Charles Wilbraham Radcliffe was born in 1824, the son of Edmund Stringfellow Stringspring Radcliffe and Frances Radcliffe (neé Ford).The family was from Burnley in Lancashire; Charles being one of 8 siblings. He sailed out to India on the Abercrombie Robinson on 24 Jan 1839 and joined the 7th BLC at Cawnpore. He went on active service with the regiment as part of the Army of Reserve for the First Afghan War. They were based at Ferozepore with a large assembly of troops. In the First Sikh War he was present at Sobraon in 1845. In 1848 he married Emily Swinhoe and they had 8 children. He was with the regiment when the Mutiny broke out at Lucknow. His family took refuge in the Residency and Charles took part in the fighting. He distinguished himself as a commander of Irregular cavalry but he was mortally wounded and died at the age of 33 in 1857. One of his children died of cholera during the siege, but his wife and 7 children survived. The portrait shows him in the dress uniform of the 7th BLC with a Punjab Medal for the Second Sikh War.
