and bought the VCs many would now be in the hands of foreign private collectors and institutions and would therefore have been lost to Britain for ever. As part of Lord Ashcroft‟s commitment to the Victoria Cross and education in the he has produced a teaching pack which has been sent to all schools in the UK and hopes this tool will widen the awareness of the VC and the courageous men who have been awarded the medal. A visit to this unique gallery will not only be a must for all those interested in the subject but also undoubtedly be a stimulating experience and huge attraction to all visitors to The Imperial War Museum.

The writer intends on his next foray to London to visit to the Imperial War Museum and view the Ashcroft Gallery and will gladly report such a visit in a future News Letter.

The VC illustrated was awarded to Pte. James Smith (from Workington) 2nd Battalion Border Regiment won at Rouges Banc near Sailly on 21st December 1914 for rescuing wounded men under fire. The VC together with his other medals is one of five VC’s displayed in the Regimental Museum at Carlisle. Pte. Abraham Acton of won the VC for the same action and his medals are in the Beacon Museum at Whitehaven. Expert examination has shown that Smith’s Cross was made in Queen Victoria’s reign.

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The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment in Afghanistan

The 1st Battalion returned to their home base, Somme Barracks in Catterick in October 2010 after their tour in Helmand Province. The 2nd Battalion based at Salamanca Barracks in Episkopi, Cyprus was until November 2010 the Theatre Reserve Battalion for Afghanistan with Companies deployed in support of other Battle Groups since August 2009. Almost all the battalion deployed to Afghanistan in June 2010. 4 LANCS (TA) have deployed soldiers in support. Both 1 and 2 LANCS have had incredibly tough tours and have seen a considerable amount of heavy fighting suffering a total of nine fatalities and a larger number of wounded. In addition to four reported in the last issue, the following lost their lives on active service: Cpl. Simon Hornby 2 LANCS aged 29 from Liverpool killed by an IED on 19th December 2009 in Nad e Ali District. Capt. Andrew Griffiths 2 LANCS aged 25 from Richmond, Yorks., wounded by an IED on 24th August 2010 in the Nahr e Saraj District, died in hospital in Birmingham on 5th September; son of Brigadier Mike and Mrs Sue Griffiths.(pictured top left) L/Cpl. Jordan Dean Bancroft 1 LANCS aged 21 from Burnley killed in action on 21st August 2010 in Sayedabad in Central Helmand. Kingsman Darren Dendy 2 LANCS aged 22 from Bolton wounded on 23rd August 2010 in the Nahr e Saraj district; died in hospital in Birmingham on 10th September. Sgt. Peter Anthony Rayner 2 LANCS aged 34 from Bradford killed by an IED on 8th October 2010 in the Nahr e Saraj district; formerly 1 King‟s Own Border as was his father (pictured left).

Major Nathan Arnison RE - Many of you will be sorry to hear of the death of Major Nathan Arnison, a serving officer in the . Nathan used to occasionally train with A Coy 4 King's Own Border, based in the Castle, before he joined the Regular Army, and his father, Charles, was the first Chairman of the Friends. Nathan came from the Penrith area and leaves behind a wife and two children.

Future Events To Be Confirmed Shortly:- visit to Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service at Workington Fire Station 7pm to 9pm who will provide a presentation , traffic accident display, hands on appliances and ladders, CBRNE (NBC) . No charge, but a donation welcome on the evening - contact the museum. Max 30 people. Saturday 25th June 2011 – Armed Forces Day in Carlisle. Friday 1st July 2011 - evening Sundowner Cruise on Ullswater from Glenridding, with reception, supper and dance band (TBC) on board – final details to be announced.

Membership Notes

Contact details - Remember, if you change your address, telephone or email, please inform our secretary, Maj. Nigel Lewis at [email protected] Subscriptions - Have you paid your subscription for this year yet? For those not paying by banker‟s order a reminder is enclosed. Items for the Newsletter - If you have any comments to make or letters you would like to be considered for publication, you may contact the Newsletter Editor Jeffrey Mills at [email protected] Photographs & illustrations - if you send photos, please send straight to the Museum marked, Friends' Newsletter, or if digital images on a CD, or if by email in a jpeg format and marked Friends Newsletter to [email protected] or [email protected] Chairman – Major Jim Ormiston [email protected] Cumbria’s Military Museum Queen Mary’s Tower, the Castle, Carlisle, Cumbria CA3 8UR Editor Jeffrey Mills, Tel. 01228 532774 fax 01228 521275 Layout, sub editing layout and design Nick Hazlewood Stuart Eastwood. Email:[email protected] or Published by The Friends of Cumbria’s Military Museum. [email protected] Printed by Colophon 17 Peterfield Road, Kingstown Industrial Estate, Carlisle, Cumbria CA3 0EY. Tel: 01228 524444. Fax: 01228 590090. www.kingsownbordermuseum.btik.com E-mail: [email protected]

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