FOR ALL WITH AN INTEREST IN THE HISTORY
OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY AND THE BRITISH RAJ
LIVE LECTURES
The British in India's second live event for 2025 will be an evening lecture on Sir Charles James Napier on Monday 7 July at the East India Club.​​
MONDAY 7 JULY 2025 17.00-19.30
A Slashing Onslaught: Sir Charles James Napier in India
Peter Stanley
East India Club, 16 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4LH
Sir Charles James Napier was one of Victorian Britain’s most celebrated generals: his statue stands in Trafalgar Square. A hero of the Peninsular War he won fame as the conqueror of Scinde. Colourful and controversial he was mercurial: a complex and fascinating commander in war and in peace. In 1849 Napier was appointed commander-in-chief, India, clashing with governor-general Lord Dalhousie over army reform and resigning prematurely amid rancour. Why did Napier act as he did? What led him to defy Dalhousie? Did the controversy doom the Bengal Army to mutiny in 1857? Why was Napier one of the most outstanding but also the most contentious commander-in-chief of the Indian armies?
Peter Stanley recently retired from the University of New South Wales Canberra as Research Professor. He has published widely on the history of the Indian Army, including White Mutiny (1998), Die in Battle, Do not Despair: The Indians on Gallipoli, 1915 (2015), Terriers in India: British Territorials 1914-19 (2019), Hul! Hul! : The Suppression of the Santal Rebellion in Bengal, 1855 (2022) and John Company’s Armies: The Military Forces of British India, 1824-57 (2024). ​​​​​​​
NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM
How to book
​The lecture will be preceded by drinks and book sales from 5pm in the East India Room, where drinks can be purchased from the pay bar. The lecture will take place in the Clive Room at 6pm. For those who would like to stay, an optional two-course meal (main course, dessert and coffee) will follow at 7.30pm in the East India Room. Drinks can be purchased separately. Dress code: jacket and tie (men); dress or smart separates (women). Dietary requirements accommodated where notified. All welcome. ​
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Tickets for the lecture cost £20 and for the lecture and meal £65. Drinks can be purchased separately.
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Bookings for the meal close on 30 June.
Bookings for the lecture close on 6 July.
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HOW TO BOOK
Tickets may be booked online by card (fees apply), by bank transfer or by cheque.
Price includes platform and payment processing fees
Price includes platform and payment processing fees
Governor-General Lord Moira and his party enjoy a fireworks display in the grounds of the palace of Farhat Baksh in Lucknow (detail). Watercolour from Views by Seeta Ram from Cawnpore to Mohumdy vol. IV produced for Lord Moira, afterwards the Marquess of Hastings, by Sita Ram between 1814 and 1815. British Library, public domain. Farhat Baksh, originally named the Château de Lyon, was designed and built in 1781 on the banks of the Gomti river by Frenchman Claude Martin as his city residence in Lucknow. After Martin’s death it was acquired by Saadat Ali Khan, Nawab of Avadh, who renamed it Farhat Baksh and transformed it into a palace.