John Coke (EICo)
Encyclopedia
Pronounced "Cook"
Major-General John Coke(1806–1897), C.B., 10th Regiment Bengal Native Infantry
was a soldier of the British Indian Army, who raised in 1849 the 1st Regiment of Punjab Infantry, renamed in 1903 55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force)
. Major-General Coke received the Delhi medal and clasp, and was made Companion of the Order of the Bath. The dates of his later commissions are — Brevet Major, 1854; Brevet Lieut-Colonel, 1858; Colonel, 1858; and Major-General on retirement. He was J. P. and D.L. for the county of Hereford, and was High Sheriff of Herefordshire
for 1879.
, Bishop of Gloucester, who suffered at the stake in Queen Mary's reign. The Rev. Francis Coke was constantly resident at Lemore, Eardisley
, Hereford from the time of his marriage, in 1791, up to that of his death. He died at Bath 30 April 1831, but was buried at Eardisley. His wife died April 6, 1826; she had a large family of fifteen children, seven only of whom survived. A tradition in the Coke family of Trusley
, Derbyshire, states that the founder of it was one Cook or Coke, who was employed in the service of Henry de Ferrars
, Superintendent of William the Conqueror's horse armourers and farriers. They are said to have been located near Tutbury Castle
, Staffordshire, in some unknown feudal capacity. Whether their original residence was in Derbyshire or Staffordshire, it appears that on the marriage with the Owens they resided in the latter county, and continued there till they changed their residence for Trusley, soon after their marriage with the Odingsells. See also George Coke
(d.1646), Bishop of Hereford and John Coke
(d.1644) statesman. Armourials include crescents, with the sun as crest.
3 December 1827, and sailed for India on the 27th
of the same month. He was promoted Lieutenant August 29, 1835, and
that year appointed Adjutant of his regiment, which post he held for nine
years. He also passed the Fort William College
at Calcutta as interpreter in three
languages. Like many of the distinguished Indian officers, he was unlucky in promotion, and was over twenty years a subaltern, obtaining his captaincy
28 March 1848 ; he had however long before this seen his first active service.
to reinforce Sir Charles James Napier
: it started with a strength of fourteen European officers and one thousand native officers and sepoy
s. After about a year and a half in Sindh the corps marched back to Hindustan
, through the desert, with
only two officers and about three hundred men remaining out of the fine
body that a short eighteen months previously had left the country.
(1845–46), but returned to India
in 1848 following the outbreak in April that year of the Second Anglo-Sikh War
, and Captain Coke joined the army of Sir Hugh Gough
, Commander-in-Chief, India
, at Ramnagar
as a volunteer in 1849, doing
duty with Colonel Tait's 2nd Irregular Cavalry
. At the action of Chillianwalla his horse was shot when taking Major Dewes' Battery to
the front. He was also present at the final victory of Goojerat, and
at the pursuit of the Sikhs and Afghans to Peshawur under General
Sir W. R. Gilbert.
in 1849, John Coke was appointed to raise a regiment for frontier service, and commenced raising the 1st Punjaub Infantry
on 6 April 1849 ; on 23 February following, the regiment was reviewed by the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Charles Napier, G.C.B., when he reported to Colonel Henry Montgomery Lawrence
, Deputy Commissioner of Peshawur : —
He received also the thanks of the Honourable Court of Directors and the Governor of India for dispatch in raising the regiment and its services in the Kohat
Pass. Having been only serving as a volunteer with the force in the Sikh campaign he was refused the medal, but on the recommendation of His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief it was granted. The latter wrote from Simla, 3 June 1850 : —
The Chief Commissioner of the Punjaub, Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence
, G.C.B., the noble statesman and soldier who fell in the
defence of Lucknow in 1857, also wrote : —
He received the thanks of the Governor-General in Council and the
Punjab Board of Administration for the conduct of the regiment in
the campaign under Sir Colin Campbell
, K.C.B., in the Ranagie Valley,
in May, 1852. Two marches made by his regiment to join the force
attracted much admiration. The first letter despatched by Col. Mackeson,
Commissioner of Peshawur, directing the corps to march at once for
Peshawur, being sent by messenger, had been purposely withheld. His
second letter arrived by post on May 7. At two o'clock the following
morning the regiment marched, and arrived that day at Peshawur, a distance
of forty miles, with a range of hills to cross and the Kohat defile to pass through. On the 9th, arriving at the Cabul river, he found the bridge
of boats swept away. They repaired the bridge, and got over on the
evening of the 10th, then marched another forty miles, and found the
force as it was going into action on 11 May.
