This book comprises a new edition of the memoirs of a private soldier, James Gilling, originally published in 1855. Gilling served in the Ninth Lancers of the British army, and he gives a well-written, frank, and lively account of his time in India from 1843 to 1850, during which time he took part in both Anglo-Sikh Wars. It is the only published memoir written from the ranks of a lancer regiment at this period, and includes many outspoken opinions about army life, the conduct of war in India, and his fellow soldiers of all ranks. Original copies of this book are extremely rare; none have been traced in the major British and US libraries. The text has been transcribed from a photocopy in the National Army Museum London, UK. The memoir is an unusually frank and detailed account of the life of a cavalry soldier in India, with stories of incidents and individuals, alternating with the author's experiences in the fierce struggle against the well-trained armies of the Sikh nation. Gilling by his own admission was no hero, but just an ordinary soldier who got into scrapes and didn't enjoy soldiering very much, but did his duty when required. In 1850 he purchased his discharge from the army, and emigrated to the United States of America, where he settled in Lyons City, Iowa, and took up his old trade as a hair-dresser. He died in 1861. However, this is not merely a reprint of a rare nineteenth century memoir. The author, a specialist on the British cavalry of the early nineteenth century, has written a full introduction on the life in the cavalry at this period, including the careers of the many officers and comrades mentioned by Gilling. This introduction is drawn from extensive research in primary archives at the British Library, National Archives, and regimental archives, as well as contemporary published and unpublished journals. The work is fully annotated, and includes an extensive list of sources. It therefore provides new depth and perspective on the life of those who formed the ranks of the mounted arm of the British army. This book will appeal to the many people with an amateur but often very knowledgeable interest in the history of the British army, as well as to all those with a more specialist interest in the history of the British army, including university staff and students and special-interest groups and societies. The book will have a particular appeal for those Sikhs world-wide who have an interest in the military heritage of their community, as well as to family historians with ancestors who served in the British army in India.

The Sixteenth Lancers already had a long and distinguished history when they sailed for India in 1822. Over the next twenty four years they fought in four wars, most famously in the Sutlej campaign, against the Sikhs. The Battle of Aliwal, in January 1846, is still celebrated by the successor regiment of the British Army. In their peacetime life in India, the Sixteenth sometimes enjoyed their exotic surroundings, but also endured the perils of a tropical climate - the regiment lost far more men due to disease than in battle. This book examines in detail what regimental soldiering was like in India in those years. It draws on an unprecedented range of sources, most of them previously unpublished. Aside from the official archives, the story is enlivened by a rich collection of journals, letters and diaries left by the officers and men. An important feature of the book is the detailed roll of every officer and man who served in the Sixteenth in the Sutlej. This provides a unique profile of the ranks at Aliwal: where they came from, what skills they brought to the army, why they enlisted, and what happened to them in their army career and afterwards. Some surprising results have been revealed: the high rate of literacy, the high suicide rates, and the proportion of men who stayed on in India when their regiment returned home. The officers were highly experienced and professional, in stark contrast to the amateur attitudes of their fellows in the Crimea. All aspects of regimental soldiering are examined- command, uniforms and weapons, horses, training and medical services, but also how the men lived and played (the Sixteenth's theatre was famous). Many officers and men were from army families, and the period covered shows soldiers' sons growing up in the regiment and often reaching high rank. This unique'social history' approach to the study of a British regiment will appeal to a wide audience; not only to students and academic staff studying military and social history, but also to students of Indian history, and to family historians with army ancestors. The account of the Sutlej campaign is relevant to the world-wide Sikh community. The nominal roll of the regiment will be appreciated by medal collectors, for whom an 'Aliwal' medal to the regiment has a special allure. The successor regiment of the Sixteenth Lancers is again serving in Afghanistan, so that this book has a topical resonance.