This Page will be periodically updated.
Retired Admiral Dawson, PVSM, AVSM, (Retd), of the Indian Navy is doing some research on the War Graves, Commonwealth Cemeteries, War Memorials in Bangalore and also in India. He is doing an independent study, and has also submitted some of his research on St. John's Cemetery at Kalpally, to the " British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia " (BACSA). This Page is put up in honour of his great work. Admiral OS Dawson was featured on Star News (NDTV) on 14th December 1998 regarding the Old Protestant Cemetery or Agram Cemetery.
The Cemeteries in Bangalore (Hindu, Muslim and Christian) existed on land which had been donated by the Maharajas of Old Mysore. Certain lands adjoining Tippu Sultans' fortress at Srirangapatnam were also made available as cemeteries in which British Officers, NCOs and men were buried. In India two cemeteries at Kohima-Palel and Delhi are maintained at International standards, but they get a substantial fund from the War Graves Commission. David Bernard of the British Association Cemeteries South Asia, visited Bangalore in 1994 to check out on the possibility of the Military Graves in Bangalore being maintained.
Priority on the lists of Cemetery Maintenance is the Old Cemetery at Agram, which dates back to 1808.
The Old Protestant Cemetery or Agram Cemetery
The Old Protestant Cemetery (Photographs) or the Agram Cemetery is in close proximity to, and a little to the west of, the Agram Barracks; today, the location is slightly different in landmarks, to the East there is the ASC Officers Mess, To the South, the Records Office, To the North there are Quarters of both the Military and the Reserve Police, to the West there is the Reserve Police Parade Grounds. There is only one gate to this Cemetery that is located between the Records Office and the Parade Ground, and it is always shut. IN this Cemetery, the tombs of many good and great men, Soldiers, Wives, Children, Pastors, long since passed away, are to be seen here. The Cemetery in the first decade of 1900 was open on Thursdays and Sundays to the public, from sunrise. There were several graves dating as far back as 1808 and contained interesting cenotaphs and epitaphs. This Cemetery has also figured in the Believe It or Not. It was said that one of the soldiers buried there was executed because he did not drink his pint of rum! The Cemetery was disused from around 1870, and was abandoned after the 1920's. (There was a separate Cemetery for the Roman Catholics, which was situated on Richmond Road, in the compound of the Church of the Sacred Heart. These graves have been unfortunately cleared for a Parking Spot, and there is also no record as to who was buried there, even the grave stones were broken into pieces. There is only one grave that has been preserved, because the owner appeared to the Bishop and Parish Priest and got the tomb excavated, people believe that the body of a young girl was found intact and fresh. She is buried in the Priest's Cemetery in the same compound in an enclosed area. This account is true, and details can be found under the life of Rev. Fr. Antoine Mary Tabard )!!.
Amoung the most
interesting monuments to be seen here are two huge 'Ionic columns', each
standing on a square base, about 40 feet in height, just to the right entrance
of the gate. The one nearest the gate has four slabs with inscriptions,
the slab facing North reading as follows:
"Beneath a Tomb close to this pillar rest the Mortal Remains of Lieut. John Pott, H.M. 13th Dragoons, who died 31st January 1822 Aged 25 years. The Tomb and this Memorial of their loss is erected by his sorrowing brother officers."
Somewhat after the same fashion, the other three slabs record the deaths of:
Major Josh Doherty, on June 12, 1820, aged 32 years;
Capt. F. Grove, 6th may, 1827, aged 39 years
Lieut. Wm. Brown, 4th October, 1822, aged 24 years, all of H.M. 13th Dragoons.
The other monument bears the names of :
D. McGregor, Esq., Assistant Surgeon, 13th Dragoons, who died 16th September, 1821, aged 31 years; and
Major Edward Gillespie Taylor of the same Regiment, who died on the 26th November, 1836, aged 47 years.
The oldest grave located so far is that of :
Sergeant-Major Kelly, of H.M. 59th Regiment of Foot, which dates back to 1808.
Another huge tomb is to the memory of:
'Lieut.-Col. Peter Latouche Chambers of H.M. 41st Regiment, aged 39 years and Emily Ann his beloved wife, aged 37, who fell victims to the epidemic Cholera at Bangapilly, on the 29th day of August 1827 and lie interred here.'
Two cenotaphs show out prominently amoung the gravestones in the North-East corner of this sacred spot. One of them is erected to the memory of :
Capt. Henry Thos. Rudyard of the Artillery, who died on the 25th June, 1824, aged 27 years, and the other,
Capt. Robert Beauchamp, of the Horse Artillery, who died on the 29th May, 1813, aged 26 years.
Another old monument is the one erected to the memory of Edward Bellingham Kennah, Paymaster, H.M. 25th Light Dragoons, who died 22nd August, 1810, aged 29 yrs
Close to the entrance of the graveyard is a tombstone indicating the grave of 'Uriel Truelove', who departed this life of cholera in this village, the 5th January 1855.'
Twin stones are erected to the memory of :
Gunner James Rayan, of the C. Troop, Horse Artillery, and Bombardier James Carroll, of the same Corps, who were accidently killed by the upsetting of a gun at the review of the Horse Artillery, before Major-Gen. Allan, C.B., on the 4th December, 1840.
