The Somerset Light Infantry - First Burmese War, 1824 - 1826
Background to the Conflict
Burma, located on the edge of the Indian Empire, was a thorn in the side of the British East India Company. Leading up to the outbreak of the First Burmese War, the King of Ava became increasingly expansionist and aggressive towards the British-held territories. In 1766 the Burmese had seized Tenasserim from Siam. In 1784, Arakan was incorporated into the Kingdom of Ava, and 1813 saw the conquering of Manipur, which lay near the Surma Valley. This expansion and advance towards the Indian border made an Anglo-Burmese War inevitable. However, the British were involved in other areas and tried to delay the inevitable conflict. The final straw came in September 1823, when the Burmese seized the Shalpuri Island near Chittagong, which was owned by the East India Company. Preparations for war began and the declaration of war was made on 24 February 1824.
The Conflict
Until this point, all actions against Burma had been land-based. However, it was now decided to try an amphibious attack, to try to take the town of Rangoon, which lay upon the banks of the Irrawaddy River. A joint naval and infantry expedition was organised at Port Cornwallis in the Adaman Islands, under the joint control of Brigadier-General Archibald Campbell and Commodore Grant. The 13th made up part of the 11,000 strong infantry and were placed under the command of Major Robert Sale.
The first role the 13th played in the conflict was to seize and then occupy the island of Chedubah on the Arakan Coast. Three companies were detailed with this attack, while the remaining forces proceeded to Rangoon. The attack on Rangoon passed off smoothly and the town was soon converted to a defensive stronghold. However, the Burmese did not give up: 50,000 men armed with muskets, swords and spears and who were familiar with jungle fighting, soon dug themselves in and surrounded Rangoon. Also, the monsoon season arrived, turning the country into mud and spreading disease.
It was believed that keeping to a purely defensive policy of action would be demoralising, and so an attack was planned. It was hard fought: artillery had to be man-handled through the jungle, many soldiers had died from disease and each town was heavily defended. However, the Burmese army were slowly pushed back up the Irrawaddy Valley. By February 1826 the Anglo-Indian army had advanced 300 miles to the town of Yandaboo; the Burmese capital lay just four miles away. The advance on the capital began on 9 February 1826 with the 13th leading to a night attack, which caused the enemy to flee. They reached the capital just two weeks later, when the King of Ava sent out a peace treaty to be ratified by the British. Under the treaty, the King agreed to pay the expenses of the war and to forego a considerable part of his territory.
For service during the war, three of the Officers of the regiment, including Major Sale, were awarded the honour of becoming Companions of the Order of the Bath, and 'Ava' was added to the Regiment's battle honours. In 1851 when the general service medal was issued for campaigns in India, the bar 'Ava' was added and fifteen officers were still alive to receive it.
