Captain William Innes, RE (d. 1875)
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Captain William Innes, RE (d. 1875)
August 28, 1983
A brass plaque in the South Quire Transept records the dedication of the stained glass window above 'In Memory Of Captain William Innes, Royal Engineers, Who Was Killed On November 7th. 1875 When Engaged In The Attack Of A Stockade At Perak, In The Malay Peninsula.'
The window by Clayton & Bell was in place by 1883 (Palmer 1897, 107). The appearance of the angel to the centurion, Cornelius. The centurion kneels by a prie dieu as the angel appears holding a scroll inscribed 'Thy prayers and thine alms are come up before God'. There are buildings in the background. The scene beneath an architectural canopy with lily flowers above. Inscription 'What is it Lord'. One of three representations of the good centurion.
A memorial tablet is placed below.
Inscription reads:
In memory of
Captain William Innes, Royal Engineers,
who was killed on November 7th 1875,
while engaged in the attack of a stockade
at Perak, in the Malay Peninsula.
Inserted by his brother officers.
In what is now Malaysia, local chiefs attacked the British Residency and murdered the Resident, Mr Birch, in an episode of what would later be known as the Perak War (c. 1874 - 1876). Captain Innes of the Royal Engineers accompanied a punitive force consisting of the 10th Foot, armed labourers and sepoys of the Resident’s bodyguard.
The Expedition against the Malays, the British Force ascending the Perak River. Illustration for The Illustrated London News, 26 February 1876 (copy from the scrapbook of R. J. Trett, Rochester Cathedral Chapter Library).
The Expedition against the Malays, Passir Salak. Illustration for The Illustrated London News, 26 February 1876 (copy from the scrapbook of R. J. Trett, Rochester Cathedral Chapter Library).
Innes was killed in an engagement with a strong stockade held by Maharajah Lela on the banks of the Perak River, at Passir Salak, where he was buried alongside Mr Birch. Inne’s obituary is available at the ICE Virtual Library.
Copy of illustration from the scrapbook of R. J. Trett, Rochester Cathedral Chapter Library, source unknown.
Seventy-two brilliant stained glass windows were installed by prominent glaziers Clayton & Bell during the 1870s and 1880s.
Rochester Cathedral features an exceptionally large collection of Colonial-era military memorials and artefacts. This series has begun to highlight the stories behind these collections and their place in our global heritage.
