During the siege, the gateway was
banked up from the inside with earth, so when the first relieving force
arrived, they made their entrance through the defensive enclosure immediately
to the right of the gateway. Known as Aitkens' Battery, it was manned by
Lieutenant Robert Hope Moncrieff Aitken and the remnants of the 13th Native
Infantry to which he belonged. For their defense they constructed during the siege a battery for an 18 pounder gun to
the left of the Bailey Guard Gate. The
road leading from the gateway into the compound ascends steeply – in the event that the gate should have been
forced, two 9 pounders and an 8 inch howitzer were put in position on the road
place to shower grape and canister into the assailants thus completely
commanding the ascent from the gateway.
A triangular building which formed the external portion of the Bailey
Guard was abandoned, and today is no longer visible.
For his service during the Siege of Lucknow, Lieutenant Aitken received the Victoria Cross.
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| Memorial to Robert Hope Moncrieff Aitken, in the grounds of the Residency |
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