APPENDIX A

Pioneer Biographies
of the British Period to 1947 

Thomas Cadell (1835-1919)

Thomas Cadell was born into a distinguished Scottish military family. One of his brothers was General Sir Robert Cadell and another Captain Francis Cadell who explored to the sources of the Murray River in Australia. Thomas was educated at Edinburgh Academy. He received his commission as an officer in 1854 and joined the 2nd European Bengal Fusiliers, being promoted lieutenant in 1856.

At the siege of Delhi 1857, during the Great Mutiny, Cadell showed quite exceptional bravery for which he received the Victoria Cross. The London Gazette of 29th April 1862 reported this as follows:

For having... at the flag-staff picquet at Delhi, when the whole of the picquet of Her Majesty's 75th Regt. and 2nd European Bengal Fusiliers were driven in by a large body of the enemy, brought in from amongst the enemy a wounded bugler of his own regiment, under a most severe fire, who would otherwise have been cut up by the rebels.

Also, on the same day, when the Fusiliers were retiring, by order, on Metcalfe's house, on its being reported that there was a wounded man left behind, Lieut. Cadell went back of his own accord towards the enemy, accompanied by three men, and brought in a man of the 75th Regt., who was severely wounded, under a most heavy fire from the advancing enemy.

Cadell also served with distinction in later military campaigns in India, becoming Captain in 1866 and Major in 1874. He married Anna Catherine Dalmahoy in 1867 and the couple had two daughters and two sons. In the years up to 1878 Cadell held various appointments under the political department in central India and Rajputana. From 1878 until his retirement in 1892 he was Chief Commissioner of the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Cadell returned to England where he died on 6th April 1919.

The Colonel's importance to the Andamanese aborigines, besides his long tenure of office in the islands, lies in the encouragement he gave to and the understanding he showed for both E.H. Man and M.V. Portman. It was Cadell who set Portman the task of calming down the fears of the Onge, a task that Portman completed so successfully. 

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