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The noble art of being a Military Scoundrel

Bit of a strange one here, Alexander Chisholm, murderer, and later executed but different details about how he was dispatched are given, some sources claiming he was hanged, others shot at dawn:



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Edit: Sentenced to hanging but this clan page claims he was shot, page 18:

 
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You again P-A, your attention to detail is incredible along with your encyclopaedic recollection of the Army plot since Julius Caesar set foot in Kent.
Delighted to see someone else caught out for a change!
I remember it because in the last episode of the 1983 BBC documentary The Paras Spider Craddock, Gobby Taffy, big Phil Tattam and the rest of the boys of 480 platoon ended up doing a month with 1 Para in Fermangh instead of going to the FI as BCR as they hoped.
 
In modern parlance, this was an off-the-books, black op, the British invasion of the Philippines.

The official history of this event (as alluded to by Wikipedia) is disputed due to the lack of written evidence that the British Government had any idea what was going on, much less supporting and financing it, as described in Shirley Fish's 'When Britain Ruled the Philippines 1762-1764'.
Fish holds that the finance was actually provided by private business interests, and through the back door by the East India Company who expected to be repaid in silver, the only currency that China would accept for trade, and that would come, or so they believed, from vast silver mines the Spanish owned in the Philippines.

Lieutenant General Sir William Draper 1721 – 8 January 1787, late of the First Foot Guards (Grenadiers Guards) though currently with 79th Regiment of Foot of the Indian Army, along with Vice Admiral Sir Samuel Cornish, 1st Baronet, were convinced that the Spanish Galleons, going to, and coming out of Pacific SE Asia, rather than crossing the South Atlantic, were loaded with silver from a source other than Spain's 'Mountain of Silver', Cerro Rico, in Bolivia. They concluded that The Philippines was that source.

They brought aboard Sepoys and marines onto eight ships of the line, including HMS America, commanded by Drapers nephew, and some stores ships. It was an optimistic force, considering no reconnaissance had been carried out. It rocked up in Manila Bay to confront Spanish and local forces, fortunately in no great numbers, initially, due to the demands of the war with the English, and commanded by a priest, not a soldier, the Archbishop of Manila, Manuel Rojo del Rio y Vieyra, who apparently received military advice via prayer.

The fortress of Manila was significant, one which had improved on that built originally by locals to defend against a centuries older enemy than Spain, originally the North African Moors and their slave ships, and then 'The Moros', the Moors descendents in Mindanao, an advanced slave raiding base established by the Moors. The defenders were therefore alert for raids, which had increased with the syphoning off of the garrison to fight the English elsewhere.
Draper and Cornish's problems began when, once landed, the Sepoy troops almost immediately deserted (Their descendents live in northern Luzon), and then the reinforcement of the garrison by locals who reportedly ate the livers of their enemies, they certainly did kill and eat a British officer and the son of a Spanish nobleman who had been captured, and was being parlayed under a flag of truce, when both were hacked to death.

The British suffered from lack of fresh water and fierce attacks by the locals on watering parties, despite company strong escorts of marines protecting them, but Manila fell after twelve days, and a shameful pillage by drunken sailors and marines, one that lasted 40 hours, took place.

Having expended 20k cannonballs, and 500 explosive mortar bombs, not to mention men, there was no silver, no mines, nothing of immediate value. The galleons using the Pacific were avoiding British privateers in the South Atlantic and Caribbean, receiving cargoes of silver from Bolivia in Pacific ports and returning via Manila, where they stopped only to revictual or ride out the frequent typhoons. In order to recoup their losses, and make some loot, a message was sent to Spain that they would 'sell back' Manila for $4 Million dollars. Meanwhile, a member of the East India Company was installed as Governor, who had expected riches, so had wealthy members of Spanish families arrested, confined, and tried on “Charges known only to himself,” (ransom).
Some loot was gained with the seizing of two Spanish galleons who were unaware of the invasion, the Trinidad, actually carrying Chinese porcelain, not silver, and was therefore twice the value of silver, $3M, and a silver galleon with a cargo worth $1.5M. The prize value of the ships garnered a further $3M.

By the time Draper and Cornish's demand reached Spain, the war was already over, and the British were required to leave Manila.

Drapers lasting claim to fame was the 'Leg before wicket' rule in cricket.
Blimey. I thought I was pretty good on military history, but this is something I've never even heard of. Thanks very much for posting it, I foresee some Amazon purchases in my near future....
 
Seven pages in and I´m amazed this cad hasn´t featured yet. Surely he´s the very definition of a military scoundrel. Although no military genius by any stretch of the imagination, he was very well liked by his men, particularly in his Granby squadron. The phrase "that Major Hewitt, he´s a bit of a lad eh?" springs to mind. Also holder of the BBC.

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Seven pages in and I´m amazed this cad hasn´t featured yet. Surely he´s the very definition of a military scoundrel. Although no military genius by any stretch of the imagination, he was very well liked by his men, particularly in his Granby squadron. The phrase "that Major Hewitt, he´s a bit of a lad eh?" springs to mind. Also holder of the BBC.

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His Wiki entry says it all, like many of that vintage dubious A level passes if any, the SRC to Reg C and then the crash and burn at Captain to Major exams. So not really a Major at all!

After graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Hewitt was commissioned into the Life Guards, British Army, on 8 April 1978 as a second lieutenant. He was promoted to lieutenant on 8 April 1980. He transferred from a short service commission to a special regular commission on 1 October 1981. He was promoted to acting captain on 8 October 1984. On 21 October 1985, he transferred from a special regular commission to a regular commission. In 1991, he served as a Challenger tank squadron commander in the Gulf War. He was mentioned in despatches "in recognition of service during the operation in the Gulf" in June 1991. He failed the exam for promotion to major three times.
On 1 March 1994, he was retired from the British Army after 17 years' military service. The BBC reported in 2003 that in retirement, Hewitt was granted the rank of major which was "in line with common army practice".
 
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