Beschreibung:

Six: Colonel A. M. Harington, Egyptian Army and Gendarmerie, late Rifle Brigade, who fought with distinction at the capture of Ordahsu in February 1874 and who captured an Ashantee Prince at Coomassie who was carrying a bag of gold dust valued at £500 Ashantee 1873-74, 1 clasp, Coomassie (Lt., 2nd Rifle Bde. 1873-4); Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, undated reverse, 1 clasp, Suakin 1884 (Lt. Col., Egyptn. Army); Khedive’s Star 1884, unnamed; Turkey, Order of Osmanieh, 3rd Class neck badge, silver, silver-gilt and enamel, lacking one set of inter-ray facets; Turkey, Order of the Medjidie, 3rd class neck badge, silver, gold and enamel; Egypt, Port Said Rescue Services Medal, bronze and enamel, obv. an Egyptian Scarab beetle; rev. ‘Tout Pour l’Honneur 1887, Pompiers, Hospitaliers, Sauveteurs de Port Said’, good very fine and better (6) £1200-1500 Arthur Montgomery Harrington, who entered the Rifle Brigade as an Ensign by purchase in February 1867, had risen to the rank of Lieutenant by the time of his participation in the second phase of the Ashantee War in 1874. As a young officer in the 2nd Battalion he fought at Amoaful, Ordahsu and Coomassie, although it was as escort to an artillery piece at Ordahsu that he particularly distinguished himself, an incident recalled in detail by one regimental source: ‘On the road [before Ordahsu], Lieutenant Harington, with a section of Lieutenant Scott’s company, remained in charge of the gun. It was fired frequently up the road, and then swept the bush on the right and left front. The riflemen lay down by it. The Houssas behaved splendidly, advancing the gun on their shoulders, and bringing it forward into action, as the advance was gained, in a magnificent manner. It was about this time that Lieutenant Eyre, when standing up conversing with Lieutenant Harington, received his mortal wound, a whole charge of slugs entering his side. The shot was fired very near. Lieutenant Harington, seizing a rifle, fired several times into the bushes from which the shot came. A Houssa was soon after shot. Of the ten Houssas with the gun, seven were hit ...’ Footnote The same source continues: ‘The clearing in which stood the village [Ordahsu] now opened to view, and Major Stephens and Lieutenant Scott rushed forward towards it, closely followed by Colour-Sergeant Carroll, Staff-Sergeant Heynau, and the section. Lieutenant Harington, with the three other sections, swept round the outskirts of the village, and having thus outflanked the Ashantees in the village, rushed in, he repeatedly firing his revolver into the enemy in front of him. There were some fifty or sixty Ashantees in the village, including several chiefs, of whom many bravely met their death there. They made a bold stand, some chiefs coolly placing their umbrellas towards the direction from which bullets were coming ... The enemy made a determined resistance, and even some signs of an inclination to advance. Never since their defeat at Elmina did they show such courage in the open. Lieutenant Sackville, in the course of the melee, caught a rifle from one of Lieutenant Harington’s men, and with it shot one of the Ashantees, who at length gave ground, Lieutenant Harington’s men advancing, whilst Lieutenant Sackville with his worked round, and entirely cleared out the right flank of the village. The gun was now brought up through the village in the road near Major Stephens, and the section with him, and a heavy fire with rockets and shell was kept up against the enemy, who availed themselves of the strong natural positions offered by the forest ... a terrific discharge of shells, rockets and bullets was kept up at them, the soft wood roots being rent and pierced in several places, and many of the gallant little garrison of this natural fortlet were slain ...’ At length Ordashu was secured, and the forward companies of the the Rifle Brigade next moved rapidly against Coomassie itself, Sir Garnet Wolesley at their head. In the event, the capital fell without