William R. M. Holroyd

Born in Wimbledon in 1835, Holroyd was a student in the Military Department at King’s in 1852-53. He went on to serve in the 23rd Bengal Native Infantry, the 86th Regiment of Central Indian Field Force in 1857-58, and the Bengal Staff Corps, for which he became Captain in 1861. Holroyd became Ensign in 1853, Major in 1873, Lieutenant-Colonel in 1879, and Colonel in 1883. He was praised for his language skills and spent some time teaching Urdu. Holroyd was wounded during the storming of Jhansi in April 1858 and was awarded for his “great gallantry”. After leaving the army, he became a school inspector. Holroyd died in 1913 aged 77-78.