Robert Groves Sandeman

Sir Robert Groves Sandeman

Sir Robert Groves Sandeman (born February 25, 1835 in Perth (Scotland) , † January 29, 1892 in Las Bela ) was a Scottish officer and administrator in Beluchistan (1871-1892). As an officer he was involved in the conquest and, as governor after 1871, was instrumental in the incorporation of Beluchistan into the British-Indian colonial empire.

Life

Robert Groves Sandeman was born in Perth, Scotland, as the son of Major General Robert Turnbull Sandeman (1804–1876). He received his education at Perth Academy and St. Andrews University .

On February 8, 1856 he joined the British Colonial Army of Bengal as an ensign , where he was assigned to the 33rd Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) on May 20, 1856 . During the Sepoy Uprising he took part in the storming of Lucknow . On April 30, 1858 he received his officer license with the 14th BNI. Three years later he became an officer in the staff. From 1859 he was assistant commissioner in Punjab . In 1866 he was appointed commissioner and magistrate (judge) of the Dera Ghazi Khan district .

Through clever negotiations he achieved the submission of the Khan of Kalat , so that at the end of 1875 a protectorate over this Indian princely state could be established. For this he was accepted as a companion in the Order of the Star of India in 1877 . Two years later he was knighted as Knight Commander of the same order. His pleasant personality ensured him influence with the Khan and the tribes of the region.

Since February 21, 1877 he was agent of the Governor General in Beluchistan and thus the highest British administrative officer there. This position was upgraded to Chief Commissioner (his tenure was interrupted twice) in 1887 when Beluchistan became province. When he helped supply the troops at Kandahar in the second imperialist war of aggression against Afghanistan in 1880 , this led to the acquisition of a new, strategically important province for the Empire .

On February 8, 1882 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, three years later to brevet colonel. He died on the border with Sind and was buried in Las Bela.

Fort Sandeman , since 1976 Zhob in the Zhob district , was named after him.

family

He was married twice. His first marriage was in 1864 with Catherine Grace Allen (1842–1868). In 1882 he married Helen Catherine Gainsford in his second marriage.

literature

• Thomas Henry Thornton: Col. Sir Robert Sandeman. His Life and Work on Our Indian Frontier. J. Murray, London 1895.
• Alexander Lauzun Pendock Tucker: Sir Robert G. Sandeman, KCSI, peaceful conqueror of Baluchistan. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London 1921 ( archive.org ).
• Times. February 1, 1892, p. 6; February 2, p. 8.
• Obituary: Obituary: Colonel Sir Robert Groves Sandeman, KCSI In: Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography. Volume 14, No. 3 (March 1892), pp. 187-188 ( jstor.org ).
• William Broadfoot: Sandeman, Robert Groves . In: Sidney Lee (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 50, Smith, Elder & Co., London 1897, pp. 256-257.
• Sandeman, Sir Robert Groves . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . Volume 24, Cambridge University Press, London 1911, p. 138.