Lieut. George Bullanshaw, of the Rifle Corps who died in the field while serving with Brigade-General Munro's Army on 23rd May, 1818, is also buried here.
(The above Extract on Agram is taken from 'A Guide to Bangalore and Mysore Directory 1905', compiled and published by J.W. Morris. Most of what is written above still exists, and I an trying to put up some photographs of the Cemetery as soon as I can find someone to give me some space on the Net for the same.)
Some names noted from the graves :
Mary Ann Hodson, w/o Thomas Hodson, Weslyan Mission, died 10/8/1866
(68yrs)
Rev. Alexander Maceallum, Missionary of the Free Church of Scotland, Madras,
Joined the Mission in 1855, served for 7 yrs in his Master Call died on
10/6/1862
Catherine w/o Rev. Matt-Trevan Male, of the Weslyan Mission, died 29/8/1865
Aged 49 yrs. Fanny Lees child of Catherine born 29/1/1861 died 24/4/1861
Jane Peach Rice, w/o Benjamin Rice of the London Mission died 11/3/1864
57 yrs.
Some other names with some or no details:
Henry William Dixon
Oaks Cornet
Emma Loosemore
Gertrude Taylor
Alice Hill
William Brunette
George & Ellen Strickland
Arthur Wright
Wimberley Ford Blair
John Hope Hamilton
Ellen Beamen
John Langley
William Carrol Prout
James Arthur King
Amelia Ragam
Matilde Armstrong
GW Williams
Robert Cole
John Penn Hickman
Joanns Perkins
George Walter Roberts
Harry Robe Doughlas
Hellen Robertson
Otway Miles Andrews
Harriet Elisabeth Sutherlan
Johanna Morrison
Samuel Johnson
Ellen Hussey
Arthur Wellington Gray
John K Smith
Anthony Thornhill
George Edwards
Charles Eugene Van Ingen
Richard Noble Van Ingen
John Van Ingen
S Andrew Von Bratt Reynold
Agnes Gibson
Dowdall
Elizabeth Keatinge
Henry Van Ingen
Alphonso Bertie
John Charles Bartels
Thomas Nelson
Charlotte Lillywhite
I Horn
John Hill
Mathew Keirfoot
Louisa Floyd
Richard Miles
Elizabeth Day
Jane Groeme
Charles Hutt
Vesey William Shelly
Vesey Hill
C F Piele
Thomas Holmes
Arthur Greenham
Joseph Henery William Edward Hill
Charles Thompson
Louis William Harris
Florence Borrowdaile
James Orpwood
Augusta Collins
Worsley
Caroline Mc Mahon
Thomas Templeton
mathilda Harriot
T Styan Warner
B M Macdonald
John Burridge
George Gibson
George Perigrine Wynch
Henery Barclay
Juliana Straton
Duff Forbes Warrand
Gerard Borough
Mary Charlotte Preston
Alexander Duckworth
Anne Maria Long
William Warmingham
Sarah Dughard
Mary Royle
Darah Seppings
Thomas Gibbs
Thomas Duckworth
Lousia Kilroy
Caroline Smith
Elizabeth Hooper
William Moss
Robert Venning
WN Davis
H Fitton
J Bailey
Martha Hill
Lydia Newman
The above names were found on a paper which stated that they were stones
to be removed from the Agram Cemetery, Bangalore, India and are within
the period 1805 to 1870.
Data on other Cemeteries may be available, are the St. John's Cemetery at Kalpally, and the Roman Catholic and Protestant Cemeteries at Hosur Road.
Again one has to mention the great and Herculean efforts of Admiral Dawson in trying to restore this Cemetery. There are lots of Grave Stones used as a dividing wall between the Cemetery and the Reserve Police. Some of the graves date back to 1808!!. There are so many architecture styles used in the construction of the tombs and one really wonders as to the origin. Undertakers or Sculptors (as there were known in those days) like S. Mullenex and Nelson & Black built most of the graves. Very large granite slabs and blocks were used for the graves, even these heavy blocks and slabs have been moved to make the fencing, and some just moved around, perhaps to be carried away. To restore the Cemetery into the original beauty would take quite a lot of finance, as a lot of the masonry has been reduced to rubble and also by removing the stones that protected the graves, exposed it to the elements. Admiral Dawson, the Reserve Police and the ASC have not given up and as well as a few of us who have volunteered to try and restore the cemetery. There is too much of History in this Cemetery to lose like the other old Cemeteries of Bangalore!!
Any advice or help in locating data on this Cemetery would be appreciated. We are on the look out for the Plan of the Cemetery as it is not available anywhere in Bangalore. You may write to Admiral O.S. Dawson, PVSM, AVSM, (Retd.), IN, 32 Viviani Road, Bangalore 560 005, Phone: 91 80 5471653 or send an e-mail message to ronniejohnson@vsnl.net !!
Mark Howells - Someone who gave us the first lead to a link on Agram Cemetery on the Net!! A Site for Genealogy Links!
War links in other parts of the World
For enquires to Admiral Dawson or corrections to any of the above information please send to Ron's New e-mail:ronniejohnson@vsnl.net (or) ronniejohnson@hotmail.com
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