Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

George Broadfoot CB (21 March 1807 – 21 December 1845) was a Scottish army officer in the

Madras Army The Madras Army was the army of the Presidency of Madras, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations manda ...

of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

Biography

Early life

Broadfoot was born in

Kirkwall Kirkwall (, , or ; ) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. First mentioned in the ''Orkneyinga saga'', it is today the location of the headquarters of the Orkney Islands Council and a transport hub wi ...

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

, the eldest surviving son of Reverend William Broadfoot.Ardent Media, Dictionary of Indian Biography, p.53 At the age of ten he moved with his family to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

where he was educated. In 1825 he obtained a cadetship in the

and on his arrival in India in January 1826 he was posted to the 34th Regiment of Madras Native Infantry as an

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. During this period he became good friends with

Colin Mackenzie Colonel Colin Mackenzie (1754–8 May 1821) was a Scottish army officer in the British East India Company who later became the first Surveyor General of India. He was a collector of antiquities and an orientalist and an indologist. He sur ...

, who sailed on the same ship to India.William Broadfoot, The Career of Major George Broadfoot, C. B. ...: In Afghanistan and the Punjab Paperback – Ulan Press (31 August 2012), ASIN: B009J1HQP8 After seven years service in

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

, Broadfoot returned to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

where he would remain for the following five years. Whilst back in Europe he travelled in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

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, and towards the end of his furlough in 1836 he held the appointment of orderly officer at

Addiscombe Military Seminary The East India Company Military Seminary was a British military academy at Addiscombe, Surrey, in what is now the London Borough of Croydon. It opened in 1809 and closed in 1861. Its purpose was to train young officers to serve in the East India ...

for thirteen months. He returned to India in 1838 and was appointed to the Commissariat Department of the Madras Army under the command of

William Cullen William Cullen (; 15 April 17105 February 1790) was a British physician, chemist and agriculturalist from Hamilton, Scotland, who also served as a professor at the Edinburgh Medical School. Cullen was a central figure in the Scottish Enli ...

Afghanistan

At the outbreak of the First Anglo-Afghan War, despite having no experience in northern India, he was rewarded for his services in Madras with re-deployment to the frontier provinces. He was initially placed in command of the escort which accompanied the families of Shah Sujah and Zaman Shah from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

. The journey involved traversing the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

which had descended into a state of near anarchy following the death of

Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia M ...

and the convoy was frequently at risk from marauding soldiers and bandits. On reaching Kabul, part of the escort was formed into a company of sappers and miners, which, under the command of Broadfoot, marched with Sir Robert Sale's force from Kabul to

Jalalabad Jalalabad (; Help:IPA/Persian, ͡ʒä.lɑː.lɑː.bɑːd̪ is the list of cities in Afghanistan, fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 200,331, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part ...

in October 1841. Broadfoot was specially mentioned in the dispatches for his gallantry in the actions with the Afghans between Kabul and Gandamak. At Jalalabad Broadfoot became garrison engineer, and by his skill and vigour speedily restored the defences of the town, which had been found in a ruinous condition. Having no men from the Sappers and Miners available, he used Gurkha troops as an ''ad hoc'' engineer workforce. During the siege of Jalalabad by the Afghans, Broadfoot (now a captain), aided by his friend Henry Havelock, then a Captain of foot, was instrumental in preventing a capitulation, which at one time had been resolved on by Sir Robert Sale and a majority of the principal officers of the force. In one of the sorties made by the beleaguered garrison Broadfoot was severely wounded. He subsequently accompanied General Pollock's army of retribution to Kabul, again distinguishing himself in the actions which were fought at Mammu Khél, Jagdallak, and Tezín. At the close of the war he was created a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

, and was appointed Commissioner of

Moulmein Mawlamyine (also spelled Mawlamyaing; , ; ; , ), formerly Moulmein, is the fourth-largest city in Myanmar (Burma), ''World Gazetteer'' southeast of Yangon and south of Thaton, at the mouth of Thanlwin (Salween) River. Mawlamyine was an ancien ...

. He arrived in Moulmein in April 1843, and was tasked with reforming the corrupt practices and maladministration of the province.

Punjab

In 1844, the Governor-General Sir Henry Hardinge appointed Broadfoot as his Agent of the North-West Frontier, at the time one of the most prestigious posts in India. He was based in the Punjab, which remained in a state of chaos, and was instructed to keep his superiors acquainted with developments in the region in case of any potential violations on the frontier which might compel the Bengal Army to engage militarily. In May 1845 he went to

Shimla Shimla, also known as Simla ( the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India. After independence, the city ...

to recover from anxiety and stress caused by overwork. Around the same time an outbreak of cholera in the Punjab caused a restraint in the turbulence of the Sikh army and a significant reduction in violence. In August 1845, Broadfoot received a messenger from Gulab Singh who invited the British to raise an uprising against the Sikhs and offered his support, in favour of a financial reward and retaining Jammu and neighbouring territories. Broadfoot ordered that no reply be made to the Gulab Singh's offer.

Death

Towards the end of 1845, the

First Anglo-Sikh War The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 around the Firozpur district of Punjab. It resulted in the defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession of Jammu ...

broke out. He was present at the battles of Mudki and Ferozeshah. Broadfoot was shot in the heart at Ferozeshah on 21 December 1845. He was first wounded through both thighs and thrown off his horse, and on immediately mounting his horse again he was pierced through the heart and arm and killed. His death and his services were thus described in Sir Henry Hardinge's report on the battle:

It is now with great pain that I have to record the irreparable loss I have sustained, and more especially the East India Company's service, in the death of Major Broadfoot of the Madras army, my political agent. He was thrown from his horse by a shot, and I failed in prevailing upon him to leave the field. He remounted, and shortly afterwards received a mortal wound. He was brave as he was able in every branch of the political and military service.

The Governor-General organised and attended Broadfoot's funeral service at the cantonment at Ferozepur, where he was buried alongside Sir Robert Sale. The Arab horse on which Broadfoot was riding when he was killed, which was shot twice in the course of events, was brought to full health by Hardinge and retained in his private stud. His friend Henry Havelock would go on to name his son George Broadfoot in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Broadfoot, George 1807 births 1845 deaths British East India Company Army officers British military personnel killed in the First Anglo-Sikh War British military personnel of the First Anglo-Afghan War Companions of the Order of the Bath Military personnel from Orkney