Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Sir Henry Marion Durand, (6 November 1812 – 1 January 1871) was a British military officer in the
Bengal Army
The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, 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 (EIC) until the Gover ...
and served as
Lieutenant Governor of Punjab from 1870 until his death in 1871.
Early life
Durand was one of two illegitimate sons of
Major Henry Percy, a cavalry officer who served in the
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spai ...
and later at the
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Sevent ...
, and Marion Durand, a French woman he met while prisoner-of-war in the Napoleonic Wars. Born in
Coulandon,
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 ...
, both his parents died whilst he was young, and he was placed in the care of a family friend Mr. Deans.
He was educated at the
East India Company Military Seminary at
Addiscombe
Addiscombe is an area of south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is located south of Charing Cross, and is situated north of Coombe and Selsdon, east of Croydon town centre, south of Woodside, and west of Shirley.
E ...
where he was a contemporary of the future
Lord Napier of Magdala who passed out two years before him.
Career
Durand sailed for India in 1829. On-board he developed a friendship with fellow passenger
Alexander Duff, however the ship was wrecked on
Dassen Island and the friends separated.
On his arrival in India in May 1830, he served initially as Second Lieutenant in the
Bengal Engineers
The Bengal Engineer Group (BEG) (informally the Bengal Sappers or Bengal Engineers) is a military engineering regiment in the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. The unit was originally part of the Bengal Army of the East India Company's ...
. Until 1838 he served chiefly in the north-west provinces, and from 1834 he was Superintendent at Ferozeshah Canal.
In 1838, then Lieutenant Durand gave up his well-paid civil appointment to serve in the engineering department of the expeditionary force to
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
. He served with distinction during 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 Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession di ...
however resigned in his post in protest of giving up the entire Bala Hissar to the Afghans, and returned to India.
On his return, Durand was furloughed to England where he became acquainted with
Lord Ellenborough. He was offered the post of aide-de-camp to Ellenborough, and on Ellenborough's arrival in India was give the lucrative post of his private secretary.
In June 1843 Durand was promoted to Captain, and the same year married Mary, daughter of Major General Sir John McCaskill. In December 1843 he assisted Ellenborough during the
Gwalior campaign, and at its conclusion was awarded the bronze star for Maharajpore.
When Ellenborough was dismissed by the East India Company in 1844 Durand lost his role as private secretary, and was later appointed
Commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
of
Tenasserim until he was removed from the post in 1846. Durand then sailed to London to protest his removal to the directors of the East India Company, and returned to India with an order that he be reinstated to an equivalent post.
The order was however ignored by
The Earl of Dalhousie and Durand returned to military service.
During the
Second Anglo-Sikh War Durand saw action at the
Battle of Chillianwala and
Battle of Gujrat. He was attached to the 3rd Division under
Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...
Colin Campbell who later noted the Durand rendered him "valuable assistance" and that his "warmest acknowledgements" are due to him.
For his war service he promoted to Brevit-Major and appointed Political Agent, a civil role, at
Gwalior
Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...
. From Gwalior he was transferred to
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...
and in 1853 made
Resident of
Nagpur
Nagpur (pronunciation: aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nagpur is projected to ...
. During these years he became a regular contributor to the
Calcutta Review on the history and society of India. In 1853 Durand went to England and after three years leave, returned to India in 1856 as a
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colon ...
.
Indian mutiny of 1857
On his return he was appointed acting Political Agent at
Indore
Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...
, assuming the role in April 1857, the same month as the start of the
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the for ...
. On 1 June a mob headed by an officer in
Tukojirao Holkar II's army, entered the Residency at Indore, crying out "Kill the Sahibs".
Colonel Travers led a charge against the mob for which he was later awarded the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...
. Thereafter Durand organised an evacuation of the Residency first to
Sehore, then
Hoshangabad
Hoshangabad, officially known as Narmadapuram is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Hoshangabad district and Narmadapuram division. It is located in central India, on the sou ...
, and finally
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
.
