Captain Frederick Aikman, V.C.
(1828-1888)
23 May 1861
Volume 3, page 292, sitting number 3849.
[The sitter is identified as ‘Captain Aikman’ in the Silvy daybooks. He returned to the studio and sat for Silvy in full dress uniform on 19 December 1861, and again on 4 March 1862, his wedding day, with his new wife in her bridal dress.]
Born on 6 February 1828 at Ross House near Hamilton in Scotland, Frederick Robertson Aikman was the youngest son of Captain George Robertson Aikman of Ross and Broomilton, Lanarkshire.
On 4 March 1862 at St Stephen’s in Paddington he married Louisa Grace Hargreaves, daughter of Robert Hargreaves of Accrington, Lancashire (London Evening Standard, 6 March 1862).
In 1871 he was a member of the jury in Tichbourne v. Lushington, the first Tichborne trial. This was the civil trial in which Thomas Castro / Arthur Orton sought to prove that he was in fact Roger Tichborne, the missing heir to the Tichborne baronetcy. Far from proving his claim, Castro/Orton faced a second jury the following year, this time in a criminal trial for perjury.
Colonel Frederick Robertson Aikman, VC, died on 5 October 1881 at the age of 60.
‘Colonel Frederick Robertson Aikman, VC, dropped dead at a county ball at Hamilton, Lanarkshire, last week. The deceased officer had seen much service in India. He had served 18 years in the Bangal Army, and was present in the Sutlej campaign of 1845 and 1846 and also at the battle of Sobraon, receiving for his services at the latter a medal. He had also served throughout the Punjab campaign of 1848 and 1849 with General Wheeler’s field force, receiving another medal, and the Indian mutiny campaigns of 1857 and 1858, including the siege and capture of Delhi, the action of Bolundshur, and the memorable siege of Lucknow. For his services he was awarded a medal with two clasps, and received the Victoria Cross under the following circumstances:— While commanding the 3rd Sikh Cavalry on the advanced picket, with 100 of his men, having obtains information just as the force marched on the morning of March 1, 1858, of the proximity, three miles off the high road, of the a body of 500 rebel infantry, 200 horse and two guns, under Moosahib Ali Chuckbdar, he attacked and utterly routed them, cutting up more than 100 men, capturing the two guns, and driving the survivors into and over the river Goomtee. This feat was performed under every disadvantage of broken ground, and partially under the flanking fire of an adjoining fort. On this occasion he received a severe sabre wound in the face in a personal encounter with several of the enemy, the effects of which compelled him to retire on half-pay. He was later a member of the Honourable Corps of Gentleman-at-Arms, and was for some time Lieut.-Colonel of the 2nd City of London Volunteers’ (The Colonies and India, 10 October 1888).
According to another obituary, he ‘was one of the best known men in society in London’ (Hamilton Advertiser, 13 October 1888).
His estate was valued at £25,823. He was buried in the family mausoleum at Kensal Green Cemetery.