Lieutenant Colonel William Hulme (10 May 1788 – 21 August 1855) was an officer of the 96th Regiment of Foot, British Army.
Early years and family William Browne Hulme was born at Halifax, Nova Scotia on 10 May 1788. He was educated at King's College, Windsor, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
His brother, John Lyon Hulme, was born at Manchester, Nova Scotia, on 23 September 1790. He went on to receive a commission in the Corps of Royal Engineers on 24 June 1809; serving in the Peninsular War in Portugal, particularly on the Lines of Torres Vedras, Spain and south-western France from 1810–1814, and the Netherlands campaign from 1815, commanding a division of the pontoon train. They followed the army through to Paris, France, after Waterloo, all under the Duke of Wellington. He also served in Malta and Ireland. John married Mary Hart at St David, Exeter, Devon, on 3 June 1829, and following her death in 1833, retired from service with rank of Brevet Major on 5 December 1835. His nephew, Charles Francis Hulme, Ensign, 40th Regiment of Foot, born at Norfolk Island, visited him at home in St Sidwells, Exeter, during the 1861 census.
Their father, also William Brown Hulme (1757–1841), having been transferred from the Drawing Room at the Tower of London was, at the time of their birth, an assistant engineer and draughtsman at Halifax, Nova Scotia. He went on to serve as Sheriff of Sydney County, Nova Scotia, from 12 June 1792; in the 7th Regiment of Foot from 11 October 1796; 6th Irish Brigade from 20 September 1799; 2nd Garrison Battalion with rank of lieutenant from 26 September 1805; and the Royal Staff Corps (RSC) from 1796, with rank of lieutenant from 3 October 1805 to the rank of captain from 31 May 1809. He'd also noted he was severely injured in Spain. The RSC, an army corps responsible for military engineering, were first in the field during the Peninsular War. In 1808, 45 RSC were with Major General Brent Spencer's corps on the south coast of Spain, and 50 more with Sir John Moore's corps. The RSC were based at Hythe, Kent, and following marriage to Alice Phillips (1786–1847) at Chelsfield Church, Kent, on 3 August 1811, his sons, William and John, gained two half-siblings—Edward, born at Hythe, Kent, on 18 May 1812, and Maria, born at Hythe, Kent, on 13 August 1813. He retired to half-pay shortly after, on 14 February 1814. Captain W. B. Hulme, late Assistant Quartermaster General, Jersey, died at Tamworth on 8 November 1841.
Half-brother, Edward Hulme, went on to be a surgeon. He left Britain for New Zealand in 1856.
Career Upon leaving college, Hulme received a commission as ensign in the newly raised Nova Scotia Fencibles on 23 September 1803.
West Indies The first and second battalions of the 1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot had been stationed in the West Indies since 1803. Hulme joined the regiment with the rank of lieutenant on 26 June 1805, but his service in North America soon came to an end on 17 December 1805. A substantially reduced second battalion returned to England in January 1806 to news of the revolt of two Sepoy battalions employed by the East India Company at Vellore and of other troubles. The battalion was immediately ordered to India, reinforced to 1000 men with volunteers from the third and fourth battalions stationed at Bexhill.
India Hulme's service in the East Indies began on arrival at the Malay Peninsula on 11 September 1807. The Royal Scots battalion was held over at Prince of Wales Island until November, landed at Madras in December, moved out to Walajabad and Bangalore where they remained until 1808, then moved back to Fort St George, Madras. The battalion took to the field in 1809, then split for the year; the left wing to Hyderabad and the right wing to Machilipatnam, reuniting at Machilipatnam in 1811 in expectation of joining Sir Samuel Auchmuty's expedition against Dutch Java but were diverted to Tiruchirappalli instead, in July.
The regiment was restyled as the 1st Regiment of Foot (Royal Scots) on 11 February 1812. In July, four companies suppressed a mutiny of company troops at Kollam, and returned to Tiruchirappalli. They marched to Bangalore, where in April 1813 Lieutenant Colonel Neill M‘Kellar's right wing joined the force in Maratha country and remained in the field for a year. In April 1814, the left wing of 2nd Battalion marched for Ballari and the right briefly formed part of force in southern Maratha country. The two wings met up in Bellari in May, then moved on to Hyderabad and Achalpur where they were employed against Pindari marauders into 1817.
Pindari freebooting had reached a point where, in about August 1817, under the governorship of Francis Rawdon-Hastings, the largest armies in India to date were assembled to isolate and disband Pindari society wherever it could be found, as well as deal to hostile intentions of a rising Maratha Confederacy—the Grand Army commanded by Rawdon-Hastings and the Army of the Deccan commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Hislop. The Army of the Deccan was a distinct force consisting of seven divisions, not including irregular infantry or horse of Nizam, Pune or Nagpur, amounting to 54,465 rank and file, of which of the flank companies of the Royal Scots, some 171 rank & file, formed part of the First Division under Hislop.
