By
MAJOR
P.J.
SHUTE
RAOC
The
causes
of
the
Indian
Mutiny
of
1857
were
complex
and
deep
rooted.
The
British
East
India
Company
maintained
armed
forces
of
some
230,000
of
which
only
one
tenth
were
Queen’s
Regiments
of
the
British
Army.
They
were
divided
into
three:
the
armies
of
the
Bombay
Presidency,
the
Madras
Presidency
and
the
The
grievances
of
the
Sepoys
centred
on
pay.
As
today,
there
was
a
complicated
system
of
deductions
for
food
and
accommodation
and
allowances
for
service
in
areas
distant
from
a
Regiment’s
recruiting
base.
The
latter
had
been
steadily
reduced
or,
in
some
cases,
not
paid.
The
concept
of
mutiny
was
not
understood
by
the
native
Sepoy
since
the
idea
of
patriotism
was
a
European
development.
He
struck
a
bargain
with
the
East
India
Company
in
that
he
would
give
loyal
service
in
return
for
specified
terms
and
conditions,
lithe
company
failed
to
keep
their
word
then
the
bargain
could
be
considered
void.
There
was
thus
widespread
discontent
and
this
subsequently
centred
on
the
issue
of
the
greased
cartridges.
New
ammunition
cartridges,
which
were
topped
with
calico
patches
waterproofed
with
linseed
oil
and
beeswax,
were
issued
for
troop
trials.
These
patches
had
to
be
bitten
off
before
they
could
be
used.
The
rumour
spread
that
they
were
coated
with
cow
and
pig
fat
and
that
biting
them
would
therefore
defile
both
Hindu
and
Muslims.
A
company
of
Sepoy
at
Meenat
refused
to
do
drills
with
the
cartridges.
The
situation
was
badly
handled,
and
eighty-five
men
were
court
martialed
on
9th
May
for
mutiny
and
harshly
sentenced.
On
the
night
of
From
Sir,—l
have
the
honour
to
report
for
the
information
of
Government,
and
in
the
absence
of
my
commanding
officer,
Lieutenant
Willoughby,
Artillery,
supposed
to
be
killed
on
his
retreat
from
Delhi
to
this
station,
the
following
facts
as
regards
the
capture
of
the
Delhi
Magazine
by
the
mutineers
and
insurgents
on
the
11th
inst.
On
the
morning
of
that
date,
between
seven
and
eight
p.m..
Sir
Theophilus
Metcalf
came
to
my
house
and
requested
that
I
would
accompany
him
to
the
magazine,
for
the
purpose
of
having
two
guns
placed
on
the
bridge,
sons
to
prevent
the
mutineers
from
passing
over.
On
our
arrival
at
the
magazine,
we
found
present
Lieutenants
After
all
these
guns
and
howitzers
had
been
placed
in
the
several
positions
above
named,
they
were
loaded
with
double
charges
of
grape.
The
next
step
taken
was
to
place
arms
in
the
hands
of
the
native
establishment,
which
they
most
reluctantly
received
and
appeared—
particularly
the
Mussulman
portion
of
the
establishment—to
be
in
a
state
not
only
of
excitement
but
also
if
insubordination,
as
they
refused
to
obey
any
orders
issued
by
the
Europeans.
After
the
above
arrangements
had
been
made,
a
train
was
laid
by
Conductors
Buckley,
Scully
and
Sergeant
Stewart,
ready
to
be
fired
by
a
preconcerted
signal,
which
was
that
of
Conductor
Buckley
raising
his
hat
from
his
head,
on
the
order
being
given
by
lieutenant
Willoughby.
The
train
was
to
be
fired
by
Conductor
Scully,
but
not
‘until
such
time
as
the
last
round
from
the
howitzers
had
been
fired.
So
soon
as
the
above
arrangements
had
been
made,
guards
from
the
palace
came
and
demanded
the
possession
of
the
magazine
in
the
name
of
the
king
of
Immediately
after
this,
the
Subadar
of
the
guard
on
duty
at
the
magazine
informed
Lieutenant
Willoughby
and
myself
that
the
king
of
Delhi
had
sent
down
word
to
the
mutineers
that
he
would
without
delay
send
scaling
ladders
fro
the
palace
for
the
purpose
of
scaling
the
walls,
and
these
shortly
after
arrived.
On
the
ladders
being
erected
against
the
wall
the
whole
of
our
native
establishment
deserted
us
by
climbing
up
the
sloped
roofs
on
the
inside
of
the
magazine
and
descending
the
ladders
on
the
outside,
after
which
the
enemy
appeared
in
great
numbers
on
the
top
of
the
walls.
