General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Sir Samuel James Browne, (3 October 1824 – 14 March 1901) was a British Indian Army cavalry officer, known best as the creator of the

Sam Browne belt The Sam Browne is a leather belt with a supporting strap that passes over the right shoulder, worn by military and police officers. It is named after Sir Samuel J. Browne (1824–1901), the British Indian Army general who invented it. Origins ...

. He was a recipient of 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 previously ...

, the most prestigious award for gallantry in combat that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Early life

He was born in Barrackpore, India, the son of Dr. John Browne, a surgeon of the

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

Medical Service and his wife Charlotte (née Swinton). Educated in England, Browne returned to India in 1840 and joined the 46th

Bengal Native Infantry The regiments of Bengal Native Infantry, alongside the regiments of Bengal European Infantry, were the regular infantry components of the East India Company's Bengal Army from the raising of the first Native battalion in 1757 to the passing int ...

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 the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently ...

, he participated in actions at Ramnuggar,

Sadulpur Rajgarh, is a city, municipality, tehsil and Legislative Assembly seat in Churu district of northern part of Rajasthan state in India. It lies in Shekhawati region at an elevation of . To distinguish Rajgarh from several other places with ...

, Chillianwalla and Gujrat. In 1849 he was made a lieutenant and tasked with raising a cavalry force, to be designated the 2nd

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 a ...

Irregular Cavalry and later incorporated into the regular force. From 1851 to 1863 he was adjutant and then commanding officer of this unit. Later (1904) the unit would be re-designated as the 22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force) in his honour.

Indian Mutiny

Browne commanded the 2nd Punjab in several engagements, and was decorated for action during the Bozdar Expedition of 1857, being promoted to captain. Browne was awarded the

for actions on 31 August 1858 at Seerporah, Rohilkhand, Uttar Pradesh, India. His citation reads: His Victoria Cross is displayed at the

National Army Museum The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bo ...

Sam Browne belt

Sometime after this incident he began to wear the accoutrement which now bears his name, as compensation for the difficulty his disability caused with wearing his officer's sword. A

is a wide belt, usually leather, supported by a narrower strap passing diagonally over the right shoulder; the diagonal strap stabilizes the scabbard of a sword if worn. Later such a belt would be adopted by other officers who knew Browne in India, but it was not to become used commonly by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

until after his retirement. Browne's original "Sam Browne" belt is possessed presently by the National Army Museum in Chelsea.

Later career and retirement

After the Indian Mutiny, Browne remained in the Indian Army and was promoted major-general in February 1870. In 1876 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI), and became a lieutenant-general on 1 October 1877. During the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...

in 1878–9, Browne commanded the Peshawar Valley Field Force. After entering Afghanistan via the Khyber Pass, and defeating the Afghan army at the

battle of Ali Masjid The Battle of Ali Masjid, which took place on 21 November 1878, was the opening battle in the Second Anglo-Afghan War between the British forces, under Lieutenant-General Sir Samuel James Browne, and the Afghan forces, under Ghulam Haider Khan. ...

on 21 November 1878, he occupied

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 ...

on 20 December. However, further advance towards

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 ...

in the new year was slowed by transport difficulties. After the end of the first phase of the war in May 1879, Browne's force returned to India. Although criticised by the

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

Lord Lytton for the slow pace of his advance, Browne was made a Knight Commander of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(KCB) and received the thanks of both Parliament and the government of India for his Afghan service. He retired from active service in 1884, was promoted general on 1 December 1888 and made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1891. In retirement Browne lived in

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

, England, and died there in 1901 at the age of 76. His remains were cremated but there is a memorial marker dedicated to Browne in the Ryde New Cemetery, as well as plaques at St Paul's Cathedral in London and Lahore Cathedral in Pakistan. His grave was restored in 2010.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Sam 1824 births 1901 deaths 19th-century British inventors People from Alnwick Military personnel from Northumberland British amputees British Indian Army generals Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross British East India Company Army officers British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Afghan War British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Sikh War British recipients of the Victoria Cross Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Military personnel of British India