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