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GEORGE THOMAS (c. 1756-1802)

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Originally appearing in Volume V26, Page 866 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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GEORGE
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THOMAS (c. 1756-1802)  ,
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British military adventurer in
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India .
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Thomas was
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born of poor parentage in
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Ireland in1756, deserted from the British
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Navy in
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Madras, and made his way
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north to
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Delhi, where he took service under the begum Samru of
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Sardhana . Supplanted in her favour by a Frenchman, he transferred his
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allegiance to Appa
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Rao, a Mahratta chieftain, and subsequently set up an
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independent
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kingdom of his own in
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Hariana with his
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capital at
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Hansi . Thomas was a
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man of
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great
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personal strength and daring, and considerable military
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genius . In the turmoil of falling kingdoms in the India of that
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day his
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sword was always at the service of the highest
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bidder; but he had the virtues of his profession—he never betrayed an employer, was
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kind and generous to his soldiers, and was always ready to succour a woman in
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distress . He cherished dreams of conquering the
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Punjab, and fought one of his best
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campaigns against the
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Sikh chiefs; but he was finally defeated and captured by Sindhia's
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army under
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General
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Perron (q.v.) . His
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iron constitution was broken by exposure and excessive drinking, and he died on his way down the
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Ganges on the 22nd of
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August 1802 . See Francklin, Military
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Memoirs of Mr
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George Thomas (18o3);
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Compton, Military Adventurers of Hindustan (1892) .

End of Article: GEORGE THOMAS (c. 1756-1802)
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GEORGE HENRY THOMAS (1816-187o)

Additional information and Comments

A detailed account of George Thomas can be found in a remarkable book titled "Swords for Hire" by Shelford Bidwell (1971). Three chapters are devoted to the exploits of this soldier-adventurer. The book is highly readable. No pictures of George Thomas are known to exist, but the book displays a likeness of him taken out of his tombstone. The book has chapters on other military adventurers of that era, such as Benoit de Boigne and Perron. As far as I know the book is out of print, but may be found in many libraries.
Another reference to this person is a book by Maurice Hennessy "The Rajah from Tipperary" a possible biography but contains many useful references, a worthwhile read that may add to the knowledge base.
(General)George Thomas was by no means "British" He was born in Ireland of Irish parents & grew up in Ireland, which makes him Irish! That fact that Ireland was a British colony at the time, & that he joined & subsequently deserted the British navy, does not make him British Also. Ireland (or none of its parts) is not now nor never has been a part of "Great Britain". G. Britain, both geographically & politically, consists of England, Wales & Scotland. The (enforced) "Act of Union" in 1801 between Britain & Ireland, created the political entity "The United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland": Presently, the UK consists of "The United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland" Kind regards Anthony Kiely
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