Pen & Sword Military

Indian Mutiny and Beyond, The Letters of Robert Shebbeare VC

Edited by  Arthur Littlewood

Reviewed By  John Ratzenberger, IPMS# 40196

MSRP: GPB 19.99 ($39.95 USD) ISBN-13: 978-1-84415-574-3 Publishers website: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk Review copy provided by Casemate Publishing: www.casematepublishing.com 224 pages, 8 pages of b/w photos. I'll be up front here -- unless you are a figure modeler interested in the uniforms of the Guide Corps during the Indian Mutiny, or the 15th Punjab Regiment shortly after, this book is not about modeling. That said, it does not mean the book might not be of interest. For what it's worth, I jumped at the chance to review it because my non-modeling (couldn't do a figure or a horse if my life depended on it) interest in things British from about 1660 to early WW2, including the Empire and India. Robert Shebbeare went to India in 1844 as a cadet in the army of the Honourable East India Company (HEIC or John Company). At this time the John Company had a monopoly trade charter in Asia from the British government, which effectively made them the administrators in India. It had it's own army, on the British pattern, manned by native troops and officers, but commanded by John Company British officers. A series of things lead to general unrest and then a mutiny of many native troops in May, 1857. Shebbeare, now a Lieutenant, along with other officers of his regiment, escaped from their mutinying troops and made their way to Delhi which the mutineers had seized and where the HEIC forces were gathering to take it back, which they did in September. Shebbeare, a good and brave officer, was wounded several times and won the VC for his actions on the re-taking of Delhi. Following the Mutiny, he was sent elsewhere to raise the 15th Punjab, and then that Regiment was detailed to China to take part in the Opium Wars. Shebbeare's health had been failing due to all the hardships and he was finally approved for 15 months home leave, but died in transit -- having been away from home for 16 years. In that time away from home, he wrote letters to his family. Unfortunately many of them were lost in the mails or thereafter, but 37 of them were recovered recently and these provide the basis for the book. The editor, Arthur Littlewood, has done a superb job presenting these letters. As you can imagine, 37 letters over 16 years leaves a lot of gaps but fortunately most of the letters are in the period of interest. Littlewood has provided excellent background commentary without overwhelming the letters or Shebbeare himself. He has supplemented Shebbeare's letters with a few from other officers who mention Shebbeare. I love editors who know how to enhance the story without taking it over for their own purposes. This is not a deep historical book, but does give you a bit of information on life and soldiering in India. Of note is the 16 years away from home. Officers tended to age in position and rise was difficult for junior officers. Unless he got extended medical leave, he was afraid that he would loose his position if he took a shorter leave and have nothing to come back to. And of course, the medical leave came too late. I enjoyed this book - again, the editor did a superb job providing an informative and readable commentary. I would also note the lack of errors in the book. Both of these are expected of Pen & Sword books. If you have an interest in the subject, I recommend it to you, while acknowledging the price is a bit steep. My sincere thanks to Casemate Publishing for providing this book and to IPMS/USA for allowing me to review it.

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