Colonial Despatches

Gliddon served as Boy Second Class on the HMS Forward, a British gunboat under the command of Lieutenant Commander Horace Lascelles. In April 1863, Lascelles sailed to Lamalcha village on Kuper Island to capture suspected murderers Un-wahn-rick and Pallrick. When the village's chief refused to board the ship, the Forward opened fire on the village. The villagers returned fire with muskets.1 One of the shots hit Gliddon in the head while he was acting as the powderman for the ship's pivot gun;2 this made him the only British Serviceman killed in action in B.C. Three Lamalcha men: Sha-nal-sa-luk, Ot-cha-wun and Qual-a-tutlm, were later tried and hung for his death.3

• 1. Arnett, Chris. 1999. The Terror of the Coast: Land Alienation and Colonial War on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, 1849-1863. Burnaby, B.C.: Talonbooks, 135
• 2. Paget to Rogers, 25 April 1863, 6387, CO 60/17, 33.
• 3. 1. Arnett, Chris. 1999. The Terror of the Coast: Land Alienation and Colonial War on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, 1849-1863. Burnaby, B.C.: Talonbooks, 135

Biographical information for this person is not yet complete.