https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=John_Holmes_mercenaryJohn Holmes mercenary - Revision history2026-07-31T12:59:10ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=John_Holmes_mercenary&diff=473594&oldid=prevAMARENDRA NATH ROY at 10:18, 19 November 20232023-11-19T10:18:51Z<p></p>
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'''John Holmes''' was an [[Anglo-Indian]] mercenary in [[Sikh Empire]]. He served in the Sikh Army during the final years of [[Punjab]]'s independence, and rose from a trumpeter to the rank of Colonel. He served with the [[Sikh Khalsa Army]], during the [[First Anglo-Sikh War]].<br />
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== Biography ==<br />
He joined the [[Bengal Army|Bengal Horse Artillery]] and in September 1829 resigned his post and moved to [[Punjab]] in search of a better future. He joined [[Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Punjab)|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]]'s army. It is suspected that he simultaneously worked for Ranjit Singh and spied for the British. He took part in the [[Battle of Peshawar (1834)|Battle of Peshawar]] (1834) and the [[Battle of Jamrud (1837)]]. He was also appointed the Revenue Officer of [[Gujrat Division|Gujrat]] for two years (1835–36). While most of the European Officers were discharged from the Sikh Army after the First Anglo-Sikh war, John Holmes was retained in service as a reward for supplying secret information to the [[Ludhiana district|Ludhiana]] Political Agency. He was posted at [[Bannu Division|Bannu]] where, in October 1848, the Sikh troops under his command mutinied and killed him for his treasonable conduct.<br />
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He was the last European attached to the Sikh army.<ref>*Punjab Records, No. 246/1669, 4/10/48</ref><br />
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==References==<br />
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[[Category:Year of birth missing]]<br />
[[Category:1848 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Bengal Artillery soldiers]]<br />
[[Category:Mercenaries in India]]<br />
[[Category:British people of the First Anglo-Sikh War]]<br />
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[[Category:British mercenaries killed in action]]</div>AMARENDRA NATH ROY