DEPUIS or DE LUST, a French soldier of fortune who came to Lahore in 1842, and was employed by the Sikh Darbar as a trainer of gunner recruits. Later, he was made commandant of a battalion, but, being found unfit for command, he was removed from service in 1844. He then proceeded to Shimla where he opened a school for teaching French and dancing.
Discover how Jones, a deserter, became a key gunner in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army, crucial to the 1818 Battle of Multan. Learn about his remarkable journey!
DOTTENWEISS or DOTTERWICH, a short statured, stoutly built German who, in 1835, joined the army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh as a military tactician. He was found unequal to the appointment and was dismissed from the service soon afterwards.
Discover Lairdee's dramatic journey from serving the East India Company to fighting against the English in the First Anglo-Sikh War before his capture in 1846.
EUROPEAN ADVENTURERS OF NORTHERN INDIA, 1785 to 1849, by G. Grey, first published in 1929 and reprinted by the Languages Department, Punjab, Patiala, in 1970, contains biographical sketches of over one hundred Europeans who came to or served in the Punjab during Sikh times. The book, which is the result of "some six years of labour" in the archives of the Punjab Government as well as the consultation of a large number of contemporary memoirs and other works, supplements Compton`s European Adventurers which the author found both out of date and incomplete. Broadly speaking, these adventurers fall into two groups: well known men like George Thomas and Avitabile and the lesser known men "of whom no account has hitherto appeared." They could also be classified as combatants and noncombatants; the former category includes Generals like Ventura and Potter and the latter class includes medical men like Honigbergcr and Harlan, the antiquarian Masson and the engineer Bianchi.
Explore the life of MAHER JOHN, a unique Eurasian musician and drum-major in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army, highlighting European adventurers in India.
FARRIS (d. 1842), a Frenchman, who joined the Sikh army in 1841 and was employed in the gunpowder factory. He died at Lahore within one year of his appointment.
Discover the legacy of Martindale, an Anglo-Indian officer in Sikh infantry. Son of General Martindale, he also served in Skinner's Horse.
FORD, MATTHEW WILLIAM (d. 1841), an Englishman who started his career in 1804 as an ensign in a West India regiment. He successively served with the 7th Foot, the 70th Foot, the 1st Royal Scots and the 22nd Light Dragoons. In 1823, he was appointed paymaster to the 16th Foot. While stationed at Karnal in 1837, he embezzled large sums of money and deserted the British troops. He came to Lahore towards the end of the year and joined the Sikh army as a battalion commander on Rs 800 per month, later commuted for jagir of three villages near Rawalpindi.
Explore METUI's adventurous life as a Russian soldier in the Sikh army, his Kashmiri marriage, and his life in Lahore. Learn more about his unique journey.
