A good pair to the 80th Foot (South Staffordshire regiment)

Description A good pair to the 80th Foot (South Staffordshire regiment) India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Perak, 1728. Pte. H. Bunday. 80th. Foot.; South Africa 1877-79, 1 clasp, 1878-9, 1728. Pte. H. Bunday. 80th. Foot. Henry Bunday was born in 1815, in Basingstoke, Hampshire. A Bricklayer by trade, he enlisted in the 67th Foot (Hampshire regiment) on the 24th August 1870, transferring to the 80th Foot on the 31st May 1871. He served in the 80th overseas in the Straits settlements for 2 years 2 months, then China for 3 years and cape of Good Hope for 3 years 2 months. He was imprisoned for disobeying orders from 16th May to 19th May 1872. Henry Bunday is confirmed on the Indian Medal roll as entitled to the Medal with clasp Perak, for service on the Malay Peninsula between 27 November 1874 and 20 March 1876. This failed attempt by the Sultan of Upper Perak and other local chiefs to end foreign influence in the region resulted in the death of British administrator James W. W. Birch and the subsequent defeat of followers of Lela Pandak Lam by the British Army; the exile of key leaders and the hanging of those responsible for killing Birch ended any further direct opposition over British control in Perak. Bunday was later engaged in operations against the Zulus, his Regiment witnessing extensive action at Intombe River and as part of the Flying Column under Brigadier General Sir Evelyn Wood at the Battle of Ulundi on 4 July 1879; the medal roll confirms his discharge shortly thereafter. Before the Zulus became the primary focus, the 80th spent much of 1878 engaged in the Sekhukhune Campaign in the Transvaal. Fighting the Pedi people was an exhausting introduction to African warfare. The terrain was rugged, the heat was oppressive, and the enemy utilized “koppies” (rocky hills) and caves to negate British firepower. While these engagements lacked the scale of later battles, they hardened the 80th into a unit capable of enduring the logistical nightmares of the veldt. The regiment’s most somber chapter occurred during the Anglo-Zulu War. In March 1879, a detachment of the 80th, under Captain David Moriarty, was tasked with escorting a supply convoy near the Intombe River. Disaster struck in the early morning mist of March 12. A force of roughly 800 Zulus launched a surprise assault on the encamped soldiers. The defense was hampered by a river split by recent rains, leaving the men divided. In the ensuing chaos, Moriarty and 60 of his men were killed. It was a brutal reminder of the Zulu’s tactical speed and the lethality of their assegais. Despite the tragedy at Intombe, the 80th produced moments of extraordinary bravery. Private Samuel Wassall became a regimental legend during the retreat from the Battle of Isandlwana (where he was serving with the Mounted Infantry). Wassall famously risked his life to swim back across the Buffalo River, under heavy fire, to rescue a drowning comrade—an act that earned him the Victoria Cross. The regiment’s 1879 service culminated in the Battle of Ulundi in July. Here, the 80th formed a critical part of the massive British infantry square. As the Zulu impis charged, the 80th delivered the disciplined, rhythmic volleys of Martini-Henry fire that finally broke the Zulu power. He was discharged at Dublin on the 17th July 1880.. Following his discharge he returned to Basingstoke and worked as a Bricklayerby the 1911 census he and his wife are recorded as living at Bullock’s Heath, Netley Abbey, Southampton. He died in Blackfield, Hampshire in 1938. With two copied photos of him, one in uniform, and the other as an elderley man Condition – minor contact marks, generally good very fine