Pair of Officers Full Dress Epaulettes of the Bengal Engineers, Attributed to Major General William Spottiswoode Trevor VC, Awarded the Victoria Cross during the Bhutan War in 1865, fine pair of officers epaulettes with large bullion embroidered flaming grenades to the centre and gilt buttons for Bengal Engineers. Both with the bullion embroidered tassels to the ends. Leather and satin cloth underlay. Housed in metal storage tin. They remain in excellent overall condition. Stated to have belonged to Major General Trevor VC by the late vendors notes, said to have purchased from direct family descent. Born on 9th October 1831, Trevor’s father was the son of Robert Trevor & Mary Spottiswoode. His father was a Captain in the Indian army, stationed in Afghanistan, his father was murdered in Kabul, both himself, siblings and mother were held hostage by rebels in Kabul, after the retreat in 1842, until being rescued by the British army after the reoccupation by General Pollock’s relief force. Trevor was commissioned into the Bengal Engineers in 1849. He served in the Anglo-Burmese war and later during the Indian Mutiny. He was wounded on multiple occasions during the Anglo-Burmese war and was mentioned in despatches for gallant conduct. In February 1865 Trevor joined the Bhutan field force as field engineer. He was a 33 years old major in the Bengal Engineers, Bengal Army during the Bhutan War when the following deed took place on 30 April 1865 at Dewan-Giri, Bhutan for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross in a joint citation with Lieutenant James Dundas, ‘For their gallant conduct at the attack on the Block-house at Dewan-Giri, in Bhootan, on the 30th of April, 1865. Major-General Tombs, C.B., V.C., the Officer in command at the time, reports that a party of the enemy, from 180 to 200 in number, had barricaded themselves in the Block-house in question, which they continued to defend after the rest of the position had been carried, and the main body was in retreat. The Block-house, which was loop-holed, was the key of the enemy’s position. Seeing no Officer of the storming party near him, and being anxious that the place should be taken immediately, as any protracted resistance might have caused the main body of the Bhooteas to rally, the British force having been fighting in a broiling sun on very steep and difficult ground for upwards of three hours, the General in command ordered these two Officers to show the way into the Block-house. They had to climb up a wall which was 14 feet high, and then to enter a house, occupied by some 200 desperate men, head foremost through an opening not more than two feet wide between the top of the wall and the roof of the Block-house. Major-General Tombs states that on speaking to the Sikh soldiers around him, and telling them in Hindoostani to swarm up the wall, none of them responded to the call, until these two Officers had shown them the way, when they followed with the greatest alacrity. Both of them were wounded’.After recovering from his wounds, Trevor became superintending engineer at the Bengal Presidency, and was made brevet major in May 1866. Promoted lieutenant-colonel in August 1874, he held a number of engineering roles in India, and in December 1875 was appointed chief engineer of British Burma, a post he held for five years. He was promoted brevet colonel on 19 August 1879, and in 1880 became director-general of Railways. He then served as secretary to the government of India in the Public Works Department from February 1882 until his retirement from the army in February 1887, with the honorary rank of major-general. Trevor died on 2 November 1907 aged 76 at his home in Westminster, London. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Engineers Museum, Gillingham, Kent.

* Victorian Grenadier Guards Officers Full Dress Shabraque, fine heavily bullion embroidered crowned strap with VR cipher to the centre within oakleaves spray, bullion Garter star below and Grenadier Guards fused grenade, all on blue melton cloth. Regimental lace and fringed border. Shows some wear.Please note this lot has been imported from outside the United Kingdom and is subject to 5% import duty on the hammer price. Items being exported outside of the UK are exempt from this charge upon proof of export. Any international bidder having items sent to a UK address will be subject to this fee