Robert Abercromby Yule

Robert Abercromby Yule was the second son of Major William Caley Yule and his first wife, Elizabeth Paterson. Major W C Yule had been in the service of the East India Company, and had been Assistant Resident at the courts of Lucknow and Delhi. After his retirement he had continued his interest in Indian affairs, having considerable knowledge, and having amassed a valuable library of Indian manuscripts. Robert Yule was born at Inveresk on 22 Oct 1817, baptised on 14 November. He was educated at Edinburgh High School following his father’s move there after the death of Robert’s mother.
Robert Joined the army as a cornet in the 16th Lancers on 3 July 1835, attached to the depot in Maidstone until he sailed to India in August 1836. He reached the 16th Lancers at Meerut in Spring 1837. On 26 May he purchased his promotion to lieutenant, and in the autumn of 1838 the 16th marched to Ferozepore to join the Army of the Indus under Lord Keane. He served in Afghanistan and was at the siege and capture of Ghuzni and the occupation of Kabul.
While Robert was on campaign his father died, in 1839, and he returned to Scotland in the spring of 1841. While there he married Margaret Rodgers, on 9 Nov 1841. In July 1842 he was a student at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, studying maths, drawing and fortifications, until the end of 1843. He returned to the 16th Lancers in India in Jan 1844 and went with them on active service when the First Sikh War broke out. They reached Mudki on 1 Jan 1846, after the battles of Mudki and Ferozeshah in December 1845. On 21 Jan 1846 the regiment fought the Sikhs at Bhudowal and lost all their baggage. Yule was left with only the clothes he was wearing. On 28th Jan he was part of the famous charge of the 16th Lancers at Aliwal. His horse, ‘the old grey’ was shot and died, and he said in a letter home that the regiment lost 57 men and 2 officers killed, and 6 officers and 75 men wounded. At Sobraon, Cureton’s cavalry were placed to prevent the Sikhs from crossing the Sutlej so did not take part in the battle.
At the end of 1846 he sailed back to the UK. The 16th Lancers also returned to England, in August 1846, but Yule did not go with them as he intended to exchange to another regiment serving in India. In England he spent time with the 16th at Canterbury and was promoted to captain on 2 July 1847. He exchanged into the 9th Lancers two weeks later, on 16 July 1847. They were stationed at Meerut and he returned to India in January 1848. He reached Meerut in April and remarked,
‘The Regiment is a fine one to look at but wants the discipline system and style of the 16th. Our present chief, Major Grant, is a very good man but not a great soldier.’
In May 1848 they heard of the Second Sikh War breaking out at Mooltan. His wife and family were with him at Meerut but his eldest son died of sickness on 18 Sep 1848. On 29 Sep the regiment marched to Ferozepore, while Margaret, his wife, and other son went to stay at Lucknow. The battle of Ramnagar took place on 22 Nov 1848 but did not involve Captain Yule or the 9th Lancers. On 3 Dec General Thackwell took some of the cavalry across the Chenab but the 9th had the frustration of not being with them. However, at Chillianwala on 13 Jan 1849 the 9th Lancers fought in the confusion of the jungle and did not disgrace themselves as did the 14th Light Dragoons and the Bengal Light Cavalry. Captain Yule commanded two squadrons on the right wing of the 9th Lancers, and although some of the 9th were involved in the ‘threes about’ fiasco, Yule’s squadrons rallied and prevented the right flank of Gough’s army from being turned. The next day, he was appointed Brigade Major of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade. At the battle of Gujrat on 21 Feb 1848, Yule, in his new capacity, was not with the 9th Lancers as they had been moved to the other brigade. He wrote to his wife,
‘We had a great battle yesterday and licked the Sikhs completely. We chased them about 9 miles and didn’t get back til half past nine, having been in the saddle from seven in the morning.’
The 9th had to stay near the Chenab as part of the occupying force, and Yule remained there as Brigade Major until the 2nd Brigade was broken up in March and by 25 Mar 1849 he was back with his Troop in the Regiment. On 7 June 1849 he was promoted to Brevet Major. His wife, Margaret gave birth to three more children, one of which died after only a week. There was a daughter, Elizabeth Beatrice, born in 1851 and their youngest, Henry, born in 1853. In November 1855 it was decided that the children would be better educated in Britain, so Margaret and the four children sailed home, thus avoiding the horrors of the Indian Mutiny two years later.
On 29 Jan 1857, Major Yule was promoted to brevet lieutenant-colonel. When the Mutiny broke out in May 1857 the CO of the 9th, Colonel Hope Grant, was appointed brigade commander of cavalry. This elevated Yule to command the 9th Lancers. He led them out to Delhi and fought the first action at Badli-ki-serai on 8 June. Lt-Col Yule killed three men in the fight. The next day he was ordered to take charge of the main picquet at Hindu Rao’s House where the Sirmoor Gurkhas were stationed. A letter written by Captain Anson of the 10th June said,
‘Poor Yule came late into mess yesterday evening, dreadfully tired from Field Officer duty at the main picquet, where he has been under cannon and rifle fire all day long.’
On 19 June 1857 Lieutenant-Colonel Yule led his regiment into action for the last time and was shot dead. Mutineers came out of Delhi and were threatening the camp of the 9th Lancers. No action was taken for more than an hour so that the rebels established themselves in a village on the Grand Trunk Road and either side of the road. Major Frank Turner of the Bengal Horse Artillery, a friend of Yule’s, was ordered to take his Troop, together with 2 squadrons of lancers and some Guides, to attack the enemy force. As the sun went down Turner became uneasy about his guns and urged Yule to charge the rebels while he withdrew his Troop. This was a daunting prospect for the lancers as the ground was unsuitable for cavalry and the rebels were lining the road and armed with artillery. Lt Alfred Jones of the Lancers later related that as the squadrons came down the road behind the Horse Artillery, Turner shouted, “Get along to the front, you cavalry; I can’t stand this!” The History of the 9th Lancers by E W Sheppard then says,
‘This exclamation excited Yule to bring the squadron to the front, and cry “Charge!” before Jones had time to form the squadron. Jones then recorded that [Robert] Blair impetuously rushed to the front, and was followed by the men. Jones had looked at the road and seen it was not fit for a charge. He watched Yule for a moment, saw his face change, so Jones tried to stop them. But they were too late, and so Jones went with the rest.’
Away they went ‘under the most tremendous fire of musketry’ from the enemy who were lining both sides of the road. The narrow road forced them to charge no more than three abreast. After about half a mile they formed up at the first piece of open ground. As they looked back they could see their fallen comrades. The wounded were being hacked to pieces. Lt-Col Yule was dead or unconscious so he remained un-mutilated. It was now almost night-time and they were unable to retrieve the bodies safely so that task had to be left until next morning.
Doctor Campbell Brown saw a lancer coming along the road beside a dhoolie (covered palanquin) being carried by two men. When he enquired who was inside he was told that it was the body of Colonel Yule. He saw that he had been shot in the thighs and lost much blood. The lancer said, “He is a great loss to the regiment, Sir. We had better have lost half the regiment than that officer, he has not left his equal behind him.”
The portrait of Lieutenant-Colonel Yule was published in the regimental history. He has a beard which is mentioned in a letter written in October 1856. “..we still wear our beards though Hope has threatened to shave us.” The lapelled pale jacket displays medals for the First Afghan War and the two Sikh Wars. He wears a lancer officer’s dress pouch-belt, but it is not 9th Lancers, it is more likely to be the belt he wore in the 16th Lancers.

Regimental Details | Commanding Officers