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| A trooper of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, c1822 |
He was at the battles of Chillianwallah and Gujrat when aged 17, and he fought throughout the Indian Mutiny as a lance-corporal, and gazetted for the Victoria Cross on the 24th December 1858, but did not receive his medal until 1860 when it was presented to him at Allahabad.
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| Charge of the 3rd Kings Own Light Dragoons at the Battle of Chillianwala on the 13th of January, 1849, the first major battle of Second Sikh War (1848-49). |
At the Battle of Chillianwala, the first major battle of Second Sikh War, the 9th Lancers first saw significant action, where they formed part of Brigadier Richard Pope's cavalry brigade on the right flank of the British line.
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| The Battle of Chillianwallah on 13th January 1849 during the Second Sikh War: map by John Fawkes. The 9th Lancers can be seen deployed on the extreme right flank of the British line. |
Amid the dense scrub and jungle terrain, the lancers advanced in support of the infantry assault against entrenched Sikh artillery and infantry positions held by Sher Singh's army of around 30,000 troops, and as a trooper, Kells participated in the disordered cavalry manoeuvres that followed the initial British advance, contributing to efforts to counter Sikh cavalry counterattacks and protect the brigade's horse artillery, though the engagement ended inconclusively with heavy casualties on both sides. The regiment suffered losses but earned the battle honour "Chillianwala" for its role in the fierce fighting.
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| British 3rd King’s Light Dragoons at the Battle of Gujerat on 21st February 1849 during the Second Sikh War. The 3rd KLD were brigaded alongside the 9th Lancers on the British left flank. |
Following the tactical draw at Chillianwala, the 9th Lancers pursued the retreating Sikh forces and played a pivotal role in the decisive Battle of Gujrat on 21 February 1849.
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| The Battle of Goojerat (Gujrat) on 21st February 1849 during the Second Sikh War: map by John Fawkes. The 9th Lancers are on the British left flank facing the bulk of the Sikh cavalry. |
Positioned in the cavalry reserve, the lancers executed a successful charge against the Sikh right wing, breaking through enemy infantry squares and artillery batteries defended by approximately 20,000 troops under Sher Singh. Kells, still a teenager, took part in this mounted assault, which helped shatter the Sikh line and contributed to the rout of their army, effectively ending the Second Anglo-Sikh War and leading to the annexation of the Punjab.
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| A 1912 map showing the centres of the 1857 Indian Rebellion |
The Indian Mutiny, also known as the Sepoy Rebellion, erupted in 1857 as a widespread uprising against British rule in India, beginning with sepoys of the Bengal Army and spreading to civilian populations.
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| Hot climate uniform for the 9th Lancers was all white, trousers, shell jacket and cap cover. Illustration by Pierre Turner, based on the watercolour sketches made by Captain Roger Dawson Upton of the 9th Lancers during the Indian Mutiny. |
The 9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers, stationed in India, played a key role in suppressing the rebellion, participating in major operations including the siege and capture of Delhi, the relief of Lucknow, and pursuits into the Doab region between the Yamuna and Ganges rivers.
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| The year 1858 marked the final, decisive phase of the British suppression of the Indian Rebellion (or Indian Mutiny) in the crucial, heavily contested region of Oudh (Lucknow) and Cawnpore (Kanpur). Following the shocking massacres at Cawnpore in July 1857 and the initial, costly relief of the Lucknow Residency in November 1857. The year 1858 saw the systematic recapture of these areas by British forces under Sir Colin Campbell. |
One eye witness of the 9th Lancers during these actions was Bugler Johnson of the 52nd LI, writing in 1901, and says that khaki uniform became general throughout the British troops during the Mutiny…except for the 9th Lancers. ‘Sir Hope Grant brought them into action in white when I lay before Delhi’. Mounted men carrying lances, it seems, were conspicuous enough, so dressing them in white would have made no difference.
Under Colonel Edward Greathed's flying column, the regiment advanced southeast from Delhi to confront rebel forces, engaging in skirmishes that helped secure British control over key territories.
