3rd June 1869 Nynee Tal, Beloved Wife of Sergeant W. Robb

SOUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS

93

SACRED   TO  THE  MEMORY

Of

ANN BREMNER

THE BELOVED WIFE OF

SERGEANT W. ROBB

WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE AT NYNEE TAL

ON THE 3^rd DAY OF JUNE 1869

AGED 25 YEARS AND 7 MONTHS

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ALSO OF

DAVID

WHO DIED AT MEAN MEER ON THE 17^th DECEMBER 1866

AGED 1 YEAR AND 9 MONTHS

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Behold the Lamb of God which taketh

away the sin of the world

John 1.29

Death too is lost in time. It was in the cemetery at Pines, only voices of dead could be heard. They seemed happy to have a visitor in the graveyard after more than one and half century. I felt to sit down for a while after my long walk from Nainital. On the inside gate of cemetery, first I met the loving family of Sergeant W. Robb. who are one of the oldest inhabitants of this cemetery.

Sergeant Robb, reached Fort William,Calcutta on board Her Majesty's Mauritius on 20th September 1857 after a total three months and four days sea voyage. Even today  he welcomed me donning his full dress as he was about to go for the battle. He was clad in full military attire, wearing red coat white pants and a war hat on top. He was also carrying with him the famous Enfield rifle. It was the same Enfield whose greased cartridges were a major cause of uproar in whole Bengal Native Infantry (BNI), the fist battalion which rose in mutiny against the British in 1857.

Sargeant Robb introduced me to his loving young wife Ann and adorable son David. Ann looked very weak and unwell. Climatic sickness was a common cause back then. For any British surviving first two summers after coming to hot lands of India was the most challenging task. Ann first fell ill in the cholera break-out in Peshawur (todays’ Peshawar in Pakistan) cantonment in the summer of 1866, where Sergeant Robb was posted last. Their son David fell ill due to climatic fever there. David was only one year nine months of age then. Company Surgeon Dr. Munro, personally called Robb and advised to shift Ann and David at some highland and also recommended their shifting to Brigadier Haley, the commanding officer of the 93^rd Sutherland Highlanders posted in Peshawur. Robb told me that Cholera breakout was worst in Peshawar cantonment in the summer of 1866.

On Thursday, 1^st November 1866, whole 93^rd Sutherland Highlanders Regiment was ordered to leave Sealkote to proceed in the course of relief to Jhansi, Central India. With the marching out strength of 20 officers,32 sergeants,24 corporals,21 drummers,533 privates, 52 women and 93 children the regiment quitted the Punjab, after having been stationed in it since 1860. As per orders regiment marched and reached Delhi on 10^th December 1866.

David was severely unwell so Robb and Ann could not accompany the regiment. Unfortunately on 17 the December young David died in Meean Meer (todays’ Lahore in Pakistan). After the death of David, both parents also left Punjab and reached Delhi. Sickness of Ann did not show any sign of improvement and with an added grief of David it was unlikely that she would survive another summer in Delhi. Fortunately on the advice of Regimental Surgeon Dr. Munro, Brigadier Haley dispensed Sergeant Robb from further field postings at Jhansi and Central India. Robb decided to take Ann to Naynee Tal for better health and environment. They reached Naynee Tal  in February 1867 routing through Agra.  After the events of 1857, for Europeans Nynee Tal was considered a peaceful place to live far from the heat and political turmoil of plains. As the course of destiny was written, after prolonged illness Ann died in Naynee Tal on 3^rd June 1869. She was only of twenty five years and seven months of age. With a very heavy heart Sergeant Robb buried his loving wife Ann Bremner on a downhill below pines trees outside, Naynee Tal (now called Pines at Nainital) at a very peaceful place where even after more than one and half century very few visitors they receive.

In February 1870 Robb heard the word that the 93^rd Sutherland Highlanders are being sent back to England. After the death of Ann and David, Robb was not very happy to stay back in India and all the field operations of the regiment were also over. He decided to travel back home. Robb joined back the departing 93^rd. On 15^th February 1870 at 1 p.m. he along with 22 officers, 520 non-commissioned officers and men, 49 women and 93 children steamed out of Bombay harbor on board Her Majesty’s troopship Jamuna. They reached Aden on the 23^rd of February, and on the 3^rd of March troops disembarked at Suez and proceeded  by rail to Alexandria in two divisions. The 93^rd arrived at Alexandria at about 6 o’clock on the morning of 4^th March 1870.After a short rest and breakfast at railway station they were conveyed in the tug Hasty to Her Majesty’s troop ship Himalaya, commanded by Captain R.N.Piers. Owing to insufficiency of accommodation, Major Williams, Dr. Jazdowski, Lieutenants MacVicar and R. Campbell were left behind at Alexandria, together with four officers of the 19^th Hussars, to follow in another ship for England.

After touching at Malta and Gibraltar the Himalaya arrived in Portsmouth harbor on the 21^st of March. Robb felt himself very cheerful and loud finding himself once again in Old England. On the 25^th  the Her Majesty’s Himalaya completed its voyage and anchored off Leith.

5 p.m. 25^th March 1870,  after twelve years and nine months finally Sergeant W.Robb completed his journey and again set foot in England, harbor was under heavy snow storm as it was informing him of a fresh snow fall in Pines at Naynee Tal where his beloved wife Ann Bremner was resting peacefully.