, with
civil and military charge of the district on the frontier of Afghanistan,
then in a very critical and disturbed state, the Hill Tribes making
constant raids on the villages. Kohat at this time was the most law-
less district in the Punjaub. During the five years it was under his
charge it became distinguished for its loyalty and good government. When Lord Napier of Magdala, as Commander-in-Chief in India, lately visited the district in his tour of inspection, he assured Major-General Coke that he was by no means forgotten by the inhabitants, whom he had endeavoured to
rule to their own benefit and the advantage of the State.
Colonel G. B. Malleson, C.S.I., in his " History of the Indian
Mutiny," writes —
He was first wounded in the Kohat Pass in 1853. In September,
1855, he received the thanks of the Governor-General, Lord Dalhousie,
for the conduct of his regiment at the capture of the intrenchments
on the Summana Mountains, 5,000 feet high. The regiment commenced the ascent at ten o'clock on the night of the 1st September, and did not get back until about the same hour on the 2nd, being twenty-four hours at work. Lord Dalhousie wrote : —
successful campaign in the Bogdar Hills, when he was again wounded, and
received the Frontier medal. In May of the same year, on the breaking
out of the Indian Mutiny, he marched for Delhi. Colonel Malleson writes : —
He was in February, 1858, given the command of a brigade to operate
in Rohilcund. On reaching Roorkee he had great difficulty in procuring
transport. Malleson writes : —
Colonel Malleson gives a full account of Brigadier Coke's services in
Rohilcund of which the following is an extract:
Lord Lawrence
, writing to The Times in November, 1878, on the Afghan war, named Major-General John Coke as one of the "models of frontier officers, good administrators, and able soldiers — men who devoted their health, and even their lives, to their duty." He adds : —
Church, Hereford, which bears the following inscription:
Major-General John Coke(1806–1897), C.B., 10th Regiment Bengal Native Infantry
Bengal Native Infantry
The Bengal Native Infantry was part of the organisation of the East India Company's Bengal Army before the Indian rebellion of 1857.The infantry regiments underwent frequent changes of numbering during their period of existence...
was a soldier of the British Indian Army, who raised in 1849 the 1st Regiment of Punjab Infantry, renamed in 1903 55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force)
55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force)
The 55th Coke's Rifles was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 1st Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 55th Coke's Rifles in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922...
. Major-General Coke received the Delhi medal and clasp, and was made Companion of the Order of the Bath. The dates of his later commissions are — Brevet Major, 1854; Brevet Lieut-Colonel, 1858; Colonel, 1858; and Major-General on retirement. He was J. P. and D.L. for the county of Hereford, and was High Sheriff of Herefordshire
High Sheriff of Herefordshire
The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions are now...
for 1879.
Family
He was born 17 November 1806, the 7th son of the Rev. Francis Coke, the only surviving issue of the Rev. Richard Coke, who was born 5 July 1763 and was B.A. of Baliol College, Oxford, and also admitted BA at Cambridge, where he took his Master's degree. He took Holy Orders in 1786; was presented to Gladestry, co. Radnor, in 1810, by the Prince of Wales; and to Sellack, co. Hereford, in 1821, by the Dean and Chapter of Hereford ; Magistrate for the county, and Prebendary of Piona Parva in the cathedral church of Hereford. In 1791 he married Anne, youngest daughter of Robert Whitcombe, Esq. (of the ancient family of Whitcombe, of Eastham, in the county of Worcester), by Winifred, eldest daughter of Richard Hooper, Esq., of the Whittem, Herefordshire, said to be descended from John HooperJohn Hooper
John Hooper, Johan Hoper, was an English churchman, Anglican Bishop of Gloucester and Worcester. A Protestant Reformer, he was killed during the Marian Persecutions.-Biography:...
, Bishop of Gloucester, who suffered at the stake in Queen Mary's reign. The Rev. Francis Coke was constantly resident at Lemore, Eardisley
Eardisley
Eardisley is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire about south of the centre of Kington. Eardisley is in the Wye valley in the northwest of the county, close to the border with Wales....
