Ten Years in India, in the 16th Queen's Lancers, and Three Years in South Africa, in the Cape Corps Levies

In this candid memoir a veteran cavalryman recounts a decade of service with the 16th Queen’s Lancers across the frontier of India, followed by three years among the Cape Corps Levies in South Africa. He transports the listener to the heat of the First Afghan campaign, the clash of the Maharatta War, and the fierce Kaffir War, describing the din of artillery at Ghazni and the chaotic horse‑charges that defined those early battles. Between combat sketches, he offers vivid snapshots of everyday life: the colorful festivals of Hindus and Mahomedans, the barter markets of Punjab, and the camaraderie that grew among soldiers far from home.

Beyond the battlefield, the narrative is laced with anecdotes—an unexpected elephant hunt, a night encounter with a tribal chief, and the small comforts that kept morale alive. His reflections reveal a soldier’s perspective on empire, duty, and the strains of constant movement, while still preserving respect for the cultures he encountered. Listeners will find both the grim realities of 19th‑century warfare and the quieter moments that illuminate the human side of a long‑ago colonial world.