Ethel Grimwood

Ethel St Clair Grimwood, born Ethel Moore, became Ethel (Evelyn) Miller (4 October 1867 – 11 August 1928) was a British woman who became known as "the heroine of Manipur". During the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891, British power was used to undo a coup d'état within the ruling royal family. Ethel's husband, Frank Grimwood was the British representative in Manipur and the Grimwood's were on good terms with the new rulers. However, the coup was illegal, and if the British authorities had allowed the overthrow of one of their allies without protest it was feared that further challenges to their allies throughout the region might occur. Consequently, against the advice of Frank Grimwood the Viceroy of India, Lord Landsdowne, decided to despatch a small military mission, under the command of a Commissioner Quinton, for the purpose of arresting Tikendrajit Singh, the key instigator of the coup. After the arrival of the mission at the British Residency in Manipur, Tikendrajit was summoned to the residency where he initially presented himself, but after he was kept waiting he returned to the palace and subsequently refused any requests to meet with the British feigning illness. Unable to get Tikendrajit to submit to their requests, Quinton decided to use a small group of soldiers to infiltrate the palace and seize Tikendrajit. However, this attempt failed when Manipuri soldiers were alerted to their presence and fighting broke out. The following day the British attempted to negotiate an end to hostilities by sending a party of officers including Quinton and Grimwood into the palace. These officers were murdered while under the protection of Tikendrajit, and Manipuri forces renewed their attack upon the British residency. Realising their precarious position the surviving officers abandoned the Residency and lead a retreat back to British held territory, accompanied by Ethel. Although distraught at the loss of her husband, Ethel showed great strength of character and was instrumental in guiding the retreating party as she was the only person familiar with the terrain. Her role was lionised in the British press and she was awarded a medal, £1,000 and a pension. She mismanaged this money, married again, and died poor in Portland, Oregon.