, Hereford from the time of his marriage, in 1791, up to that of his death. He died at Bath 30 April 1831, but was buried at Eardisley. His wife died April 6, 1826; she had a large family of fifteen children, seven only of whom survived. A tradition in the Coke family of Trusley
Trusley
Trusley is a parish and small village in South Derbyshire.The manor was given to Henry de Ferrers together with many villages in Derbyshire for his contribution to the Norman Conquest. More recently the hall and manor house have been the homes of the Coke family...
, Derbyshire, states that the founder of it was one Cook or Coke, who was employed in the service of Henry de Ferrars
Henry de Ferrers
Henry de Ferrers was a Norman soldier from a noble family who took part in the conquest of England and is believed to have fought at the Battle of Hastings of 1066 and, in consequence, was rewarded with much land in the subdued nation.His elder brother William fell in the battle. William and Henri...
, Superintendent of William the Conqueror's horse armourers and farriers. They are said to have been located near Tutbury Castle
Tutbury Castle
Tutbury Castle is a largely ruinous medieval castle at Tutbury, Staffordshire, England, in the ownership of the Duchy of Lancaster. It is a Grade I listed building...
, Staffordshire, in some unknown feudal capacity. Whether their original residence was in Derbyshire or Staffordshire, it appears that on the marriage with the Owens they resided in the latter county, and continued there till they changed their residence for Trusley, soon after their marriage with the Odingsells. See also George Coke
George Coke
George Coke was successively the Bishop of Bristol and Hereford. After the battle of Naseby in 1645, Hereford was taken and Coke was arrested and taken to London. He avoided charges of High Treason in January 1646 and died in Gloucestershire that year.-Biography:Coke was the son of Richard and...
(d.1646), Bishop of Hereford and John Coke
John Coke
Sir John Coke was an English politician.Coke, the son of Richard and Mary Coke of Trusley, Derbyshire, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge...
(d.1644) statesman. Armourials include crescents, with the sun as crest.
Career
He received his commission as Ensign in the 10th Regiment Bengal Native InfantryBengal Native Infantry
The Bengal Native Infantry was part of the organisation of the East India Company's Bengal Army before the Indian rebellion of 1857.The infantry regiments underwent frequent changes of numbering during their period of existence...
3 December 1827, and sailed for India on the 27th
of the same month. He was promoted Lieutenant August 29, 1835, and
that year appointed Adjutant of his regiment, which post he held for nine
years. He also passed the Fort William College
Fort William College
Fort William College was an academy and learning centre of Oriental studies established by Lord Wellesley, then Governor-General of British India. It was founded on July 10, 1800 within the Fort William complex in Calcutta...
at Calcutta as interpreter in three
languages. Like many of the distinguished Indian officers, he was unlucky in promotion, and was over twenty years a subaltern, obtaining his captaincy
28 March 1848 ; he had however long before this seen his first active service.
Action in Sindh
In 1843 the 10th Regiment was sent to SindhSindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
to reinforce Sir Charles James Napier
Charles James Napier
General Sir Charles James Napier, GCB , was a general of the British Empire and the British Army's Commander-in-Chief in India, notable for conquering the Sindh Province in what is now Pakistan.- His genealogy :...
: it started with a strength of fourteen European officers and one thousand native officers and sepoy
Sepoy
A sepoy was formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier in the service of a European power. In the modern Indian Army, Pakistan Army and Bangladesh Army it remains in use for the rank of private soldier.-Etymology and Historical usage:...
s. After about a year and a half in Sindh the corps marched back to Hindustan
Hindustan
Hindustan or Indostan, literal translation "Land of River Sindhu ", is one of the popular names of South Asia. It can also mean "the land of the Hindus"...
, through the desert, with
only two officers and about three hundred men remaining out of the fine
body that a short eighteen months previously had left the country.
2nd Anglo-Sikh War
He passed 1845-48 on furlough in Europe, thereby missing the First Anglo-Sikh WarFirst Anglo-Sikh War
The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company between 1845 and 1846. It resulted in partial subjugation of the Sikh kingdom.-Background and causes of the war:...
