Tristram Speedy
Encyclopedia
Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy (also known as Captain Speedy; November 1836-1911) was a well-known English
explorer and adventurer during the Victorian era
.
, a son of James Speedy, an army officer, and his wife Sarah, an army officer's daughter. After being educated in England, Speedy returned to India as an army officer himself. He served in the North-West Frontier Province
from 1854 to 1860, receiving the Indian Mutiny
, Punjab
and Eufoszai medals.
While hunting in the Horn of Africa
, Speedy was summoned to the court of Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia
, who bestowed on him the title Basha Felika ('Sir Speedy' or 'Commander Speedy'). Tewodors employed him to train his army; however, Speedy fell out with the emperor and had to flee the country.
He then served as locum tenens and British vice-consul at the Red Sea
port of Massawa
. In early 1864 Speedy resigned to travel to New Zealand
, where he served in the Waikato Militia. He was promoted to captain in 1864, and received the Maori Wars medal
.
During the 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia
Speedy's knowledge of Ethiopia was crucial to the commander, Sir Robert Napier
. Speedy was recalled to join the expedition and received the Abyssinian War Medal
. After an audience with Queen Victoria, Speedy was appointed guardian to prince Alamayu
Simeon, the young son of the late Emperor Tewodros, who had committed suicide rather than be captured by the British.
Speedy married Cornelia Cotton in England, then returned to India with his wife and the Abyssinian prince. He was stationed at Sitapur as District Superintendent of the Oudh Police from 1869 to 1871. During this time, he accompanied the Duke of Edinburgh
(the second son of Queen Victoria) on a shooting trip in Nepal
.
In 1871 Speed sailed to the Straits Settlements in Malaya
and became superintendent of police on the island of Penang
. He resigned in 1873 to raise and command a body of Indian troops to restore order in Larut, a Malayan mining district, for the Mentri (Chief Minister) Ngah Ibrahim.
In 1874 Speedy was appointed assistant British resident of Larut and established and named Malaysia’s oldest town, ‘Thaipeng
’, meaning ‘Heavenly Peace’. He remained there until 1877.
The following year, by then Major and Mrs Speedy spent several months exploring Soudan
; his wife published a book about their travels.
In 1883-85 Speedy took part in the mission led by Vice-Admiral Sir William Hewett
to the court of Emperor Yohannes IV of Ethiopia
to negotiate the region's disputed borders. He returned to Ethiopia in 1897, as part of Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell
's mission to the court of King Menelik to negotiate the Anglo-Ethiopian Treaty
, which defined the border with Sudan
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
explorer and adventurer during the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
.
Life
Speedy was born at Meerut, IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, a son of James Speedy, an army officer, and his wife Sarah, an army officer's daughter. After being educated in England, Speedy returned to India as an army officer himself. He served in the North-West Frontier Province
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
from 1854 to 1860, receiving the Indian Mutiny
Indian Mutiny Medal
The Indian Mutiny Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1858, for issue to officers and men of British and Indian units who served in operations in suppression of the Indian Mutiny....
, Punjab
Punjab Medal
The Punjab Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1849, for issue to officers and men of the British Army and Honourable East India Company who served in the Punjab campaign of 1848-49 - operations which ended in the British annexation of the Punjab....
and Eufoszai medals.
While hunting in the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
, Speedy was summoned to the court of Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia
Tewodros II of Ethiopia
Tewodros II was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death....
, who bestowed on him the title Basha Felika ('Sir Speedy' or 'Commander Speedy'). Tewodors employed him to train his army; however, Speedy fell out with the emperor and had to flee the country.
He then served as locum tenens and British vice-consul at the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
port of Massawa
Massawa
Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...
. In early 1864 Speedy resigned to travel to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, where he served in the Waikato Militia. He was promoted to captain in 1864, and received the Maori Wars medal
New Zealand Medal
The New Zealand Medal was a campaign medal awarded to Imperial and Colonial troops in the New Zealand Wars of 1845-47 and 1860-66. The New Zealand Wars were previously known as the Maori Wars, Anglo-Maori Wars or Land Wars. The medal was authorised in 1869.The Imperial forces included British...
.
During the 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia
1868 Expedition to Abyssinia
The British 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia was a punitive expedition carried out by armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian Empire...
Speedy's knowledge of Ethiopia was crucial to the commander, Sir Robert Napier
Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala
Field Marshal Robert Cornelis Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, GCB, GCSI, CIE, FRS was a British soldier.-Early life:...
. Speedy was recalled to join the expedition and received the Abyssinian War Medal
Abyssinian War Medal
The Abyssinian War Medal was awarded for service between 4 October 1867 and 19 April 1868 to those who participated in the 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia. This punitive expedition, led by Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Napier, was carried out by armed forces of the British Empire against the...
. After an audience with Queen Victoria, Speedy was appointed guardian to prince Alamayu
Prince Alemayehu
HIH Prince Alemayehu or Alamayou of Ethiopia was the son of Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia. Emperor Tewodros II committed suicide after his defeat by the British, led by Sir Robert Napier, at the Battle of Magdala in 1868.The young prince was taken to Britain for safekeeping, under the care of...
Simeon, the young son of the late Emperor Tewodros, who had committed suicide rather than be captured by the British.
Speedy married Cornelia Cotton in England, then returned to India with his wife and the Abyssinian prince. He was stationed at Sitapur as District Superintendent of the Oudh Police from 1869 to 1871. During this time, he accompanied the Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
(the second son of Queen Victoria) on a shooting trip in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
In 1871 Speed sailed to the Straits Settlements in Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
and became superintendent of police on the island of Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
. He resigned in 1873 to raise and command a body of Indian troops to restore order in Larut, a Malayan mining district, for the Mentri (Chief Minister) Ngah Ibrahim.
