Major Gonville's Honor Finally Restored in India

New Cantonment Cemetery, Allahabad Now Looks Like This

Major Gonville's Grave Now

New Cantonment Cemetery, Allahabad in February 2010 Before its was Mentioned in My Blog

Broken Memorial of Major Gonville alongside the Regimental Memorial of 24th Regiment

Major Gonville's Grave in February 2010

Graves of Many Other Soldiers

Major Gonville Bromhead, V.C.

Its gives me immense satisfaction to covey to my readers that the Honour of Major Gonville Bromhead, V.C. has finally been restored in India. The story goes back to February 2010 in the heart of military cantonment of Allahabad when I had the opportunity to visit the New Cantonment Cemetery where many fallen soldiers of the Indian Army have been buried alongside their Regimental Memorials. One such soldier was Major Gonville Bromhead who fought bravely in the famous Battle of Rorke's Drift (Natal, South Africa) in the Anglo-Boer War on 22-23 January 1879. Setting a fine example and conducting himself with great gallantry in most trying circumstances during the defense of Rorke's Drift, Bromhead was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to Commonwealth countries.

Interestingly in the same battle a total of 11 Victoria Cross were awarded. The battle was also enacted in India at the famous Agra Fort to demonstrate military commanders how it was fought. Many historians wrote books on the battle and also a feature film titled Zulu was made in England.

To read full account of the battle and Film, readers may refer the link as :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorke's_Drift

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOV63yLPYEA&feature=related

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulu_(film)

The officer finally died in India on 9 February 1892 due to typhoid at Camp Dabhaura, Allahabad and was buried at Plot B-1, Grave 66, New Cantonment Cemetery, Allahabad. A memorial with a plaque in the Havard Chapel and his name on the colour pole in Brecon Cathedral was also placed. Alongside the Grave at Allahabad Cemetery is the 24th Regiment (of Major Gonville) Memorial with the engraving of other veterans from the Anglo-Zulu War. The Cemetery also contain Graves and Memorials of fallen Indian Army soldiers who fought unto their lives to defend the honor of nation as far as South Africa, Egypt, East Africa, Burma, Afghanistan, NWFP....It is endless.

Unfortunately, when I visited the Cemetery, Major Gonville's grave was in complete ruins surrounded by animal waste and the memorial broken. The caretaker there was not interested the his work and was rather using that historical space for selling milk. I took the photographs of all that and published an article in the blog.

Original Articles in My Blog:

http://theindiananalysis.blogspot.com/2010/01/recipient-of-victoria-cross-major.html

http://theindiananalysis.blogspot.com/2010/02/once-dead-always-forgotten.html

The issue was picked up by the British media and Zulu War Forum and the British Administration also took a serious note of it. The article was also republished in the famous British Daily The Independent as:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/rorkes-drift-heros-grave-lies-in-ruins-1884349.html

The Zulu War Forum as:

http://1879zuluwar.talk-forums.com/t1659p30-bromhead-s-broken-grave#7032

Finally, a team from the Commonwealth War Grave Commission arrived in India and has fully restored the Cemetery; a work which an Indian Army Division stationed there could have easily done without such an effort. But.... that doesn't seems to be its Key Result Area or in military terminology known as the KRA!!!