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Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden was born in 1821 on the East India Company's ship "Rose" in the Bay of Bengal.He was the eldest son of Colonel Thomas Lumsden, C.B., of the Bengal artillery, and of Belhelvie Lodge, Aberdeenshire. He was sent home from India in 1827 and was educated at the Bellvue Academy, Aberdeen, and Mr Dawe's School, Bromley, Kent.
At the age of seventeen he entered the Bengal Army, commissioned ensign in the 59th regiment of Native Infantry and became in succession;
captain and major 1853
lieutenant colonel 1858
colonel 1862
major general 1868
lieutenant general 1875
He had a marked aptitude for languages and served as interpreter and quartermaster in the Afghan campaign of 1842 and was present at the forcing of the Khyber Pass and the recapture of Cabul. In 1846 he served in the Sutlej campaign and was severely wounded at the battle of Sobraon.
Lumsden was appointed assistant to Sir Henry Lawrence for the North-Western provinces,an area of wild tribes and rugged, almost impassable terrain. He was sent with 3000 Sikhs and six guns against the Hazara and with skilfull stratagems and two actions at Doob Pass and Ballokotee forced the hillmen to submit.
In 1846, when he was only 25 years of age he was asked to form the Corps of Guides. He was given a free hand in the recruiting, training, and equipment of this force of one hundred cavalry and two hundred infantry. The Guides consisted of Pathans, Sikhs, Gurkhas, Dogras and Turcomans. Lumsden cared neither about their religion nor background, choosing men from the most warlike tribes, notorious for desperate deeds, or as he put it, "accustomed to look after themselves, and not easily taken aback by any sudden emergency."
Under Lumsden's leadership these varied people developed into a disciplined force where no man questioned his authority and the Guides soon acquired a reputation for daring, dependability and fidelity.
Lumsden was a good rider, an excellent shot, an ideal frontier soldier. He was described as "a singular mixture of shrewdness and simplicity, absolutely free from selfishness and self-seeking, with great originality, a perfect temper, and a keen sense of humour."
The Guides initially dyed their clothes with river mud and later chose this colour for their uniform. Khaki was adopted by the Indian Army in 1885 (from the Hindi word "khak" meaning dust.)
From 1847-1852 the Guides distinguished themselves in sixteen engagements, notably, the siege of Multan and the battle of Gujerat.
In 1857 he was sent on a mission to Candahar, accompanied by his brother, Peter Stark Lumsden. He remained as Envoy to Candahar for a year and was unable to command the Guides during the Indian Mutiny and this missed opportunity hindered his military career.
He resumed command in 1860 when an attempt was made on his life by a fanatic, but he escaped with a severe sabre wound to his left arm.
In 1866 he returned to England for six months and married Fanny Myers and in 1869 he left India for good. In 1873 he was made Knight Commander of the Star of India, and in 1875 he retired from the army. He was well qualified for civil employment but declined because of his intense dislike of official routine.
He had inherited Belhelvie Lodge on the death of his father in 1874, and spent the remainder of his life there, occupying himself with hawking, photography, and wood-carving (see Ruskington Church.) He died in 1896.
Lumsden P. and Elsmie G. Lumsden of the Guides
John Murray, 1899.
Barthorp M. The North-West Frontier
Dorset; New Orchard Editions, Blandford Press, 1982.
Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-20, 22. Ancestry.com, 2003. Original data: Edit: Sir Leslie Stephen and Sir Sidney Lee. The Dictionary of National Biography Founded in 1882 by George Smith, Vol. I-XX, XXII. London, England: Oxford University Press, 1921-22.
The Myers Family History -Harry Burnett Lumsden
Cathy Clarke, Wellington, New Zealand
email: catherine.clarke@clear.net.nz
Last updated: 9 Oct 2009