Sahib by Richard Holmes

Author:Richard Holmes [Holmes, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Nothing could be more ludicrous than the dress of the Company’s officers at that period, some wearing shoes and buckles on guard; others shoe-strings, their facings not more than two inches broad; epaulettes not fastened to the shoulder, but hanging down upon their breast. One of their Generals I have seen with a pair of black silk smalls, and stockings to match, white waistcoat and a General’s red coat. The name of this officer was Sir Eccles Nixon.

The Company sought to improve the status of its officers by taking on some King’s officers who had been made redundant by the disbandment of their regiments after the Seven Years’ War. At times of particular crisis, officers and men of HM’s regiments whose time in India was up were allowed to exchange into the Company’s service, and both bounties and promotion were on offer. In 1757, some of HM’s 39th transferred to what was then the Bengal European Regiment, with a bounty of 10 gold pagodas (35 rupees) a head. On a far larger scale, in 1764 two lieutenants obtained captaincies and four ensigns were promoted lieutenant on transfer from HM’s service to the Madras European Regiment, and twenty-five sergeants, 545 rank and file and sixteen drummers followed them. Some transfers reflected individual tragedies that we can only guess at. In December 1768, William Hickey sailed to India aboard the Plassey, and:

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