Misr Kanouji Lal, the Indian who assisted Thomas Kavanagh’s evasion at the Siege of Lucknow,...

Misr Kanouji Lal, the Indian who assisted Thomas Kavanagh’s evasion at the Siege of Lucknow, 1857 circa. Photograph, India, 1857 circa. Thomas Henry Kavanagh (1821-1882) was the Assistant Commissioner in Oudh when the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859) started. He became something of a national hero when he won the Victoria Cross on 9 November 1857 when he disguised himself and escaped from the besieged Residency at Lucknow in order to guide in the relieving force. Kavanagh was accompanied by an Indian, Misr Kanouji Lal, who helped him find his way through the streets of Lucknow. As Indians were not then eligible for the VC Misr Kanouji Lal was not similarly rewarded and subsequently his important role in the event was forgotten.