General James Travers (6 October 1820 – 1 April 1884) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Military background
James Travers was born and grew up in County Cork, where the first of his ancestors to be born there, Sir Robert Travers, was killed at the Battle of Knocknanuss in 1647.
Travers came from a distinguished Anglo-Irish military family, and all seven of his brothers (three of whom were killed in India) served in the armed forces. They were the sons of Major-General Sir Robert Travers KCMG, CB (1770–1834) of the 95th Rifle Brigade, who was one of six brothers who themselves all served in the military, and one of three to be knighted for their services, including Rear-Admiral Sir Eaton Stannard Travers, who engaged in battle upwards of one hundred times, and was mentioned in dispatches eight times for gallantry.
Military career
James Travers was educated at Addiscombe Military Seminary. He received a commission in the Bengal infantry in June 1838 and arrived in Calcutta in January 1839. He served with the 57th native infantry at Barrackpore and then the 2nd Bengal Native Infantry at Firozpur. He served with this regiment in the First Anglo-Afghan War between 1841 and 1842, being mentioned in despatches
Travers was appointed adjutant to the Bhopal contingent in March 1843 and promoted to captain and brevet major in January 1846, to reflect his earlier Afghan service. He then took part in the First Anglo-Sikh War, where on 10 February 1846 he commanded a Gurkha battalion at the battle of Sobraon, for which he was mentioned in despatches. In March 1846 he was made second in command of the Bhopal contingent. In June 1854 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and in February 1856 was appointed commandant of the Bhopal contingent. In 1856, he commanded a force in the field against the rebel Sankar Singh, and was promoted colonel the same year.
After the outbreak of the Mutiny in 1857, he moved from Bhopal to Indore and assumed command of the forces there. On 1 July a mutiny broke out among local forces, in which thirty-nine people were massacred.
After this action, the European troops, residents and their families, accompanied by loyal Indian troops, evacuated the Residency, and arrived at Sehore on 4 July 1857. Travers was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in May 1873. In 1876 he wrote The Evacuation of Indore relating to his actions there during the Mutiny.
Travers died at Pallanza, Lake Maggiore, Italy, on 1 April 1884, aged 63.