#sam browne

Pattern 1821 Light Cavalry Officer’s Sword, owned by General Sir Sam Browne.

This sword was made by Henry Wilkinson. The scabbard is covered in donkey skin.

Sam Browne won the Victoria Cross during the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859) when he was a captain. He stopped enemy gunners re-loading their cannon, but a sword severed his arm.

NAM Accession Number

NAM. 1951-12-49-1

Copyright/Ownership

National Army Museum, London

Location

National Army Museum, Study collection

Object URL

Forty-Seven Ginger-Headed Sailors (1928/09/21) Jack Hylton's Orchestra (Vocal Refrain By Sam Browne) Recorded In London; HMV B-5542

“Forty-Seven Ginger Headed Sailors” Jeeves And Wooster: Series 01 Episode 02: "Tuppy And The Terrier"

One of my favorite moments from the Jeeves & Wooster series; and yet it’s not from any of the books per se, but  instead, a pure bit of Fry & Laurie….. I do appreciate Clive Exton & the Boys keeping those details precise to the period. P.G. Wodehouse often mentioned popular songs of the day in the Jeeves books, as it was all a part of their times & indeed their world.

I know the song was also recorded by comic Tommy Handley &  I am guessing it had to have been sung by it’s crooning composer  Leslie Sarony, but I have not found any recordings of him performing it.

The namesake of the Sam Browne belt...

General Sir Samuel James Browne VC, GCB, KCSI, 1901 (c).

Oil on canvas by Charles Kay Robertson, 1904.

Sir Sam Browne (1824-1901) remains one of the most prominent figures in the history of the Indian Army, who is chiefly remembered for having introduced a new design of leather belt, the 'Sam Browne'. He began his career with the Bengal Army in 1840 and took part in numerous campaigns, including Chillianwalla and Gujerat, before being awarded the Victoria Cross during the Indian Mutiny for gallantry at Seeporah in 1858. Together with one sowar orderly, he engaged in hand-to-hand combat to secure a strategically placed 9-pounder cannon, during which his left arm was severed at the shoulder by a sword cut.

Sam Browne is commonly believed to have developed the belt which bears his name, to make it easier to carry and use a sword and pistol after his injury.

A a lieutenant-general he commanded the Peshawar Field Force during the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880). For 19 years Browne commanded the Punjab Cavalry and the Corps of Guides. After his death, a monument was erected to him in St Paul's Cathedral, London.

NAM Accession Number

NAM. 1956-02-195-1

Copyright/Ownership

Not NAM Copyright

Location

National Army Museum, Study collection

Object URL

World War I British Officer's Tunic and Sam Browne Belt with Attachments