On April 21 2015 the statue of Brigadier-General John Nicholson returned to Market Square. Originally erected in January 1922 in the centre of Market Square (currently under construction), the statue was designed by the sculpture F.W. Pomeroy and gifted by Henry Musgrave. It was moved to make way for the re-development of Market Square.
Have a quick read of the summary of John Nicholson’s life from the excellent Ulster Dictionary of Biography:
John Nicholson (1821 – 1857):
John Nicholson was born in Dublin. His father died when he was nine years old, and his mother moved to Lisburn, County Antrim. He was educated at Dungannon School and in 1837 became an ensign in the Indian army. When serving in the Afghan war in 1842 he met his brother Alexander, and three days later discovered his murdered body. In 1847 he became assistant to Sir Henry Lawrence, Resident at Lahore, and he distinguished himself in the Sikh war of 1848. When he was only twenty-eight years old he was appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Lahore Board. He was Governor of the Punjab for several years, and by 1857, the year of the mutiny, he had been promoted to the rank of colonel and was stationed at Peshawar. He fought ferociously and was said to have been in the saddle for twenty hours during one battle. A Hindu guru deified Nicholson as an incarnation of Brahma. As a result, a sect of ‘Nikalsainis’ grew up, and though Nichloson in his embarrassment had them whipped and imprisoned, they persisted in worshiping him. Having won various victories against the mutineers, he was soon appointed brigadier-general. He was killed in action at the age of thirty-five. There is a memorial tablet dedicated to him in Lisburn parish church.
Check out some photos from the morning: