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Set of three (3) 1878 letters from the British Raj period in India. Letters from the Mess presidents Captains Berkeley and Walker, of the 3rd Battalion King’s Own Hussars concerning orders of Bordeaux wine for the Mess in Mhow, India. Problem with corks!
Order placed with wine merchant in Bordeaux France.
Nice embossed blue and red letterheads with galloping horse over a ‘3’ and ‘King’s Own Hussars ‘NEC ASPERA TERRENT’ ("nor do difficulties deter").
Mhow C.I. May 4th 1878
Messrs Adet Seward & Co. Bordeaux
Your favor dated 11th April to hand, in continuation of mine of Feb 2nd altho the orders followed closely upon each other neverless continue to respond to the same. The corks heretofore despatched with the claret have been too large, this error has been pointed out before please be good enough to see that they are smaller ones when next forwarded…
-- Berkeley Captain President Mess Committee 3rd Hussars
Henry Fitzhardinge Berkeley?
Mhow C.I. August 24th 1878
Messrs Adet Seward & Co. Bordeaux
On receipt of this letter please commence sending to my address monthly, one hhd of A.V.L. Brandy instead of quarterly…
-- Berkeley Captain President Mess Committee 3rd Hussars
Henry Fitzhardinge Berkeley?
Mhow C.I. November 23rd 1878
Messrs Adet Seward & Co. Bordeaux
By this post I send you one of the corks received with the hhd of Claret ex ”Arabia” . I am sure you will agree with me when I say that it is simply useless being too short by far & too large round for pint bottles. I cannot think that you would have sent such corks from your stores should this be the case & you have grounds to suspect that they have been changed in transit please be good to institutes inquiries with a view of finding out how & where the exchange took place .I also enclose a cork as a fair specimen of the sort I require which please be good enough to supply on all occasions.
Please also send 600 corks with each cask of Brandy as well as with the Claret
C S Walker Captain President Mess Committee 3rd Hussars
Charles Steven Walker?
8” x 4 ⅞”
The 3rd (The King's Own) Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War…. It then went on to fight at the Battle of Chillianwala in January 1849 and the Battle of Gujrat in February 1849 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The regiment was renamed the 3rd (The King's Own) Hussars in 1861. In 1868 it was in India. The regiment was deployed to South Africa in December 1901 for service in the Second Boer War and was involved in the last great drives, capturing the boers, in the north-east of the Orange River Colony. Mhow Cantonment in the Indore district of Madhya Pradesh is one of the oldest Cantonments in India.
WIKIPEDIA
Army Units Stationed in Mhow During the British Raj:
1870: 15 Hussars
1873: Royal Horse Artillery
3 King’s Own (Hussars)
49 Royal Artillery
1875: 68 Light Infantry (Hussars)
http://creative.sulekha.com/army-regiments-in-mhow-1840-1948-a-fascinating-list_248865_blog