A scarce 1919 Third Afghan War 'Capture of Fort Spin Baldak' M.C. group of three awarded to...

A scarce 1919 Third Afghan War ‘Capture of Fort Spin Baldak’ M.C. group of three awarded to Captain A. Russell-Sienesi, 1/4th Gurkha Rifles, late Royal Marine Artillery and Private Honourable Artillery Company

Military Cross, G.V.R., reverse engraved ‘May. 1919. Capt. A. R. Sienesi. 4th Gurkhas Fort Spin Baldak. Afghanistan.’; 1914 Star, with clasp (1423 Pte A. R. Sienesi. H.A.C.); India General Service 1908-35, 2 clasps, Afghanistan N.W.F. 1919, Waziristan 1919-21 (Capt. A. R. Sienesi, 1-4 Grks.) top lugs of last neatly removed, generally very fine or better (3) £1,200-£1,600

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M.C. London Gazette 3 August 1920:

‘For distinguished service in the Field in the Afghan War, 1919.’

Alan Russell-Sienesi was born in July 1895. He served during the Great War in the ranks with the Honourable Artillery Company in the French theatre of war from 25 August 1914. Rusell-Sienesi was commissioned Temporary Second Lieutenant in the Royal Marine Artillery in February 1916, and served on the Western Front, November 1916 - February 1918. He advanced to Lieutenant in November 1917, and was appointed to the 1/4th Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army in April 1918. Russell-Siensi was appointed a Company Officer, and distinguished himself during the Third Afghan War in 1919. During which he was involved in the offensive against the Afghans on the southern border with British held Baluchistan. Russell-Sienesi particularly distinguished himself during the attack on Fort Spin Baldak, 27 May 1919.

The garrison of the fort at Spin Baldak consisted of an Afghan Jaddi Regiment, some 600 strong. Its capture by the British would give them control of the railhead at Chaman. The attack was launched at 0800 hours on 27 May 1919, with an artillery bombardment of the fort, then the infantry advanced to the assault in two columns. The left infantry attack under Major-General T. H. Hardy, C.B., commanding the 11th Infantry Brigade consisted of the 1/22nd Punjabis and the 1/4th Gurkha Rifles, who worked their way through the gardens and buildings towards the fort. The 22nd Punjabis found themselves confronted by a wall 15 feet high and 2-3 feet thick. They began to make a breach with entrenching tools and with their bayonets and sent back to reserve for scaling ladders. Whilst engaged in this task, an aeroplane bomb intended for the fort, fell on ‘A’ Company. One British officer, one Indian officer and 3 men were killed, whilst two British officers and eight men were wounded by the explosion.

The wall was finally breached and preparation for the attack on the fort itself was made. The fort now came under rifle and machine-gun fire at a range of about 200 yards and at about 0950 some 200 of the enemy broke out of the fort and made for the hills to the north. They were caught by the Lewis guns and flank-company of the 22nd Punjabis and suffered heavy casualties. In the meantime the right infantry attack had met stiff opposition in taking the two hills overlooking the fort, which the Afghans defended to the last man. On the two hills being finally taken, the 22nd Punjabis and the 4th Gurkhas assaulted the fort itself through a breach in the southern wall made by the artillery. By 1345 the fort was completely captured and 170 prisoners taken.

In the course of the action three British and one Indian officer were killed, all from 1/22nd Punjabis who were well to the fore in the attack: Lieutenants C. A. N. Holden, A.L. Ambrose and G. Morrison, and Subedar Sohel Singh, as well as five British other ranks and 10 Indian other ranks. The 1/4th Gurkha Rifles suffered casualties of 2 other ranks killed, 1 British officer wounded and 2 other ranks wounded. Lieutenant Colonel A. B. Tillard, D.S.O. was awarded the C.B.E.; Major L. P. Collins, D.S.O. was awarded the O.B.E.; and Russell-Sienesi the M.C.

Russell-Sienesi then fought during the Waziristan campaign 1919-21, and advanced to Captain in November 1920. After a period of several months medical leave, he retired from the Indian Army in November 1921. Russell-Sienesi subsequently unsuccessfully applied to study at Oxford University, and then for appointment to the Colonial Service. He eventually enrolled in the Officer Emergency Reserve, and was later employed by Reckitt & Colman in the 1940’s:

‘The people in the Advertising Department, except for the boss, were crowded into the attic. There were seven of us, Gwen Sawyer (Accounts), Claire Scholes (Show Material), Hazel Kay, Shirley Pollard, John Scruton (Research), Gilbert Stocks (trainee) and me. In another room, still on the top floor, were two chaps, one of whom I don’t remember except that he was ex- Navy and the other chap was ‘Skipper’ Alan Russell-Sienesi. He was ex-Gurkha Regiment, very proud of his moustache and was often caught out at his desk during a trimming session! His job was to design and make sure that the packaging of all the export products had the right indications and language and he was responsible for creating what were called show cards that advertised the products. The cards were created either by the R&C studio or often by a local artist called Frank Armstrong. The studio was situated in an old chapel in Dansom Lane, Hull and headed by Harold Crawforth.

John Scruton’s (of Research) background deserves noting: he was the son of the chemist, Scruton, who engineered the discovery of Dettol in the 1930s. John took part in the unsuccessful 1940 attempt to prevent the Germans from occupying Narvik in Norway and was badly wounded.’ (Reckitt online iContact magazine refers)