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| The action at Bulandshahr, fought on 28th September 1857, at which corporal Robert Kells, 9th Lancers was awarded the Victoria Cross, for gallantry above and beyond. The charge of the 9th Lancers drove the mutineers into the streets of the city behind the mutineers line, in which Captain Drysdale's horse was shot, leaving Drysdale disabled with a broken collarbone. |
On the 28th September 1857, during the action at Bulandshahr (also spelled Bolundshahr), approximately 50 miles southeast of Delhi, Lance-Corporal Robert Kells of the 9th Lancers acted as orderly to Captain William Drysdale, who led a charge against rebel positions held by Nawab Walidad Khan's forces.
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| Lieutenant Colonel William Drysdale in the field officer’s uniform of the 9th Lancers (blue tunic with a small red plastron on the upper chest) with an embroidered crown badge on each side of his collar, denoting the rank of lieutenant-colonel at that time. He has medals for each of the Sikh Wars, the Punniar Star and a medal for the Indian Mutiny with two clasps. Also he has the insignia of a Companion to the Order of the Bath (CB, later elevated to KCB). |
As the British columns fought at a crossroads outside the town and within its streets, Drysdale's horse was shot from under him, throwing him to the ground with a broken collarbone and leaving him vulnerable amid advancing mutineers.
Kells, along with Private John Jordan, immediately halted their horses, dismounted, and defended Drysdale against the enemy sepoys closing in, holding them at bay with sword and pistol until reinforcements arrived; Jordan was mortally wounded in the effort. This act of bravery occurred amid intense street fighting that ultimately secured Bulandshahr, allowing Greathed's column to press onward to Agra.
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| The 9th Queen's Lancers were awarded fourteen Victoria Crosses in the Indian Mutiny. Alongside Robert Kells was sergeant Henry Hartigan VC awarded the Victoria Cross for two actions of daring and distinguished gallantry in the following instances: At the battle of Budle-ke Serai, near Delhi, on the 8th June, 1857, in going to the assistance of Serjeant H. Helstone, who was wounded, dismounted, and surrounded by the enemy, and at the risk of his own life, carrying him to the rear. On the 10th October 1857, at Agra, in having run unarmed to the assistance of Serjeant Crews, who was attacked by four rebels. Hartigan caught a tulwar, from one of them with his right hand, and with the other hit him on the mouth, disarmed him, and then defended himself against the other three, killing one and wounding two, when he was himself disabled from further service by severe and dangerous wounds. Hartigan recovered from his wounds and was presented with his Victoria Cross by Lady Hersey at Fort William, Calcutta on Christmas Eve, 1860. |
Kells' heroism was recognized in a despatch from Major-General Sir James Hope Grant, dated 8th April 1858, which detailed the valour shown by British troops in the Mutiny campaigns. The official citation, published in The London Gazette on 24th December 1858, stated:
"For conspicuous bravery at Bolundshahur, on the 28th of September, 1857, in defending against a number of the enemy his commanding officer, Captain Drysdale, who was lying in a street with his collar-bone broken, his horse having been disabled by a shot, and remaining with him until out of danger."
Following his retirement from active military service in 1868, Robert Kells was appointed as a Yeoman of the Queen's Bodyguard on 1st January 1881, serving under Queen Victoria. This prestigious role was part of the Yeomen of the Guard, an ancient ceremonial bodyguard unit based at the Tower of London, reserved for retired warrant officers and non-commissioned officers of distinguished service.
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| Trumpet Major R.W. Kells VC, 9th Lancers These are his miniatures, worn on mess dress, bought for me quite a few years ago at auction by my Dad. The VC at centre, the Indian Mutiny medal with the red and white ribbon carries the clasps "Delhi" - "Relief of Lucknow" - "Lucknow", whilst the Punjab medal with the blue and yellow ribbon carries the clasps "Chilianwana" - "Goojerat". |
The 9th Lancers had returned to England but Kells stayed in India, having transferred to the 1st Bengal European Light Cavalry, and this regiment became the 19th Hussars which he served in with the rank of sergeant until he had a fall from his horse, and being sick from disease, was discharged at Benares on the 14th November 1868, after more than two decades of service since enlisting as a boy soldier in 1844, moving to England, a country he had never visited, and lived in Blackfriars Road, London.
