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| March 18th | General Sir Walter Raleigh Gilbert (Birth) | ||||
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Bodmin – born General Sir Walter Raleigh Gilbert (1785 - 1853) , one of the thirteen children of Rev. Edmund Gilbert, Vicar of Constantine, became a cadet in the Bengal Infantry, which was funded by the East India Company, in 1800 and was posted to India arriving there in October 1801.
Rising rapidly through the ranks, Gilbert was promoted to Lieutenant in 1803, Captain (1810) and became a Major in November 1820 and then Lieutenant-Colonel of the newly formed 39th Bengal Native Infantry in 1824. Further promotions came with his appointment as Major-General in June 1838 and finally Lieutenant-General in November 1851. Gilbert made his fortune in India and became famous for his exploits in the First Anglo-Sikh War especially the battles of Ferozeshah, Mudki and Sobraon as well as at the battles of Chilianwala and Gujurat in the Second Anglo-Sikh War. Having received the Sikhs’ surrender, he pursued their Afghan allies up the Khyber Pass. Gilbert died at the age of 60 and, in his memory; the people of Bodmin funded a 144-foot obelisk (pictured right). |
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