William Fraser’s letter
Accompanying the column of the Bengal Army to Garhwal was an ambitious and courageous civilian, namely William Fraser, who was himself wounded when Major General Gillespie was killed at Kalanga. He had been very impressed by the military prowess of the Goorkha soldier and, apparently, had persuaded Major General Gillespie, before his death, to agree to his suggestion for an approach to be made to John Adam, Political Secretary to the Government of India, for the raising of light irregular troops to assist with securing British interests in the region.
Fraser’s letter was dated 15 November 1814, in which he wrote…
“General Gillespie, whose loss and death are so sensibly felt …and judging from the tendency of the information he had received from others as well as myself, he agreed to a suggestion I made of endeavouring to raise some bodies of light irregular troops to push forward into the mountains, for the purpose of giving confidence to the inhabitants, destroying the few detached parties scattered about …and seizing difficult passes and strengthening if necessary these with stockades or barriers.”
John Adam’s response
John Adam, the Political Secretary to the Government of India, replied to the request from William Fraser in a letter dated 30 November 1814, in which he wrote….
“The result of your enquiries seems to leave no doubt of the necessity of restoring to some more efficient means of defending the passes through Garhwal against a retreating enemy ..and rendering the employment of our own regular troops in that service impracticable, the only alternative seems to be the organisation the formation of which you have already taken some steps, in consequence of communications with the late Major General Gillespie.
Those steps are entirely approved, and you are authorised to proceed in levying men until you have completed the number originally proposed …”
Aftermath
The irregular Corps raised by William Fraser in October 1814 comprised 4000, and less than half were ‘ hillmen ‘, but there were no Goorkha soldiers. A subsequent proposal that 500 or so prisoners and deserters in the British camp should increase the number of irregulars to just over 6000 was approved.
The first commander of the irregular Corps was Lieutenant Frederick Young who in 1815 had raised ‘1200 irregulars from among the mountaineers’. Some of whom were to eventually form the Sirmoor Battalion.
Sources
- History of the 2nd King Edward’s Own Goorkha Rifles ( The Sirmoor Rifles ).
- Gurkha Museum Publication ‘Lineages and Composition of Gurkha Units in British Service’ by Field Marshal Sir John Chapple GCB CBE DL
- ‘ Remarkable Times, Remarkable Men ‘ by Colonel Nick Hinton MBE and Major John Harrop
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