Arthur Robert West

Arthur was born at Landguard Fort in 1818. His family subsequently moved to France, where as a youngster, he studied medicine. He had a remarkable memory and could recite line by line books that he had read.

When he was 17 he returned to England and obtained a cadetship with the 6th Madras Infantry. In India he met and married Arabella Boyd Hutchison and they had 9 children - 8 daughters and a son. In around 1857, after about 16 years service, he returned to England, accompanied by his wife Arabella and their then 5 children, on a year's leave. However, before the year had elapsed he was recalled to India to fight in the mutiny and he later served with his regiment in the Burma and Chinese wars. He had left his family in England but Arabella later sailed out to join him in Rangoon, his daughters returning to join their parents in India 8 years later.

He enjoyed hunting big game and told many anecdotes of his shootings.

When he was invalided out of the Army he stayed in India, living in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu. He died in Ootacamund in 1890.