The Mystery Lt. Colonel

Posts : 2871 Join date : 2010-06-02

A copy of Major General Bengough's "Memories of a Soldiers Life", published in 1913, popped up the other day, so I grabbed it and it has just arrived in the post.
It turns out to be packed with marginal notes and comments by a mystery Lt. Colonel who was plainly a contemporary of Bengough. Although it is not clear who this Lt. Colonel is, there are a number of clues that might help identify him. So thinking caps on please!
His initials look to me like J F. This is his note about the "unfortunate 24th".
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Elsewhere he tells us he first went to India in 1861. He was present at the funeral of a Lt Hemming of the 77th Foot in Peshawar in 1867/8 while serving with the 28th Punjab Rifles'.

He bought a horse called "Jack Knife" from "Moor" the Adjutant of the 88th Connaught Rangers who had got it from Major Edward Bourke brother of Lord Mayo Governer General of India who had been assasinated.

Much of his copious comments are about hunting exploits, particularly Tiger in India, and he is not very complimentary about Bengough's efforts!
A further example of his notes.
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If his service in India began in 1861 he must have been retired as Lt. Colonel by the time Bengough's book was published. So any thoughts as to his identity please?

Steve

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