We
kept
up
an
incessant
fire
of
grape
on
them,
every
round
of
which
told
well,
as
long
as
a
single
round
remained.
Previous
to
the
natives
deserting
us
they
hid
the
priming
pouches,
and
one
man
in
particular,
Kureem-buksh,
a
Durwan,
appeared
to
keep
up
a
constant
communication
with
the
enemy
on
the
outside
and
keep
them
informed
of
our
situation.
Lieutenant
Willoughby
was
so
annoyed
at
this
man’s
conduct
that
he
gave
me
an
order
to
shoot
him
should
he
again
approach
the
gate.
Lieutenant
Raynor,
with
the
other
Europeans,
did
everything
that
possibly
could
be
done
for
the
defence
of
the
magazine,
and
where
all
have
behaved
so
bravely
it
is
almost
impossible
for
me
to
point
out
any
particular
individual.
However.
I
am
duly
bound
to
bring
to
the
notice
of
the
Government
the
gallantry
of
Conductors
Buckley
and
Scully
on
this
trying
occasion.
The
former,
assisted
only
by
myself,
loaded
and
fired
in
rapid
succession
the
several
guns
above
detailed,
firing
at
least
four
rounds
from
each
gun,
and
with
the
same
steadiness
as
if
standing
on
parade,
although
the
enemy
were
then
some
hundreds
in
number
and
kept
up
a
continual
fire
of
musketry
on
us
within
forty
or
fifty
yards.
After
firing
the
last
round,
Conductor
Buckley
received
a
musket
ball
in
his
arm
above
the
elbow,
which
has
since
been
extracted
here;
I,
at
the
same
time,
was
struck
in
the
left
hand
by
two
musket
balls
which
disabled
me
(or
the
time.
It
was
at
this
critical
moment
that
Lieutenant
Willoughby
gave
the
order
for
firing
the
magazine,
which
was
at
once
responded
to
by
Conductor
Scully
firing
the
several
trains.
Indeed,
from
the
very
commencement,
he
evinced
his
gallantry
by
volunteering
his
services
for
blowing
up
the
magazine,
and
remained
true
to
his
trust
to
the
last
moment.
As
soon
as
the
explosion
took
place,
such
as
escaped
from
beneath
the
ruins,
and
none
escaped
unhurt,
retreated
through
the
sally
port
on
the
river
(ace.
Lieutenant
Willoughby
and
I
succeeded
in
reaching
the
I
have,
etc.,
(Signed)
G.
Forrest,
Lieutenant,
Assistant
Commissary
of
Ordnance.
This report is a remarkable piece of military writing by Lieutenant Forrest. It records the problems that faced Lieutenant Willoughby at the Delhi Magazine, the plans that he formulated to overcome them and their subsequent execution. It is devoid of any emotion or information that does not relate directly to the military situation. It is also the only account of the action as neither Lieutenant Raynor nor Conductor Buckley made depositions and Lieutenant Willoughby was murdered by villagers the next day. In a subsequent statement Lieutenant Forrest was to add “seeing the moment had arrived to do so, he ordered the preconcerted signal to be made, which was done by Conductor Buckley turning to where Conductor Scully was standing, and lifting his hat. Conductor Scully seeing this, at once fired the train and the magazine was blown up that same second with a fearful explosion killing hundreds of natives about. Fragments of the building were said to have been thrown half mile and upwards, and several European women and children who had fled to the magazine were killed or severely injured.”
It is known that the wife and four children of Conductor Buckley died that day; the fate of the families of the other defenders is not known. Only Forrest, Raynor and Buckley were awarded the Victoria Cross as the medal was not at that time awarded posthumously.
It
is
ironic
that
the
magazine
within
the
arsenal
that
the
small
group
defended
so
gallantly
was
only
the
expense
magazine
of
fifty
barrels
of
powder
from
which
practice
ammunition
was
prepared.
A
few
years
before
the
Mutiny,
Sir
Charles
Napier,
the
Commander-in-Chief,
had
been
horrified
to
find
that
the
principal
arsenal
of
Whatever
the
degree
of
materiel
damage
inflicted,
nothing
can
detract
from
the
cold
blooded
heroism
that
ensured
the
denial
of
warlike
stores
to
an
enemy.
It
was
an
act
that
was
to
‘send
a
thrill
across
the
Empire’
and
inspired
determination
throughout
the
British
in
© The RAOC Association
A
list
of
Conductors
Killed
during
the
Great War
-
Click
here