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| Robert Kells as a Yeoman of the Queen's Bodyguard, with his VC proudly displayed with the Punjab medal to its left and the Indian Mutiny medal to its right. |
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| Medal entitlement of Sergeant Robert Kells, 9th ( Queen's Royal ) Lancers. Victoria Cross Royal Victorian Medal ( RVM ) Punjab Medal ( 1848-49 )2 clasps: "Chilianwana" - "Goojerat" Indian Mutiny Medal ( 1857-58 )3 clasps: "Delhi" - "Relief of Lucknow" - "Lucknow" Queen Victoria Jubilee Medal ( 1887 )clasp: "1897" ( Diamond Jubilee ) King Edward VII Coronation Medal ( 1902 ) Army Long Service & Good Conduct Medal ( LSGC ) |
Kells' duties primarily involved ceremonial protection of the monarch and participation in state events, including attendance at coronations, jubilees, and other royal occasions during the later years of Victoria's reign and the early part of Edward VII's. He served in the rank of Yeoman Bed Hanger, contributing to the guard's traditional responsibilities of escorting the sovereign and upholding courtly protocols
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| Trumpet Major Kells' Regimental History of the 9th Lancers, 1715 - 1903 |
Robert Kells married his first wife, Christina Bond, on 8th March 1859 in Allahabad, India; she was the widow of Edward Harper, a trumpeter in the 9th Lancers, and the couple had no children.
Following his retirement from the military in 1868, Kells returned to Britain and remarried on 23rd June 1869 at St Mary's Parish Church in Lambeth, London, to Sarah Ann Mathews, the daughter of Samuel Mathews, a printer.
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| A good conduct testimony for Kells service with the band in the Territorials, dated 24th September 1912. |
With Sarah Ann, Kells fathered eleven children—three daughters and eight sons—settling into family life in London after years of service abroad. One of their sons, Sergeant R. Kells, later served in World War I and received the Military Medal.
Kells died on the 14th April 1905 at the age of 73 in Lambeth, and was buried in Lambeth Cemetery in an unmarked grave (Section F2, Grave 391), with a simple funeral befitting his modest circumstances; a commemorative plaque was later added to the site in 2009 by Lambeth Borough Council.
Kells died on the 14th April 1905 at the age of 73 in Lambeth, and was buried in Lambeth Cemetery in an unmarked grave (Section F2, Grave 391), with a simple funeral befitting his modest circumstances; a commemorative plaque was later added to the site in 2009 by Lambeth Borough Council.
I was prompted to compose this account of just one of Queen Victoria's soldiers for two reasons, first, my owning Kells' miniatures and regimental history and secondly from my attending a recent Pink Floyd tribute evening at Exeter Cathedral, during which I entertained myself during the interlude by inspecting many of the regimental colours and memorials housed in the cathedral.
I was pleasantly surprised to spot the following memorial to the 9th Queens Lancers as seen above, a monument I had seen on many occasions before but never recognised its unique significance.
A nearby plaque and scroll explained the establishment of the memorial in the cathedral;
'This memorial was erected to the memory of five officers and one-hundred and forty-three other ranks of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers who gave their lives during the Indian Mutiny.
During this campaign the regiment won no less that fourteen Victoria Crosses.
The 9th Lancers were known throughout India as 'the Delhi Spearmen' for their prowess with the lance in capturing that city. On May 1st 1850, the regiment embarked at Fort William, Calcutta, en route for Exeter. By a special order of the day, the Governor General of India directed that a salute of twenty-one guns be fired and offered his thanks not only for its services before the enemy but for the admirable example which it has presented to the young soldiers of the Indian Army by its perfection of discipline, conduct and efficiency.
On several occasions prior to 1861, the Regimental Depot was stationed in Exeter. On its arrival in Exeter in the summer of 1859, a special service of thanksgiving was held in the Cathedral for the save return of this MOST DISTINGUISHED REGIMENT.'
Commemorating men of the 9th Queen's Lancers who died in India, the Lancers Memorial was carved by Carlo Marochetti in 1860, the favourite sculptor of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
One of the fun and interesting aspects of being an historical wargamer is that you can combine the interest with just about any other activity you might find yourself doing and most any time, and the pure serendipity and pleasure at discovering the link between a treasured antique of mine, and my local Cathedral, whilst enjoying the delights of Pink Floyd and reliving my salad days only reminded me at how lucky I am.
I hope you found this post interesting and as always, more anon.
JJ
