WW1 Indian medical service offices group

This is an incredibly rare Commander of the Order of the Indian Medal with trio and miniature medals.

This CIE was awarded through the Kings Honors list to Lieutenant-Colonel (Dr) Harold Holmes King in 1934, who was in the Indian Medical Service and Director of the King Institure located in Guiney, Madras. I have researched his life and career history from nationally published archives and publication but am sure there is much more to be found.

1. Harold was born in the 17th August 1884, trained as a surgeon at St Bart's in London.

2. He became a Lieutenant in the Indian Medical Service in January 1909 and Captain in January 1912, followed by promotion to Major in July 1920, and Lieutenant Colonel in 1928. He was active in the theatre of war 1914-1921, Iraq in 1914-1916 and East Africa between 1917-18.

3. Harold was the son of Dr Walter Gawen King born 4th December 1851, who was a British Indian Army Surgeon and a professor of hygiene in India during the famines of 1876-1877 and 1896-1897. Walter served in the Madras Presidency as a sanitary officer and introduced a number of public health measures for the first time in India and was also awarded the CIE in 1899. His work on vaccination and public health and plague management resulted in the Guindy Institute being renamed as the King Institute in 1905. This still exists and is named King Institute of Preventative Medicine and Research.

4. Harold was the successor Director to his father at the Institute, although I am unsure how long for. I have included images of minutes from a meeting in 1929-30. This institute was a critical part of the Covid vaccination response.

The medals were purchased at a fair, and had been left in a box untouched for many years. The trio are mounted and in good order.

The CIE was made by Garrad and is extremely fine order with the enamel completely intact, and the ribbon being taken out for the first time for the purpose of these images.

Absolutely stunning- I have copies of key documents related to these medals and can share at your request, and still worthy of more research.