La Martiniere - The only school with a Battle Honour

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While a number of schools around the world have been awarded battle colours in recognition of their alumni serving in armies, the La Martiniere school in Lucknow, built by Claude Martin, is the only school in the world to have won Battle Honours.

A battle honour is usually awarded to military units for the bravery and courage of their troops during a battle. These honours are usually printed on the regimental colours.

La Martiniere school got this honour for the role played by its students in the defence of the Lucknow Residency during the Siege of Lucknow in the Indian revolution of 1857. When the siege started, 67 students of the school along with the principal and other staff were inside the Residency campus of the British. Since the british were short of troops, the boys were assigned military duties and displayed bravery during clashes with the Indian troops over the next 1 year. The most notable being them handling all the visual and telegraph communications from the Residency to the british forces on the outskirts of Lucknow, and fighting the Indian troops during a breach of the residency fortifications.

After the siege, the british crown awarded the battle honour "Defence of Lucknow" to the school in recognition of the contribution of those 67 school boys and their teachers.

The Constantia building of La Martiniere school - Photo credit Ahmad Mustafa

Note on Claude Martin - Frenchman Claude Martin made his fortune as a soldier in the services of the Nawab of Awadh, Asif-ud-Daulah, and though the Constantia was designed as his house, it was completed after his death and turned into a school as per his will. The school was established at 3 places - Lucknow, Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Lyon (France) - the birthplace of Martin.

- Suyash Nigam

Comments

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