159. Lockhart Memorial, Rawalpindi.

Rawalpindi was an important military station during the British Raj, due to its proximity to the north-western frontier and as the headquarters of the Northern Command of the British Indian Army. After the defeat of the Khalsa Raj in 1849, this area came under British rule. Following independence, the city was made the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army. Hence, it is also known as the garrison city.

Because of its long association with the military, Rawalpindi has many installations, buildings, and monuments related to the armed forces. One of them is the Lockhart Memorial in Roomi Park, in the Saddar area. It was built in memory of General Sir William Stephen Alexander Lockhart, GCB, KCSI, a British general in the British Indian Army. He was born in Scotland in 1841 and died in Calcutta in 1900. During his career, he served with distinction and also held the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Punjab Command. In 1898, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army.

After his death in 1900, his colleagues and admirers erected a memorial in his honour at Roomi Park in Rawalpindi. The memorial is in the form of an obelisk, a tall, four-sided, narrow, tapering monument that ends in a pyramid-like shape. The obelisk was an invention of the ancient Egyptians, who built many of them across their country. In Pakistan, as far as I know, there are at least three obelisks: at Multan, Margalla Pass, and this one in Rawalpindi. The location of this obelisk is 33°35'57.31"N, 73°02'36.11"E.

Lockhart Memorial, Roomi Park, Rawalpindi. (28.01.2022.)

Photo by Wikipedia. (28.01.2022)

Another view of the memorial. (28.01.2022.)

GENERAL SIR WILLIAM STEPHEN ALEXANDER LOCKHAR GCB, KSCI

WHO DIED IN CALCUTTA 18TH MARCH 1900

WHEN COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF IN INDIA

ERECTED TO HIS MEMROY

BY THE ARMY IN INDIA AND MANY FRIENDS, 1903.

The Lockhart memorial in Roomi Park, Rawalpindi. (28.01.2022)

The memorial is located in a park, covering an area of approximately 3 acres. It is a beautiful and popular recreational place in Rawalpindi.

It is an important historic memorial, and its significance also lies in the obelisk being one of just three obelisks in Pakistan. The biggest of all three is, however, the Nicholson Monument at Margalla Pass. But few people know about its existence and fewer still give it any attention. Unfortunately, some plaques on the obelisk have been lost or removed. Otherwise, more valuable information would have been available. 

Tariq Amir 

June 26, 2022.

Doha - Qatar