(1845–46), but returned to India
in 1848 following the outbreak in April that year of the Second Anglo-Sikh War
Second Anglo-Sikh War
The Second Anglo-Sikh War took place in 1848 and 1849, between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company. It resulted in the subjugation of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently became the North-West Frontier Province by the East India Company.-Background...
, and Captain Coke joined the army of Sir Hugh Gough
Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough
Field Marshal Sir Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough, KP, GCSI, KCB, PC , was an Irish British Army officer. He was said to have commanded in more general actions than any other British officer of the 19th century except the Duke of Wellington.- Early career :Born at Woodstown House, Co...
, Commander-in-Chief, India
Commander-in-Chief, India
During the period of the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India was the supreme commander of the Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his staff were based at General Headquarters, India, and liaised with the civilian Governor-General of India...
, at Ramnagar
Battle of Ramnagar
The Battle of Ramnagar was fought on 22 November 1848 between British and Sikh forces during the Second Anglo-Sikh War. The British were led by Sir Hugh Gough, while the Sikhs were led by Sher Singh Attariwalla.-Background:...
as a volunteer in 1849, doing
duty with Colonel Tait's 2nd Irregular Cavalry
2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)
The 2nd Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army raised in 1809. It served in the Nepal and First World Wars. During the reconstruction of the British Indian Army in 1922 it was amalgamated with the 4th Cavalry....
. At the action of Chillianwalla his horse was shot when taking Major Dewes' Battery to
the front. He was also present at the final victory of Goojerat, and
at the pursuit of the Sikhs and Afghans to Peshawur under General
Sir W. R. Gilbert.
Raises the 1st Regiment Punjab Infantry
On the annexation of the Punjaub by Lord DalhousieJames Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie
James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie KT, PC was a Scottish statesman, and a colonial administrator in British India....
in 1849, John Coke was appointed to raise a regiment for frontier service, and commenced raising the 1st Punjaub Infantry
55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force)
The 55th Coke's Rifles was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 1st Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 55th Coke's Rifles in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922...
on 6 April 1849 ; on 23 February following, the regiment was reviewed by the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Charles Napier, G.C.B., when he reported to Colonel Henry Montgomery Lawrence
Henry Montgomery Lawrence
Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence was a British soldier and statesman in India, who died defending Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny.-Career:Lawrence was the brother of John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence and was born at Matara, Ceylon...
, Deputy Commissioner of Peshawur : —
"As to Coke's regiment, I have seen nothing superior to it in drill — it is admirable ; both you and I saw how this brave corps fought under its excellent leader in our five days' campaign in the Kohat Pass. I am more pleased with this young commander than I can express."
He received also the thanks of the Honourable Court of Directors and the Governor of India for dispatch in raising the regiment and its services in the Kohat
Kohat
Kohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
Pass. Having been only serving as a volunteer with the force in the Sikh campaign he was refused the medal, but on the recommendation of His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief it was granted. The latter wrote from Simla, 3 June 1850 : —
" My dear Coke, I am very glad you have a chance of the medal you have so well earned : you earned it in the defile of Kohat alone, had you no other claim. I shall not easily forget you or your regiment on those five days. I never saw hard work better or more spiritedly done, for it was hard work while it lasted. Pray remember me to your admirable regiment, both officers and men. Yours sincerely, Charles Napier."
The Chief Commissioner of the Punjaub, Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence
Henry Montgomery Lawrence
Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence was a British soldier and statesman in India, who died defending Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny.-Career:Lawrence was the brother of John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence and was born at Matara, Ceylon...
, G.C.B., the noble statesman and soldier who fell in the
defence of Lucknow in 1857, also wrote : —
" My dear Coke, We have written to you officially, but I cannot refrain from sending you a line myself, thanking you for the honor you have brought on the Punjab Irregular ForcePunjab Irregular ForceThe Punjab Irregular Force was created in 1851, to protect the NW frontier of British India. It was termed "Irregular" because it was outside the control of the Regular British armies of the 3 Presidencies of Bengal, Bombay or Madras, but was under the control of the British chief magistrate of...
. Every one speaks of the gallantry of yourself and men. I only regret their loss was so severe. I feel proud to be connected with such fine fellows. Yours sincerely, H. M. Lawrence."
