Pearl's Naval Brigade



Pearl's Naval Brigade was formed on 11 September 1857 when 175 officers and men of Royal Navy ship HMS Pearl (1855) formed a Naval Brigade which operated ashore during the Indian Mutiny with the Gurkhas and Sikhs providing artillery support. The Brigade engaged in numerous actions against the rebel forces and most notably in the campaign that led to the Relief of Lucknow. They fought alongside a similar Brigade formed by the crew of HMS Shannon (1855), which landed a considerable force of mobile guns and rifle companies, while Pearl's Naval Brigade deployed mostly rifle companies.