Sam Browne
General Sir Samuel James Browne VC GCB KCSI (1824–1901) was an officer of the British East India Company, born in India, who joined the 46th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry in 1840. He served in the Punjab Campaign and then was ordered to raise a cavalry unit which became the 2nd Punjab Irregular Cavalry later the 22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force). He fought in the Bozdari Expedition in 1857. Serving under Sir Colin Campbell in Oudh during the Indian Mutiny he won the VC and lost an arm at the Battle of Seerporah. This led to his invention of the Sam Browne Belt later adopted as part of British Army officers' uniform. He commanded the Peshawar Field Force during the 2nd Afghan War which captured the fortress of Ali Masjid and forced the Khyber Pass. He was promoted general and retired to the Isle of Wight where there is a memorial marker in Ryde cemetery. There are plaques to his memory in St Paul's Cathedral and Lahore Cathedral.
External links
- Sam Browne Dictionary of Indian Biography (1906)
- Sam Browne Wikipedia
- Grave location, now an archived webpage.
- Biographical including career details Ryde Social Heritage Group rshg.org.uk.
Historical books online
- Journal of the late General Sir Sam Browne from 1840-1878, published 1937 for private circulation. HathiTrust Digital Library.