Third Anglo-Maratha War Mahidpur Stationed at Jalna, Captain Hulme's two Royal Scots flank companies, with two regiments of native cavalry and four guns, marched out north-northeast on 11 October 1817, to join 1st division headquarters at Harda on 22 October. Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Fraser's Royal Scots companies marched out east-northeast on 15 October for Mehkar but were redirected to assist the British force under attack at Nagpur. Joining the 2nd division at Amravati on 7 November, they moved on to take part in the Battle of Sitabuldi, Nagpur. Meanwhile, Hulme and his flank companies, moving northwest, crossed the Narmada River in flat-bottomed boats with the 1st division on 30 November, arrived at Piplya on 8 December and marched on to encamp near Ujjain, some 28 miles (45 km) from Mahidpur. The 1st and 3rd divisions of the army encamped there on 12 December.
On 14 December they marched for Mahidpur where the army of the Marahaja of Indore, Malhar Rao Holkar III, Hari Rao Holkar and Bhima Bai Holkar, had assembled. Brigadier General Sir John Malcolm, as political officer, received Holkar's representatives on 15 December but dismissed them after some four days of unsuccessful negotiations and prepared for attack.
On the morning of 22 December, Holkar's army were found arranged in two lines on the high ground about the ruined hilltop village of Dubli about half a mile beyond the ford on the Shipra River. Daunting in appearance, the first line of infantry numbering some 5,000 stretched across from their left toward the Shipra, near Mahidpur, to a river on their right, and were covered in front by an artillery line of some 76 guns. Beyond that, a second line of a dense force of 30,000 horse filled the plain. The British forces numbered under 5,500, of which the 1st Brigade, infantry of the line, under Lieutenant Colonel R. Scott, Madras European Regiment (MER), was made up of Royal Scots flank companies under Captain Hulme, the Madras European Regiment under Major Andrews, 1/14th Madras Native Infantry (1/14th MNI) under Major Smith and 2/14th Madras Native Infantry (2/14th MNI) under Major Ives.
Crossing the river at the ford, they came under cannon fire and formed up under shelter of the opposite bank, along with Hislop and staff. Malcolm ordered Hulme's flank companies, the MER and 2/14th MNI to move up and form on top of the bank.
Hulme's flank companies were tasked with leading the attack toward the right on Holkar's left flank and at Dubli. Steady but determined, suffering severe injuries from grape and chain shot, a bayonet charge through Holkar's artillery cleared Dubli and drove the flank's infantry to flee; Holkar's artillerymen carrying on their deadly cannonade to the last. Holkar's left flank were pursued along the river bank to their camp, which when attacked by the Royal Scots caused them to retreat across the river. Holkar's right flank was overpowered at the same time by infantry and cavalry, and the centre, finding both flanks turned, gave way on the appearance of a brigade ascending from the river. Holkar's horse had also fled in the action, Holkar's artillery turning some guns and firing a salvo upon them as they left.
The engagement, which ended at 1:30 pm had lasted some two or three hours. Malcolm, thereafter, pursued Holkar to Mandsaur where a treaty was settled on 6 January 1818, defining the state's territories that were to be defended against all enemies. In general orders of 23 December 1817, Hislop observed: The undaunted heroism displayed by the flank companies of the ROYAL SCOTS in storming and carrying, at the point of the bayonet, the enemy's guns on the right of Lieut.-Colonel Scot's brigade was worthy of the high name and reputation of that regiment. Lieutenant M‘Leod fell gloriously in the charge, and the conduct of Captain Hulme, Captain M‘Gregor, and of every officer and man belonging to it entitles them to his Excellency's most favourable report and warmest commendation. With Sir John Malcolm's support, Hulme was awarded the rank of Brevet Major on 23 December 1817. Battle honours of Nagpore and Maheidpoor were added to the 1st Regiment (Royal Scots) colours on 26 February 1823. The loot seized during this campaign was enormous, and led to bitter argument over prize money for many years. Following approval of the Army of India Medal (AIM) in 1851, Hulme, then retired in New Zealand, was amongst thirty-eight recipients with the Maheidpoor clasp, presented to officers and men of 1st Regiment (Royal Scots), 2nd Battalion, who were specially mentioned in the Commander-in-Chief's orders.
Thalner Fort Marching from Mahidpur, the army stopped over at Indore, 2–6 February, and crossed Narmada River on 13 February. At Khargone they were joined by Lieutenant Colonel Heath and his detachment of Madras European Regiment from Handia on 18 February, and marched on down Sendhwa ghat. They received Sendhwa fort, ceded under the Treaty of Mandsaur, on 23 February. Expecting friendly territory, the baggage column moved on ahead of the troops to Panakhed, Karwand and the Tapti River ford. Reports that the Kiladar of Thalner intended to resist ceding the fort were not credible.
Miles ahead, a sick officer carried by palanquin, making for encampment across the river, was fired upon as he passed Thalner Fort, requiring him to turn back. Shot was also fired at the baggage column entering the town. Having just heard of the intention to resist, Hislop sent Lieutenant Colonel Valentine Blacker, a Madras Engineers officer and company of light infantry to reconnoitre. At about 7:00 am, he sent a message to the Kiladar requiring him to open the gates and surrender, or be hung. With no reply, it was unclear if it had been received.
The fort was chiefly garrisoned by Arabs. A deep ravine surrounded the fort's mound. On the western side, commanding river and fords, its terre-plein was about 70 feet above the riverside; the walls on top were no higher than 16 feet. The interior sloped to the eastern entrance complex of turrets, ramparts and gates at descending levels. Blacker's reconnaissance revealed no guns on the western face, so camp was set about a mile northwest on 27 February.