This Day in History: 1897-08-04

The Commandant of the 1st Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Eaton Travers, wrote to Field Marshal Lord Roberts, who had been closely associated with the Regiment since the 2nd Afghan War: “‘The 14th September will be the 40th Anniversary of the assault of Delhi, and we propose to celebrate the occasion by doing all the honour we can to the pensioners who were at Delhi and by making the day a holiday”. It was not to be: the Commander-in-Chief India, General Sir George White, did not permit the celebration, believing it would ‘increase the hostile feeling of Mahomedans towards us’. Nevertheless, the 14th September later became a day of annual celebrations in the Regiment.

Field Marshal Lord Roberts, friend of the 2nd Goorkhas since the 2nd Afghan War