George W. Hayward

George W. Hayward (1840?-1870) is a little known 19th century British explorer. Information for all but the final few years of his life is scarce. His exploration exploits and horrific murder in central Asia during “The Great Game” eventually earned him a degree of fame.

Pre Explorer Life

Little information survives about Hayward’s early life. He is believed to have been born around 1840 and was likely of Irish birth. In 1859 he was an ensign in the British Army. He was stationed in India with the 89th Regiment of Foot. In 1863 he purchased a commission and became a Lieutenant. He next transferred to the Cameron Highlanders regiment in 1864. He sold his commission in 1865 and left the British Army.cite news | first= | last=WildHare Services, Inc | coauthors= | title=Death in the Morning - The story of George J. W. Hayward | date= | publisher=WildHare Services, Inc | url =http://www.jmhare.com/hayward.htm | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-08-28 | language = ]

Affiliation with the Royal Geological Society

Hayward appeared in England in 1868 and approached Sir Henry Rawlinson, vice president of the Royal Geographical Society. He wanted to be hired as an explorer in central Asia and the western Himalayas. Amazingly Hayward was provided with £300, surveying equipment, map making instruments and travel arrangements to India. He was to become the only explorer funded by the Royal Geological Society during “The Great Game.”

Political Turmoil in Central Asia

The era that Hayward operated in was one of the largest imperial expansions Asia ever experienced. In the south the British Empire, based out of India, was consolidating and expanding its positions to the north. In the north the Russian Empire was expanding its territory at a dramatic pace. Soon the Russians were expanding south into central Asia. The area between the two empires was shrinking fast and clandestine agents and explorers were sent to map this unknown area of the world full of lawless tribes, murderous despot rulers and some of the most formidable terrain on Earth.cite book | last = Hopkirk | first = Peter | title = The Great Game | publisher = Kodansha Globe | location = | year = 1997 | isbn = 1568360223 ]

The political turmoil is what probably made Rawlinson agree to have the Royal Geological Society fund Hayward’s trip. Rawlinson was a known Russophobe.

Journey to Kashgar and Yarkand

Hayward’s official Royal Geological Society expedition was to explore the passes between Ladakh and Kashgaria. His real objective was to travel to Kashgar and Yarkand and use them as a base for expeditions into the still unknown Pamirs.

After initial difficulties Hayward was able to cross the Indian border by associating himself with a caravan headed by Robert Shaw who had received permission to travel north and establish trade ties. It is uncertain how much of an association there was between Hayward and Shaw. Shaw was aware of Hayward’s presence a few miles behind him and even met with him once. They decided that Hayward would stay a short distance behind Shaw, but close enough that he might be able to claim he was with Shaw in an emergency.

The men agreed Shaw could arrive in Yarkand first to serve his business purposes. Shaw arrived in December 1868 after sending ahead envoys announcing his arrival and carrying with him gifts for Yakub Beg. Yakub Beg had just appointed himself King of Kashgaria after driving out the Chinese rulers. A few weeks after Shaw’s arrival he was joined by Hayward. Hayward sent no envoy and hand no gifts but convinced the border guards he was with Shaw. Shaw was disturbed by this as he figured Hayward would be stopped at the border.

In Yarkand Hayward and Shaw were separately kept under house arrest. After sometime Shaw was allowed to proceed to Kashgar to meet with Yakub Beg. After a warm reception Shaw eventually found himself once again under house arrest. A few weeks later Hayward arrived in Kashgar and was also placed under house arrest. The two were able to periodically communicate by passing secret notes.

Neither man knew at the time, but the reason for their house arrest was the arrival of the Russians. Yakub Beg sought to negotiate a truce with the Russians for several months. However, talks eventually failed and Shaw again was allowed an audience with the King. Afterward he was free to return home and was able to arrange for Hayward’s release as well as that of Mirza Shuja, a Pundit for Britain.

Hayward and Shaw returned to a hero’s welcome. Even with their confinement both men were able to gain vast amount of information on their journey. For their effort they both were awarded the Royal Geological Society’s gold medal.

Himalayas, Hindu Kush and Source of the Oxus

In November of 1869 Hayward started his next journey north through the Himalaya. With almost no provisions or gear he traveled in the dead of winter almost 300 miles to Gilgit. The winter crossing took over two months instead of the ten to twenty days it takes when the passes were clear.

While traveling to Gilgit he had to gain access across a war zone between Hindu Kashmiris and Mir Wali’s Muslim Dardistan. He became friends with Mir Wali who convinced him it was impossible to proceed through the Hindu Kush until the summer thaw.

Hayward returned to India, again crossing the Himalaya with no supplies in the dead of winter. Upon returning he wrote a letter to the Calcutta newspaper describing the atrocities that Mir Wali told him the Kashmiris people committed against Dardistan. Because of the attention he received from this letter Hayward resigned from the Royal Geological Society to prevent any negative opinions from being associated with them.

In June 1870 Hayward again headed north now that the mountain passes were clear. He traveled through Kashmiri and reached Gilgit with no difficulty. In mid July he reached the town of Darkot in Dardistan. He was on the verge of reaching the Oxus river's origin and the Pasmirs after that.

On the morning of July 18, 1870 Hayward stayed up all night after receiving word he might be attacked. Towards dawn he fell asleep and he was attacked. His hands were tied behind his back and he was walked into the woods where he was decapitated by a sword.

Death

When word of Hayward’s death reached India and England a few months later there was uproar to find his killers. Agents in India collected information to try and determine who killed him but his killer was never completely determined.

One version states that his friend Mir Wali arranged for his death. The proof being that Hayward was killed in Mir Wali’s territory. Further, the day before his death Hayward and Mir Wali got into a heated argument and Hayward publicly called Mir Wali an insulting name.

The other version is that the Maharaja of Kashmiri arranged Hayward’s death as revenge for the letter Hayward had printed about the atrocities Kashmiri committed. The theory says the Maharaja extracted revenge against Hayward and also benefited by framing his rival Mir Wali.

Native agents of the British were sent in to retrieve Hayward’s body. It was found under a small pile of stones and was brought back to Gilgit and buried in the Christian cemetery there. His tombstone reads: “To the memory of G. W. Hayward, Gold Medallist of the Royal Geographical Society of London, who was cruelly murdered at Darkot, July 18, 1870, on his journey to explore the Pamir steppe. This monument is erected to a gallant officer and accomplished traveler at the instance of the Royal Geographical Society.”

Miscellaneous

In the 1930s Colonel Reginald Schomberg, a British traveler, passed through Darkot and said local families still possessed Hayward’s pistol, telescope and saddle. A London auction sold six topographical watercolors by Hayward in the 1950’s that turned up in the Bombay bazaar.

Sir Henry Newbolt wrote the poem “He Fell Among Thieves” about Hayward’s death.

ee also

* The Great Game
* Geostrategy in Central Asia
* Royal Geographical Society

References

External links

* [http://www.jmhare.com/hayward.htm WildHare Services, Inc]
*gutenberg author|id=Henry_Newbolt|name=Henry Newbolt - "He fell among Thieves"