b. 12/05/1869 Wellington, India. d. 09/07/1910 Nagpur, India.
George Murray Rolland (1869-1910) was born in Wellington, India on 12th May 1869, the son of Major Patrick Murray Rolland, Royal Artillery, and Albania Crofton. His mother was a successful novelist. He was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst, and on 9th November 1889, joined the 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment as Second Lieutenant, becoming Lieutenant in 1891, and Captain on 9th November 1900. In August 1901, he joined the Indian Army. He was Adjutant of the 1st Bombay Grenadiers from 1894 to 1901, and was with the Somaliland Field Force from October 1902 to June 1903, acting as Intelligence Officer to the Berbera Bohottle Flying Column, and Staff Officer to Major John Edmond Gough’s Column.
George M Rolland VC
On 22nd April 1903 after the action at Daratoleh, British Somaliland, the rearguard got considerably behind the rest of the column. Captain Rolland and William George Walker, with four other men were with a fellow officer when he fell badly wounded and Captain Rolland ran back some 500 yards to get help while the others stayed with the casualty, endeavouring to keep off the enemy who were all round. This they succeeded in doing, and when the officer in charge of the column (John Edmund Gough) arrived they managed to get the wounded man on to a camel. He was, however, hit again and died immediately.
After his award was announced in the London Gazette on 7th August 1903, he received his medal on 30th November 1903 by the OC Troops at Dehra Dun, India. In 1906, he joined the Nagpur Volunteer Rifles as Adjutant. Sadly, Rolland died just four years later, on 8th July 1910, when he suffered a fall at Nagpur. He was buried in Takli Cemetery, Nagpur. His grave lay undiscovered for a number of years in a largely neglected cemetery. It was recently discovered when the cemetery was being cleared and cleaned. His medals are owned by the Ashcroft Trust and displayed in the Imperial War Museum.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: LORD ASHCROFT GALLERY, IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM, LONDON.
BURIAL PLACE: TAKLI CEMETERY, NAGPUR, INDIA.
Acknowledgement:
Thomas Stewart – Image of the RMA Sandhurst Memorial Board.