NAM.1982-04-391-11

‘The Headless Horse Artillery Man of D’Arcy Tod’s troop’, 1st Sikh War, 1845 (c). Watercolour by Ensign Bethune Donald Grant, 35th Bengal Light Infantry, 1845 (c). The headless corpse of a Bengal Horse Artillery driver, still mounted on a gun team horse, passes some suitably astounded artillerymen. When aged three years old Elliott D’Arcy Todd (1808-1845) was placed under the care of his maternal uncle, William Evans, after his father lost his fortune in speculative investments. Evans worked for the East India Company and Elliott was enrolled in the military college of the East India Company at Addiscombe in 1822. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Bengal Artillery in 1823. He served in the Bhurtpore campaign (1824-1826) and transferred to the Horse Artillery in 1828. Todd studied Persian and served as an instructor to the Persian Army and later became a military advisor and political officer in Persia and Afghanistan. Todd returned to India in 1842. He was promoted to captain in the Bengal Artillery on 13 May 1842. During the 1st Sikh War (1845-1846) Todd was given command of the 2nd Troop, 1st Brigade of Horse Artillery. He fought at the Battle of Moodkee on 18 December 1845. Three days later at the Battle of Ferozeshah, Todd was, according to the London Gazette of 23 February 1846, decapitated by a Sikh round shot. While the ‘The Headless Horse Artillery Man’ in the picture is clearly not Todd himself it is an interesting coincidence that his troop is specifically represented here. Bethune Donald Grant (1827-1854) was the son of a surgeon, John Grant and Elizabeth Nicholson Agnes Hayes. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant in the 35th Bengal Native Infantry. He died in Agra on 30 November 1854.

Moodkee, Battle of, 1845 (1st Sikh War 1845-1846), Ferozeshah, Battle of, 1845 (1st Sikh War 1845-1846)