Britain's colonial history has long been a subject topic of intense debate and discussion, with calls for a deeper reckoning with its controversial past. Historian William Dalrymple has suggested the establishment of a "museum of colonialism" to shed light on this history, highlighting figures whose actions left a dark legacy of British Imperialism in India and elsewhere.
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| India's Republic day January 26.gecdesigns.com |
Speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival in September 2020 during a debate titled "The Age of Iconoclasm," Dalrymple without any hesitation emphasized that while not all statues of colonial figures need to be removed, those commemorating individuals who committed heinous crimes should be reconsidered for removal from the Indian land.
It is a known fact that the text books in British schools glorify British imperialism and its virtues across the colonies, in particular, India, Dalrymple focussed on the incorrect and misleading narrative often presented in British schools. The students learn about figures like Henry VIII and William Wilberforce, giving the impression that the British Empire was primarily a force for good, emphasizing the abolition of slavery while neglecting its darker aspects. He argued that this selective teaching omits the brutal realities of colonial rule and the atrocities committed in India and elsewhere.
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| Colin Campbell, Alamy.com |
Among the countless infamous British figures, one prominent figure associated with these atrocities committed in India is Sir Colin Campbell (1792 1863), was a Scottish British Army officer later ennobled as Lord Clyde. Campbell, while serving as commander-in-chief of India, was responsible for several brutal actions during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 that was earlier turned into a major rebellion in the northern states by the arrogant and irresponsible British army men in Meerut Cantonment.
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| Statue of Gen. Collin Campbell |
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| Gen. Colin Campbell's memorial, Glasgow, UK Alamy.com |
Above image: Memorial to Brig. Colin Campbell George Square, Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Statue of Colin Campbell, Field Marshal Lord Clyde by John Henry Foley......
Campbell oversaw severe reprisals against Indian soldiers who had turned hell-bent and engaged in the horrific practice of tying captured mutineers to blowing before the cannons and executing them by firing squared. Lord Palmerston offered Campbell the command of all British forces in India. Promoted to the local rank of full general in India the same day, he reached Calcutta in August 1857. He relieved and then evacuated Lucknow in November 1857 After the fall of Maratha patriot and close associate of Peshwa Nana Saheb, Tanya Tope at Cawnpore (Kanpur) in December 1857, Campbell moved to recapture Lucknow in March 1858.
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| killing spree by the British in Lucknow, UP.upload.wikimedia.org |
Above image: Interior of the damaged Sikandar Bagh (a fortified villa and garden in Lucknow, United Provinces (Awadh)) after the slaughter of 2,000 Rebels by the 93rd Highlanders and 4th Punjab Regiment. First Attack of Sir Colin Campbell in November 1857, Lucknow. Albumen silver print, by Felice Beato, 1858.........
The siege of the Begum Kothi palace complex in Lucknow involved intense hand-to-hand combat, resulting in the deaths of over 700 Indian rebels. His troops then launched an assault on the Kaisar Bagh palace, using artillery to breach defenses and indiscriminately targeting both combatants and civilians in retaliation for earlier massacres of Europeans and Christians by the Indian rebels.
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| Gen. Colin Campbell awarded Order of the Bath.nam.ac.uk |
Above image: Order of the Bath, Star of a Knight Grand Cross awarded to Major-General Sir Colin Campbell, 1855
Despite his unethical and violent methods, violating the norms of war rules set by the Military regulations, in dealing with Indian rebels demanding freedom, Campbell was celebrated in Britain, receiving the thanks of both Houses of Parliament and a pension of £2,000 a year. In praise of his mass killings at Lucknow, Campbell was promoted to the substantive rank of full general on 14 May 1858 and later raised to the peerage as Baron Clyde, of Clydesdale . His statue in Glasgow stands as a reminder of the violent suppression of the Indian uprising, a chapter in history that remains contested.
https://victorianweb.org/history/crimea/campbell.html
https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/colin-campbell-soldier-coolness-and-precision
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Campbell,_1st_Baron_Clyde
