the man who raised 5th Punjab Infantry- now 10 FF

2. Lieutenant-General James. Eardley Gastrell,
Commissioned 13th Bengal Native Infantry ,
raised 5th Punjab Infantry, made his name as
an eminent Revenue survey officer and
environmentalist , notably his famous report on
the Calcutta Cyclone of 1864 , written while
serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Revenue
Survey Department. Sadly this great civilian
administrator received no mention in British
national biography works.
• February 2022
• DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.23462.80966
• Project:
• MILITARY HISTORY
• Agha H Amin
J. E. Gastrell was born in Bristol in January 1819 and
was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant on 11 December

3. 1835. He served against the Jaipur rebels in 1838
and in the Bundlecund campaign of 1842-43. He
subsequently saw active service in the Second Sikh
War in the commissary department crossing the
Chenab and the actions at Ramnuggur, Chillianwala
and Goojerat .
Raised 5th
Punjab Infantry later Vaughans Rifles at
Leiah on 18th
May 1849. In April 1850 the battalion
marched to Dera Ghazi Khan , with parts sent to
Jhang.
Captain Drew of 45th
Madras Infantry succeeded
Gastrell in command in early 1851.Drew did not
serve in the unit as he was on leave.
Drew was succeeded by Captain Vaughan originally
21st
Bengal Native Infantry , later 2nd
Punjab
Infantry in 1852 , being confirmed on 22nd
October
1852.
Gastrell reverted to 13th
Bengal Native Infantry .
Gastrell saw further action during the Santhal
campaign of 1855 in Bengal , commanding a column
in 'the final beating up and subjection of the tribe.
Bengal Army List of 1856 described him as having
been seconded to Surveyor Generals department.

4. After a distinguished career in Surveyor General’s
Department and having gained the rank of
lieutenant general Gastrell died in 1894.
Vaughan described 5th
Punjab Infantry as badly
trained and not up to the expectations of Punjab
Frontier Force’s commander Brigadier Hodgson of
12th
Bengal Native Infantry.
It is a fact of history that 5th
Punjab Infantry made
its mark under command of Vaughan in various
frontier campaigns as well as battles of 1857-59
where it played crucial role in disarming sepoys in
Punjab and later in cold weather campaign of 1859 .
No wonder that Gastrell was virtually ignored in 5th
Punjab Infantry histories- Major A.H Amin (Retired)
OLD PAVO CAVALRY WHICH FOUGHT GROUPED
WITH 5TH
Punjab CAVALRY IN BATTLES INSIDE AND
ON NEPAL FRONTIER IN 1858-59.