Interesting family war history

[Cornfed]

When I was a kid, I remember seeing my great great great uncles's medals in our small town museum. They don't seem to be there any more. They were won in the Sepoy Rebellion, fighting on the British side of course. His name was William Thompson. He was in Col. Havelock's brigade at the recapture of Cawnpore.

It is interesting to read about what they did. The wogs there had massacred many British people; men, women and children. Therefore, when William and his comrades stormed the town, just killing the captured combatants didn't suffice. First they made them clean up the place where the Europeans had been massacred with their tongues. Then they rammed large quantities of pig meat and cow meat down the throats of the Muslims and Hindus respectively. Then they sewed them up in pig skins and hanged them. Then they buried the Hindus and cremated the Muslims (i.e. the opposite of what their religion required).

Perhaps we could learn something from our ancestors.

[Moretorque]

I wonder if your uncle could press more than a 140 pounds ?

[Cornfed]

Just to correct this, now I think of it William was my great… grandfather. It was his son who was the great… uncle who was named after William’s commanding officer. He had an elementary school education and then became a civil engineer and designed all the roads here, which is probably why they are so awful. But they got them done, which is more than the current losers do.

The more important point is that the Sepoy Rebellion was a Holy War. It was a war against Christians by initially Hindus and then Muslims as well. White converts were spared. Indian Christians were killed. The nature of the reprisals by the British, seemingly shocking, should be seen in the context of holy war.

The mainstream position is that wars are about resources. Partly true of course, but if you read about this one and a lot of ones it just doesn’t explain it. Most wars are Holy Wars. We used to win them because we had God behind us. If we don’t get Him back we’re screwed.