In 1874 Speedy was appointed assistant British resident of Larut and established and named Malaysia’s oldest town, ‘Thaipeng
Taiping, Perak
Taiping is a town located in northern Perak, Malaysia. With a population of 191,104 , it is the second largest town in Perak after Ipoh, the state capital. Taiping took over Kuala Kangsar's role as the state capital from 1876 to 1937, but was then replaced by Ipoh...
’, meaning ‘Heavenly Peace’. He remained there until 1877.
The following year, by then Major and Mrs Speedy spent several months exploring Soudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
; his wife published a book about their travels.
In 1883-85 Speedy took part in the mission led by Vice-Admiral Sir William Hewett
William Nathan Wrighte Hewett
Vice Admiral Sir William Nathan Wrighte Hewett VC, KCB, KCSI was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Life:Hewett was born at Brighton to Dr. William Hewett,...
to the court of Emperor Yohannes IV of Ethiopia
Yohannes IV of Ethiopia
Yohannes IV , born Lij Kassay Mercha Ge'ez, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1872 until his death.-Early life:...
to negotiate the region's disputed borders. He returned to Ethiopia in 1897, as part of Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell
Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell
James Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, PC , known as Sir Rennell Rodd before 1933, was a British diplomat, poet and politician...
's mission to the court of King Menelik to negotiate the Anglo-Ethiopian Treaty
Anglo-Ethiopian Treaty of 1897
The Anglo-Ethiopian Treaty of 1897 was an agreement negotiated between diplomat Sir Rennell Rodd of Great Britain and Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia primarily involving border issues between Ethiopia and colonial British Somaliland...
, which defined the border with Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.
Cultural references
- During the Abyssinian War (1867–68) the correspondents George HentyG. A. HentyGeorge Alfred Henty , was a prolific English novelist and a special correspondent. He is best known for his historical adventure stories that were popular in the late 19th century. His works include Out on the Pampas , The Young Buglers , With Clive in India and Wulf the Saxon .-Biography:G.A...
of The StandardThe StandardThe Standard is an English free newspaper of Hong Kong with a daily circulation of 231,018. It was called the Hong Kong Standard and changed to HKiMail during the Internet boom, but it changed back to The Standard in 2001....
and Henry StanleyHenry Morton StanleySir Henry Morton Stanley, GCB, born John Rowlands , was a Welsh journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David Livingstone. Upon finding Livingstone, Stanley allegedly uttered the now-famous greeting, "Dr...
of the New York HeraldNew York HeraldThe New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835, and 1924.-History:The first issue of the paper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Sr., on May 6, 1835. By 1845 it was the most popular and profitable daily newspaper in the UnitedStates...
reported on him extensively. - The pioneering society photographer Julia Margaret CameronJulia Margaret CameronJulia Margaret Cameron was a British photographer. She became known for her portraits of celebrities of the time, and for photographs with Arthurian and other legendary themes....
captured his image in a series of portraits in 1868. - Tristram Speedy appears in A Narrative of Captivity in Abyssinia; With Some Account of the Late Emperor Theodore, His Country and People (1868) by Henry Blanc.
- The traveller Isabella BirdIsabella BirdIsabella Lucy Bird was a nineteenth-century English explorer, writer, and a natural historian.-Early life:Bird was born in Boroughbridge in 1831 and grew up in Tattenhall, Cheshire...
comments on Captain Speedy and his troops in The Golden Chersonese, and the Way Thither (1883). - A speech given by Speedy to the girls of North London Collegiate school in about 1883 was remembered by Molly Hughes in her A London Child of the 1880s: "A certain Captain Speedy had just returned from Abyssinia, and gave us an amusing talk about it, dressing up, like a quick-change artist, as a general, a priest, a merchant, a courtier, and so on, and throwing in some amazing details of their religious rites, wedding ceremonies, and methods of commerce. He won our gratitude, too, by saying: 'I understand that you girls have to write an account of my talk to you. Well, the very word Abyssinia means confusion, because the races are confused, the religion is confused, the mountains and valleys are confused, and I know that I am confused in addressing so many girls. So the more confused your accounts are, the better they will represent the country and the lecture."
- Captain Speedy was the likely inspiration for Rudyard KiplingRudyard KiplingJoseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
’s short story The Lang Men o’ Larut (1889). - He is mentioned in Robert Louis StevensonRobert Louis StevensonRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
’s In the South Seas (1896) as dressed in Abyssinian costume. - He appears as a hero in Flashman on the MarchFlashman on the MarchFlashman on the March is a 2005 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. It is the twelfth and last Flashman novel.-Plot introduction:As in all of Fraser's Flashman novels, the story is presented as part of the Flashman Papers, supposedly written by Sir Harry Flashman, the villain of Tom Brown's Schooldays...
(George MacDonald FraserGeorge MacDonald FraserGeorge MacDonald Fraser, OBE was an English-born author of Scottish descent, who wrote both historical novels and non-fiction books, as well as several screenplays.-Early life and military career:...
, 2005). - A play, entitled ‘'I was a Stranger'’, written by Peter Spafford, based upon Tristram Speedy’s Abyssinian adventure, was broadcast on the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
on 17 May 2004, 2.15 to 3.00 pm.
Further reading
- Jean Southon, "The Rise and Fall of Basha Felika: Captain Speedy, His Life and Times" 2003. ISBN 978-0954633707