1 
ARTILLERY SERVICE UNDER 
44 JOHN COMPANY.” 
BY 
MAJOR C. N. SIMPSON, R. A. 
[So many batteries of the Royal Artillery, had their origin in the Army of the old “ Honourable 
East Indian Company ” that I think it probable a brief account of Artillery Service in Bengal, 
under John Company, may prove interesting. No attempt has been made to follow in detail the 
fortunes of the Bengal Artillery from its first formation until its amalgamation with the Royal 
Artillery in 1861, all I have endeavoured to do, is to summarize and set forth a few incidents in 
connection with the Corps and the conditions of service of the time which appear worthy of note. 
The recollections of brave deeds, are amongst the greatest treasures an Army can cherish, they 
foster esprit de corps, they appeal to the educated and uneducated alike, and by begetting 
sympathy with the past create a cohesion in the present, for the interest which binds us to our 
predecessors binds us also to one another. Such memories are a weapon for discipline which only 
a soldier can appreciate. The valour which may have been exhibited in former days by our 
ancestors, lives again in the breasts of their successors, who yearn for the opportunity to prove 
themselves worthy of the traditions handed down to them by their forefathers.] 
I N India up to the year 1748 , the few pieces of ordnance used on 
land were manned by European sailors. The men told off for 
Artillery duties were called the “ gun-room ” crew and the officer or 
petty officer in command, the “ Gunner ” or “ Gunner’s mate.” On 
the 17 th June, 1747 , however, the Court of Directors of the 
“ Honourable East India Company ” issued orders for the formation 
of a company of Artillery in each of the three Presidencies. This 
order was carried out in the following year, and the company then 
formed in the Bengal Presidency was the foundation of the Bengal 
Artillery. In September, 1758 , a second company was added to the 
Bengal Artillery, and its establishment was further increased by a 
third company, on the 17 th September, 1763 . 
1765 In 1765 , the Governor-General, Lord Clive returned from 
England and the Indian Army was remodelled. The Bengal 
Artillery by an order dated the 4 th August, 1765 , was formed into 
four companies. The present No. 6 Company, E.D.R.A., was the 
newly formed fourth company. Captain Nathaniel Kindersley was 
appointed to the command of it, and it was allotted to the 3 rd 
Brigade, commanded by Colonel Sir Robert Barker, its head-quarters 
being at Bankipur near Patna. 
The establishment of the company was as follows :— 
1. VOL. XXVI. 
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