Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

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 presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government ...

of the

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

Biography

Early life

Broadfoot was born in

Kirkwall Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

, 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 and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

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

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

. During this period he became good friends with

Colin Mackenzie Colonel Colin Mackenzie CB (1754–8 May 1821) was 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. He surveyed southern India, ...

, 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 (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, Broadfoot returned to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

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 primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, and towards the end of his furlough in 1836 he held the appointment of orderly officer at Addiscombe Military Seminary 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 FRS FRSE FRCPE FPSG (; 15 April 17105 February 1790) was a Scottish physician, chemist and agriculturalist, and professor at the Edinburgh Medical School. Cullen was a central figure in the Scottish Enlightenment: He was Dav ...

Afghanistan

At the outbreak of the

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War ( fa, جنگ اول افغان و انگلیس) was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Afghanistan, Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking si ...

, 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 Zaman Shah Durrani, or Zaman Shah Abdali (Persian: ; 1767 – 1844), was ruler of the Durrani Empire from 1793 until 1801. He was the grandson of Ahmad Shah Durrani and the fifth son of Timur Shah Durrani. An ethnic Pashtun, Zaman Shah became th ...

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, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) 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; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

. The journey involved traversing the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

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

Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

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 Major-General Sir Robert Henry Sale (19 September 1782 – 21 December 1845) was a British Army officer who commanded the garrison of Jalalabad during the First Afghan War and was killed in action during the First Anglo-Sikh War. Biography ...

's force from Kabul to

Jalalabad Jalalabad (; Dari/ ps, جلال‌آباد, ) is the fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 356,274, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part of the country, about from the capital Kabul. Jala ...

in October 1841. Broadfoot was specially mentioned in the dispatches for his gallantry in the actions with the Afghans between Kabul and

Gandamak Gandamak is a village of Afghanistan located between Kabul and Jalalabad, from Jalalabad on the old road to Kabul. History During the retreat from Kabul of General Elphinstone's army in 1842, a hill near Gandamak was the scene of the Battle of ...

. 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 Major-General Sir Henry Havelock (5 April 1795 – 24 November 1857) was a British general who is particularly associated with India and his recapture of Cawnpore during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (First War of Independence, Sepoy Mutiny). E ...

, 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 caregive ...

, and was appointed Commissioner of

Moulmein Mawlamyine (also spelled Mawlamyaing; , ; th, เมาะลำเลิง ; mnw, မတ်မလီု, ), formerly Moulmein, is the fourth-largest city in Myanmar (Burma), ''World Gazetteer'' south east of Yangon and south of Thaton, at th ...

. 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, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Himachal Pradesh, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the States and union territories of India, northern Indian state of Himachal Prade ...

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 Gulab Singh Jamwal (1792–1857) was the founder of Dogra dynasty and the first Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the largest princely state under the British Raj, which was created after the defeat of the Sikh Empire in t ...

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 in and around the Ferozepur district of Punjab. It resulted in defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession of ...

broke out. He was present at the battles of

Mudki Mudki, also spelled as Moodkee, is a town in Punjab state of India. This town lies in Ferozepur district. Mudki has been famous for the Battle of Mudki, which took place in 1845 between the British and Sikh armies. In memory of Sikh soldiers who ...

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 Firozpur, also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India. After the partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the India–Pakistan border with memorials to soldiers who d ...

, 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