Major GeneralSir John Eardley Wilmot InglisKCB (15 November 1814 – 27 September 1862) was a British Army officer, best known for his role in protecting the British compound for 87 days in the siege of Lucknow.
In 1857, on the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny, he was in command of his regiment at Lucknow. Sir Henry Lawrence being mortally wounded during the siege of the residency, Inglis took command of the garrison, and maintained a successful defence for 87 days against an overwhelming force. He was promoted to major-general and made K.C.B.
After further active service in India, he was, in 1860, given command of the British troops in the Ionian Islands. In 1860 he was given the colonelcy of his regiment, now the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry), a position he held until his death.
Their children included Rupert Edward Inglis who was an England rugby international, who was killed at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. His letters home to his wife from the front were published by his widow after the war.[4]
Legacy
Inglis is the namesake of Inglis Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, which connects with Lucknow Street
^After his defence of Lucknow the Legislature of Nova Scotia presented him with a sword of honour. The blade of which, was made of steel from Nova Scotia iron pp.12-13
^"Memorials of St Paul's Cathedral" Sinclair, W. p. 460: London; Chapman & Hall, Ltd; 1909
^Inglis, Julia Selina (1892). "The Siege of Lucknow: a Diary". A Celebration of Woman Writers. James R. Osgood, McIlvaine & Co. Retrieved 16 April 2011.