THE INDIAN MUTINY

Evening Star, Issue 19781, 3 February 1928, Page 10

THE INDIAN MUTINY

REMINISCENCES OF LUCKNOW STCRY OF EYE-WITNESS li! last Saturday’s issue of the Auckland 1 Star ’ appeared an obituary notice of Mrs Sarah Nichols, who died at the ago of ninety-six. She was connected with the stirring times of- the Indian Mutiny, as her husband, the late Mr John'Nichols belonged to the 78th Highland Regiment. Carefully saved amongst her papers was a newspaper clipping headed ‘Reminiscences of Lucknow; What a 78th Man saw.’ This is understood to be an account given by the husband of Mrs Nichols. Another document saved by the old lady was a sermon preached in St. Church, Bombay, by the Rev. George Cook on April 24, 1859, before H.M. 78th Highlanders. The advance to relieve Lucknow is thus described:—Our force advanced on the Residency on September 25, 1857, under a most destructive fire. Two miles had to be fought over before the Residency could be reached. The roads were barricaded and entrenched, and all the houses were loopholed. Our regiment halted to defend a bridge, the column itself■ pushing on. Soon afterwards the regiment was attacked by a large force with a fierce fire of shot and shell and musketry. Two of the enemy’s guns were captured, but the men of the regiment fell fast. As soon as all the baggage had passed, the'regiment followed the column as a rearguard along one side of a canal. The enemy, from a gun planted on a bridge, enfiladed the regiment, and also opened a most destructive firo-across the canal. The regiment, being almost surrounded, had to stand at bay. Colonel Lockhart, Captain Hastings, Lieutenant Swanson, and a number of men had alreadyfallen. A cry for help having reached the column ahead, a company of the 90th Regiment and a few horse were sent to succor the regiment. Under fire all the time, the little force did not reach the column until late in the evening, when it was within half a mile of the Residency. Although darkness was then-- coming Von the Highlanders, with another, corps, now led by General Outran!. and ;-General Havelock, went forward through the streets under a perpetual fire. • ’At last the Residency was gained. Lieutenant Kirby, waving the Queen’s Colors, was mortally wounded, and Color Sergeant Christie ultimately had. the.'honor of carrying the. flag to the-Residency. On the 26th: the wounded, and their relief party, were, fired on,, and being ultimately surrounded by 1,000 of the enemy, took refuge in a house. • Some of the wounded captured by the enemy were burnt alive, and others were horribly tortured. The 78th men of the party, Hollowed, Ward, and MTherson, proved themselves heroes on the occasion in defending their wounded comrades. Hollowed here won his Victoria. Cross, as did Surgeon Home, of

the 90th Regiment, and two others. Surgeon Gee, of the 78th, was made a C.B. That was not so bad, five V.O.’s and a C.B. won in a few hours by a few gallant men. The party was not relieved until next morning .

The relief pf the Residency being completed on the 27th, an order, issued on that date by General Outram, referred to it as a feat unsurpassed .in history, and the Highlanders, as led on by Colonel Stistcd, their brave commander, were eulogised for their heroism. in effecting the relief 535 men were killed and wounded, the 78th Regiment being the heaviest sufferer, losing 122 killed and wounded —ten officers and 112 men—out of a total of 428 in two clays. An idea of what the defenders of the wounded had to go through may be gathered by the following: The party defended themselves against the enemy for over thirty hours. Private M'Manus of the sth-(Fusiliers, killed numbers of the rebels, who fell near the door of the building, and thus afforded additional protection. Privates M'Manus and Ryan, with the utmost devotion, sallied out to carry in a wounded officer and a private, while Private Hollowell, hy his steady aim, shot down every Sepoy that made his appearance. The rebels set fire to the roof of the building. There were then only nine men left of the besieged able to handle their rifles. They lifted their wounded comrades and rushed into the square, then took refuge in a shed filled with dead and dying Sepoys. Still they held out until relieved next morning by a party under Captain Moorsom. More than forty wounded soldiers perished on that occasion. The text of the sermon, relerred to above, was the suitable one of ui l. you Like Men.” The preacher pointed out that, however strong the individual might he in warfare, it was combination, discipline, harmony of spirit, and of action that constituted true strength, before which opposing hosts were borne down and scattered.