He received the thanks of the Governor-General in Council and the
Punjab Board of Administration for the conduct of the regiment in
the campaign under Sir Colin Campbell
Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde
Field Marshal Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde GCB, KSI was a British Army officer from Scotland who led the Highland Brigade in the Crimea and was in command of the ‘Thin red line’ at the battle of Balaclava...
, K.C.B., in the Ranagie Valley,
in May, 1852. Two marches made by his regiment to join the force
attracted much admiration. The first letter despatched by Col. Mackeson,
Commissioner of Peshawur, directing the corps to march at once for
Peshawur, being sent by messenger, had been purposely withheld. His
second letter arrived by post on May 7. At two o'clock the following
morning the regiment marched, and arrived that day at Peshawur, a distance
of forty miles, with a range of hills to cross and the Kohat defile to pass through. On the 9th, arriving at the Cabul river, he found the bridge
of boats swept away. They repaired the bridge, and got over on the
evening of the 10th, then marched another forty miles, and found the
force as it was going into action on 11 May.
Appointed Deputy Commissioner of Kohat
In 1850 he was appointed Deputy Commissioner of KohatKohat
Kohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
, with
civil and military charge of the district on the frontier of Afghanistan,
then in a very critical and disturbed state, the Hill Tribes making
constant raids on the villages. Kohat at this time was the most law-
less district in the Punjaub. During the five years it was under his
charge it became distinguished for its loyalty and good government. When Lord Napier of Magdala, as Commander-in-Chief in India, lately visited the district in his tour of inspection, he assured Major-General Coke that he was by no means forgotten by the inhabitants, whom he had endeavoured to
rule to their own benefit and the advantage of the State.
Colonel G. B. Malleson, C.S.I., in his " History of the Indian
Mutiny," writes —
" Colonel Coke was one of the best known and most distinguished officers of the Punjaub Frontier ForcePunjab Irregular ForceThe Punjab Irregular Force was created in 1851, to protect the NW frontier of British India. It was termed "Irregular" because it was outside the control of the Regular British armies of the 3 Presidencies of Bengal, Bombay or Madras, but was under the control of the British chief magistrate of...
. To a thorough knowledge of his profession he added an acquaintance with the natives of India not to be surpassed, and a rare power of bending them to his will. He had seen much service. He had been with Sir Charles Napier in Upper Sind, with Gough at Chilianwala and Gujrat, with Gilbert in pursuit of the Sikhs. After the conclusion of the second Sikh War, he served continuously, up to the outbreak of the Mutiny, on the frontier. There his name became a household word. Scarcely an expedition was undertaken against the wild border tribes but Coke bore a part in it. Twice was he wounded ; but his unflinching demeanour, his power of leadership, whilst it gained the supreme confidence of his men, extorted respect and admiration from his enemies. Wherever he might, be his presence was a power."
He was first wounded in the Kohat Pass in 1853. In September,
1855, he received the thanks of the Governor-General, Lord Dalhousie,
for the conduct of his regiment at the capture of the intrenchments
on the Summana Mountains, 5,000 feet high. The regiment commenced the ascent at ten o'clock on the night of the 1st September, and did not get back until about the same hour on the 2nd, being twenty-four hours at work. Lord Dalhousie wrote : —
" Brigadier Chamberlain has remarked that any man might be proud to command such troops. He has ample ground for the remark, and the Government may be both proud and happy in the knowledge that it possesses troops able and willing to perform so gallant a service, and an officer capable of planning, leading, and executing such attacks as are described in the papers under notice."
Service in Indian Mutiny
In February, 1857, he was, with his regiment, employed in the mostsuccessful campaign in the Bogdar Hills, when he was again wounded, and
received the Frontier medal. In May of the same year, on the breaking
out of the Indian Mutiny, he marched for Delhi. Colonel Malleson writes : —
" Summoned to Delhi early in August, Coke brought to the part assigned him in the siege all the qualities which had made his name on the frontier. He was always prominent in the fight, always daring and self-reliant. I may be pardoned if I relate here one special act, amongst many, which illustrated his conduct at this period. On the 12th August Coke received instructions from Brigadier-General Showers to turn out the European picket at the Metcalfe stables, and taking the men composing it with him, to proceed through the Metcalfe gardens and attack the guns which had been firing on the picket the preceding day. No information was given him as to the locality of the guns, but having been quartered at Delhi before the outbreak, Coke imagined that he would find them in the vicinity of Ludlow Castle. He directed, then, the officer commanding the picket to extend the men on his right, and to follow the direction he should take. At the same time he ordered Lieutenant LumsdenHarry Burnett LumsdenLieutenant-General Sir Harry Burnett "Joe" Lumsden was a British military officer active in India.Lumsden was born aboard the East India Company’s ship Rose in the Bay of Bengal, the son of a British Army Colonel Thomas Lumsden, C.B...
