This Day in History: 1896-02-14

Lieutenant ‘Dan’ Turner had a brief yet notorious career in the 2nd Goorkhas. He joined in 1890 and married a lovely young woman with a beautiful singing voice. He built her a large house with splendid acoustics in Dehra Dun and they entertained lavishly, but he greatly over-extended himself financially. His wife returned to England. He was given long leave to sort out his affairs, but in February 1896 had to resign his commission in disgrace and ‘slipped away quietly’, managing to board a boat in Bombay just ahead of his many creditors, never to be heard of again.