ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>HOLMES JOHN (d. 1848)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="HOLMES,JOHN"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279HOLMES, JOHN (d. 1848), a Eurasian soldier of fortune, who started his career as a trumpeter in the Bengal Horse Artillery. In September 1829, he left the British, and joined Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh's army as a gunner, eventually rising to the rank of colonel. He took part in the battle of Pesh&#257war (1834) and the battle of Jamr&#363d (1837). He accompanied General Ventura on his hill campaign of 1840-41, and helped the British in forcing their way through the <u>Kh</u>aibar Pass in 1842. He had also served in a civilian capacity as <i>k&#257rd&#257r</i> (revenue officer) of Gujr&#257t for two years (1835-36). John Holmes had simultaneously been acting as a British spy and supplying secret information to the Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 Political Agency. After the first Anglo-Sikh war, he was, as a reward for his services, retained in the Sikh army when most of the other European officers were given their discharge. He was posted at Bann&#363 where, in October 1848, the Sikh troops under his command mutinied and killed him for his treasonable conduct.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1">Grey, C., <i>European Adventurers of Northern India</i> [Reprint]. Patiala, 1970<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Gulcharan Si&#7749gh <br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>