, commanding his own regiment, to skirmish through the gardens on the left — the direction in which he expected to find the enemy in force. He then rode through the gardens towards Ludlow Castle. On reaching the boundary wall of the gardens, on the main road leading to the city, he found that an embrasure had been made in the wall of the garden. At the same moment he saw the enemy's guns — two nine-pounder brass guns — in the road, with horses attached, but no one with them, the enemy having apparently taken refuge in Ludlow Castle when driven out of the Metcalfe gardens by Lumsden. The horses' heads were turned towards' the city. An alarm — a stray bullet, a discharge close to them— might start them off at any moment. Quick as lightning the idea flashed into Coke's brain that if he could but turn the horses' heads towards the camp, it would little signify how soon the horses might be alarmed : they would of themselves capture the guns for the British. On the instant he alighted from his horse, got down through the embrasure into the road, ran to the horses of the leading gun, and turned them up the road towards cantonments. Whilst doing this he was shot in the thigh by the enemy in Ludlow Castle ; but the guns were captured. He had done his self-allotted task, and reaped his only reward in the admiration of all who witnessed his splendid audacity.
He was in February, 1858, given the command of a brigade to operate
in Rohilcund. On reaching Roorkee he had great difficulty in procuring
transport. Malleson writes : —
"The country, in fact, had been so thoroughly exhausted that but little carriage was procurable. In this dilemma Coke's practical knowledge and fertility of resource came into play. He had read how, in the olden days of Indian warfare, the Brinjaris — dealers who carry their grain on pack cattle — had made themselves eminently serviceable. Calling to mind, then, that at the actual season these men were accustomed to pasture their cattle in the Terai, he sent thither, found them, and made such arrangements with their head men as enabled him to conquer a difficulty which many another man would have found insurmountable."
Colonel Malleson gives a full account of Brigadier Coke's services in
Rohilcund of which the following is an extract:
"Inglis informed Brigadier Coke that many prominent leaders of the revolt were at the moment in hiding in the city of Moradabad, and that it would not be impossible, by the exercise of daring and prudence, to seize them. These two qualities shone conspicuously in the character of Coke. He at once made arrangements to effect the capture of these men. Placing the Multani cavalry to guard the outlets of the city, he entered with his infantry, and proceeded to the houses indicated to him. The task was difficult and dangerous, but it resulted in success. Twenty-one notorious ringleaders of the revolt were actually taken. Others were slain defending themselves."
Lord Lawrence
John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence
John Laird Mair Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence, GCB, GCSI, PC , known as Sir John Lawrence, Bt., between 1858 and 1869, was an Englishman who became a prominent British Imperial statesman who served as Viceroy of India from 1864 to 1869.-Early life:Lawrence came from Richmond, North Yorkshire...
, writing to The Times in November, 1878, on the Afghan war, named Major-General John Coke as one of the "models of frontier officers, good administrators, and able soldiers — men who devoted their health, and even their lives, to their duty." He adds : —
"The frontier officers in the Punjab at all times were vigilant and careful as to what was going on along the border. They received the leading men, and even the lowest members of these tribes, with courtesy and kindness ; they afforded them the hospitality which custom and good feeling suggested, and on every occasion of service of the smallest value gave them suitable presents."
Retirement to Herefordshire, England
John Coke donated the organ at EardisleyEardisley
Eardisley is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire about south of the centre of Kington. Eardisley is in the Wye valley in the northwest of the county, close to the border with Wales....
Church, Hereford, which bears the following inscription:
"In grateful remembrance of the protection of Almighty God in many dangers, especially at Delhi, 1858. John Coke".
Sources
- Coke, John Talbot (Major): Coke of Trusley in the County of Derby and Branches Therefrom, London, 1880. pp. 118–122
- Kelly's Handbook 1892
- List of Officers of the Bengal Army 1754-1834, vol.1, p. 359