Page 109 - Chronicle Vol 17

THE RIFLES HERITAGE COMMITTEE
The Heritage Committee holds an annual competition to encourage interest in the historical background of the founding Regiments of The Rifles.
First Prize (£250) was awarded to Rfn Evans, B Coy 1RIFLES.
“Do not Negotiate, but Perish with Sword in Hand”
– How The 32nd Regiment Survived the Siege of Lucknow
By Rfn Evans, B Coy 1 RIFLES
This work concerns the Siege of Lucknow during The Indian Mutiny of 1857, a conflict that at its time was unmatched in intensity and brutality, which saw a handful of outnumbered British soldiers wrestle for control of the Indian Subcontinent against a tenacious and well-armed enemy. Focusing on the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot, who formed the backbone of Lucknow’s defence, the primary aim of this essay is to investigate how they managed to survive and succeed against seemingly impossible odds. Utilising the opinions of historians and evidence from the survivors, it will be argued that the regiment benefited from extraordinary levels of grit and determination, spurring them to endure the siege with an aggressive fighting spirit, all whilst guided by impeccable leader- ship. These factors enabled the 32nd to respond with remarkable fortitude, oper- ating as a highly effective fighting force to gain the edge over their foes; making them a prime example of a great antecedent regiment, whose lessons still bare relevance for modern-day Riflemen. However, despite this, ‘Lucknow’ is a bat- tle-honour seemingly little-known by the wider public and the 32nd’s modern descendants in The Rifles. Therefore, this essay’s secondary objective is to grant the defenders of Lucknow their much-needed recognition and raise awareness of this largely forgotten battle.
The 32nd Regiment of Foot (which can be traced through the lineage of The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry) arguably endured the lion’s share of horrors and deprivations faced by all units during the 1857 war. Horrors abounded indeed, as the legacy of the conflict remains disputed to this day, largely due to the bru- tality displayed by both sides. Although the British suppression of ‘The Mutiny’ (popularly remembered as ‘The First War of Independence’ amongst Indians) was undeniably heavy-handed, a fact which should not be forgotten, politics is not this essay’s concern, which instead lies with the performance of the belligerents as infantry units.
Before making the case for the 32nd’s position as a premier example of the RIFLES spirit, a brief explanation of the conflict’s background is necessary to elucidate the intensity of the perilous situation which the 32nd found themselves in. By 1857 most of India had been under firm British control for well over a century. Rich in resources and of priceless strategic importance, this ‘Jewel in the Crown’
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