Charles Devaynes Blair was born in London on 27 July 1804, the son of Thomas Blair. He was a cadet in 1821 and arrived in India on 17 May 1822. He was posted as a cornet to the 3rd BLC and promoted to lieutenant on 1 May 1824. He transferred to the newly raised 2nd Extra Regiment of Light Cavalry on 17 June 1825, which became the 10th BLC. He served with them at Bhurtpore. He was appointed Interpreter and Quartermaster on 26 May 1829 and was promoted to captain on 23 Dec 1831.
He was promoted to major on 4 Nov 1839 and commanded the 10th BLC in the First Afghan War, serving in General Pollock’s army. He was commandant of the 10th from 1 Nov 1838 to 1843 during which time he was appointed CB. He was with the regiment at Maharajpur in the Gwalior Campaign. He went on leave to New South Wales and the Cape from 1845 to 1847 and served in the Second Sikh War at Jullundur and Doab. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 20 April 1849 and transferred to the 7th BLC on 6 Mar 1851, then to the 8th BLC in Feb 1852. He was invalided out of the army on 20 Oct 1852 and died in Simla on 27 Sep 1860.
He was married twice. Firstly to Martha Cordelia Creighton at Meerut on 4 May 1826. She died at Nasirabad on 23 Oct 1840. He married again (?) but she died at Kartarpur on 12 May 1848. The portrait shows him in a stable jacket c1830 which is dark blue with silver shoulder scales. The collar and central stripe to his silver pouch-belt are orange.
