Michael Griffith and the Indian Rebellion

A watercolour of the rebellion of 1857 by British artist G F Atkinson.

On 27 April 1857 Michael Griffith made his attestation in the recruiting office of the East India Company in Liverpool.   While Michael was getting used to his new uniform and the drills of the Bengal Artillery, a mutiny of Sepoys, who refused to use the new pork or beef grease-wrapped bullets for their Enfield Rifles, took place at the garrison town of Meerat, 40 miles northeast of Delhi.  The East India Company cracked down on the mutineers, but the dissafection spread and a period of rebellion, battles and massacres brought the East India Company to its knees.  Great Britain brought in its own troops in to quell the unrest.  It was the end of the East India Company after 250 years of domination in India, and the beginning of the British Raj.

From 1853 the Bengal Sappers and Miners had been stationed at Roorkee in northern India in the state of Uttarakhand, with two artillery units attached. The Bengal Artillery was amongst the HEIC units which rebelled, and were disarmed and disbanded.   Not long before landing in India, Michael was transferred to the Sappers and Miners.

Later the Bengal Sappers was one of the few remaining regiments of the former Bengal Presidency Army which survived the Rebellion of 1857, doing sterling work in the recapture of Delhi from the rebels and other operations in 1857–58. 

Michael served with the Sappers from 19 April 1858 until 6 August 1861, and undoubtedly participated in some difficult field campaigns. As Michael was still a Gunner during his period with the Sappers,  he was presumably serving with the artillery companies.   On 1 November 1858, the British granted amnesty to all rebels not involved in murder, and declared the hostilities formally to have ended on 8 July 1859.

In the aftermath of the Rebellion, control of India was transferred from the East India Company to the Crown. The "European", units of the company's army were transferred to the British Army.

The Bazaar, Roorkee, where the Bengal Sappers and Miners were stationed in 1853.

Michael transferred to the Royal Artillery, and moved south to Barrackpore where the Royal Artillery was stationed for the rest of his period in India.  See  Stations of the Royal Artillery in India. 

Barrackpore is close to Calcutta, a destination which would provide added interest during Michael's time in India.

Bengal Artillery Mess House, Barrackpore. 

Hindoo Pagodas below Barrackpore on the Ganges. George Hunt. 1824. Courtesy: British Library.

Eastbourne Pier.

It must have amused Michael no end on his posting to Eastbourne in 1871 to find an Indian palace in miniature at the end of a pier!

And did Michael's niece, Mary Jane Griffith, know that her uncle had played his part in saving the Indian tea trade when she bought her tea at the local grocer's store?  This image was chosen by chance for a post back in February.

Gunner Griffith of the Royal Artillery

Gunner and Sergeant Major, Royal Artillery, 1861. Artist G H Thomas.  Source:  The British Empire.

The following timeline is constructed from dates included in Corporal Griffith's Chelsea Hospital Record, plus a few personal events:

22 April 1857    Attested.  Gunner  Bengal Artillery. Probably training in Essex
19 April 1858    Transferred Sappers.  Private
30 April 1858     India 22 Jan 1861     Gunner   to 5 Aug 1861
6 Aug 1861        Transferred Royal Artillery, 16th Brigade, Gunner  to 5 Apr 1863
12 Oct 1861       Boon granted by GOGG
                           Continued....Gunner in Royal Artillery 16th Brigade
1 Nov 1867        Transferred Depot Brigade  to 19 May 1869 (presume for return to Depot)
22 Nov 1867      Left India
24 Dec 1867       Re-engaged at Woolwich for 10 years  119 days
20 May 1869      Promoted  Bombardier  to  6 Oct 1870
 Dec Quarter       Emily born
7 Oct 1870          Promoted Corporal   to 31 Mar 1871
1 Apr 1871         Transferred Corporal Coast Brigade
Dec Qtr 1873      Alice Born
22 Feb 1875        Discharge from the Army
31 Mar 1875       *Further service from 23 Feb to 31 March 1875.
6 Apr 1875          Buried
Signed by D Anderson Captain 7th Division Coast Brigade
Total of  19 years 344 days.


The reference to Michael's attestation with the Bengal Artillery indicates that he served his first couple of years with the Honourable East India Company.   The HEIC maintained a recruiting depot in Liverpool, so I am assuming the attestation occurred in Liverpool.

We don't know Michael's actual movements after making his attestation, but most likely he spent some months training at the East India Company barracks at Warley in Essex.  Wikipedia says that "In 1842 the East India Company's barracks at Chatham became inadequate, and they purchased the land [at Little Warley] to move their troops in. Accommodation was created for 785 recruits and 20 sergeants with new buildings for the officers. Married family housing was also provided, and a chapel."

So Mary may have accompanied Michael while he was training at Warley, and stayed in the married quarters.   Whether Michael's young bride went with him to India is unknown, but it seems likely that when he went abroad, Mary stayed behind.  There don't seem to be any children born of the union in this early period, either in England or India.