Memorial to Lt. Col Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie (1848-1909). Marble. The Crypt, St. Paul's Cathedral [Click on these images for larger pictures.] Memorial tablet by Farmer & Brindley. Unveiled 1910. The inscription seen above right continues,
This tablet is erected in sorrow and in love / by his friends. / Entering the Army in 1866, and the Indian Political / Department in 1879, he earned distinction in the / Afghan War of 1879-80, in Oudh, in Nepal, in / Central India, and above all in Rajputana where / he rose to the highest rank in the Service. / In / 1901 he was chosen to be Political Aide-de-Camp / to the Secretary of State for India. / Innocent of all offence, / a devoted public servant, courageous and gentle, / of a winning courtesy, and a constant self-denial, / He was loved by the Princes and people / and died, as he lived, in the service of India. / Jesus said, I am the resurrection, and the life. S.John XI.25. His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face. Rev.XXII.3.4.
There was widespread shock on Wyllie's assassination, in India as well as in Britain. The tablet "was unveiled by Earl Roberts on 19 October 1910, in the presence, among others, of the three successive secretaries of state (Lord George Hamilton and viscounts Midleton and Morley) whom Wyllie had served," and there were various other kinds of memorials as well, including a "marble aramgarh (place of rest) in Ajmer, Rajputana, to provide shade, rest, and water for men and animals" (Brown and Stearn).
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Photographs and formatting by George P. Landow. Text by Landow and Jacqueline Banerjee. With thanks to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral. You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
Brown, F. H., rev. Roger T. Stearn. "Wyllie, Sir (William Hutt) Curzon (1848–1909)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Web. 3 Auhgust 2014.
Object Collection No. 2357. St. Paul's Cathedral. Web. 3 August 2014.
Last modified 3 August 2014