Having re-grouped Durand accompanied a column led by Sir Charles Stuart for the relief of
Mhow Fort. The action was successful, order restored and the Residency at Indore re-built. However, in October rebels assembled a force at
Dhar
Dhar is a city located in Dhar district of the Malwa region in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of the Dhar district. Before Indian independence from Great Britain, it was the capital of the Dh ...
. Durand was involved in operations against the rebels at Mundisore.
On 24 November, Durand was summoned to
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...
and in recognition of his services during the mutiny was raised to the rank of Brevit Colonel.
Council of India
In 1858, under the terms of the Queen's Proclamation issued by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
, the Indian possessions of the East India Company came under the direct rule of the British crown.
[ Hibbert 2000, p. 221] Durand was sent to England to assist in plans to re-organise the Company armies. Whilst in England he was appointed to Council of the Secretary of State for India, remaining in the role for the next three years until he resigned in 1861.
Lord Canning
Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning, (14 December 1812 – 17 June 1862), also known as The Viscount Canning and Clemency Canning, was a British statesman and Governor-General of India during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the first Vice ...
appointed Durand Foreign Secretary of his administration, and he returned to India. In 1865 he was given to the post of Military Member of the Governor General's Council.
The following year he was promoted Major General and made
Knight Commander of the Star of India.
The ''
Hindoo Patriot'' later remarked of his time with the council, "He touched upon questions of all descriptions which came before the Council with all the skill and masterliness of an expert...all his utterances were marked by an intelligent appreciation of the want and wishes of the people, by broad sympathies, and by fearless independence." He was a vocal opponent of the Punjaub Tenancy Act, pronounced the North West Municipal Act as an unmitigated sham practically used for the convenience of a few European residents rather than the for the good of the mass of the population, and raised opposition to the Income Tax policy which he described as "odious". Such was the esteem he was held in by locals, the article remarked that he and
William Mansfield constituted "the only independent element in the Council and when they left the right hand of the government was lopped off."
Punjab and death
In May 1870,
The Earl of Mayo appointed Durant to succeed
Sir Donald McLeod as Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab. At his farewell banquet in
Simla that month, Durant remarked of his respect and love for the soldiers he fought during the Second Anglo-Sikh War, and his intention to do all he can for the welfare of the people of the province.
On the evening of 31 December 1870 Durand was thrown from an elephant as it attempted to pass under a low gateway in the city of
Tonk (now Tank,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
). He fell heavily, and died the following day. He was buried in
Saint Thomas' Church in
Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan (; bal, , Urdu and skr, , ps, ډېره اسماعيل خان), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 37th largest city of Pakista ...
,
NWFP,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
.
Personal life
His son, Sir
Henry Mortimer Durand
Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, (14 February 1850 – 8 June 1924) was a British Anglo-Indian diplomat and member of the Indian Civil Service.
Background
Born at Sehore, Bhopal, India, he was the son of Sir Henry Marion Durand, the Resident of Ba ...
, served in the
Indian Civil Service
The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947.
Its members ruled over more than 300 million p ...
and later in the British diplomatic service. For a time when in England, he lived at Furness Lodge,
East Sheen
East Sheen, also known as Sheen, is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
Its long high street has shops, offices, restaurants, cafés, pubs and suburban supermarkets and is also the economic hub for Mortl ...
,
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, Californi ...
.
His daughter Ethel Durand married the naturalist and African explorer
James Sligo Jameson.
[ODNB: J S Jameson]
References
*
;Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
* The papers of Henry Marion Durand, including diaries, correspondence, memoranda, literary papers, photographs and presscuttings are held b
SOAS Special Collections Digitised items from the collections may be viewed onlin
here
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durand, Henry Marion
1812 births
1871 deaths
Alumni of Addiscombe Military Seminary
Members of the Council of India
British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Sikh War
British military personnel of the First Anglo-Afghan War
British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Road incident deaths in India
British Indian Army generals
Bengal Engineers officers
Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India
British military personnel of the Gwalior Campaign
Members of the Council of the Governor General of India
Governors of Punjab (British India)