Original British Victorian Named Officer’s Three-Draw Brass Field Telescope with Photo of Regimental Officers Original Items

Original Items. One Set Only. From the great named Optics Collection IMA received in 2018, this fine three drawer telescope measures 29″ when fully extended including the Sun Shade, and just 11″ in length when fully closed. The telescope is mounted in a wooden sleeve and has a 4″ extending Sun Shade to front. The sun shade also has a sliding lens cover on the end, while the eyepiece lens cover is unfortunately missing.

The rear brass barrel is engraved :-

1st. Lt. F.C. HUDSON
109. BOMBAY INF.

Consulting records indicates the owner was FIRST LIEUTENANT FREDERICK CHARLES HUDSON of the 109th Regiment of Foot (Bombay Infantry), which existed from 1862 to 1881.

Coming with this fine telescope, which still provides a great image despite its 125-150 years of age, is a 12 1/2″ X 10″ glazed photograph in its original wood frame showing the entire Officer Corp of the Regiment numbering 22 men. The regiment only had one battalion, so this was easily accomplished.

This came from the family with the telescope and is a most interesting and attractive image of British Officers stationed in India sometime between 1862 and 1881. All in great condition and ready to display.

History of the 109th Regiment of Foot (Bombay Infantry)

The regiment was originally raised by the Honourable East India Company in 1853 as the 3rd Bombay (European) Regiment and then saw action in India in 1857 during the Indian Rebellion. After the Crown took control of the Presidency armies in the aftermath of the Indian Rebellion, the regiment became the 3rd Bombay Regiment in November 1859. It was then renumbered as the 109th Regiment of Foot (Bombay Infantry) on transfer to the British Army in September 1862. It embarked for England in 1877.

As part of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 109th was linked with the 100th (Prince of Wales’s Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 67 at Crinkill Barracks in Birr, County Offaly. On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 100th (Prince of Wales’s Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot to form the Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians).