SANKEY, Sir RICHARD HIERAM (1829–1908), lieutenant-general, royal (Madras) engineers, born at Rockwell Castle, co. Tipperary, on 22 March 1829, was fourth son of Matthew Sankey, barrister, of Bawnmore, Co. Cork, and Modeshil, co. Tipperary, by his wife Eleanor, daughter of Colonel Henry O'Hara, J.P., of O'Hara Brook, co. Antrim. Educated at the Rev. D. Flynn's school in Harcourt Street, Dublin, he entered the East India Company's military seminary at Addiscombe in February 1845. Sankey showed considerable talent as an artist, and won a silver medal at an exhibition of the Dublin Society in 1845 and the prize for painting on leaving Addiscombe at the end of 1846. Commissioned as second lieutenant in the Madras engineers on 11 Dec. 1846, he arrived in Madras after the usual instruction at Chatham in Nov. 1848.
After serving with the Madras sappers at Mercatur he officiated in 1850 as superintending engineer, Nagpore subsidiary force; but owing to ill-health he was at home for three years (1853–6). Promoted lieutenant on 1 Aug. 1854, he was appointed, on returning to Madras in 1856, superintendent of the east coast canal. In May 1857 Sankey was called to Calcutta as under-secretary of the public works department under Colonel (afterwards General Sir) William Erskine Baker [q. v.].
On the outbreak of the Mutiny Sankey was commissioned as captain of the Calcutta cavalry volunteers, but in September was despatched to Allahabad for field duty. Besides completing the defensive works along the Jumna, he levelled the whole of the Allygunge quarter of the city, employing some 6000 workmen to clear the front of the entrenchments of obstructions and to construct a causeway across the muddy bed of the Ganges. He established a bridge of boats, and having to provide shelter for the advancing troops all along the grand trunk road in the Northwest Provinces, he arrived at Cawnpore, in the course of this duty, the day before it was attacked by the Gwalior force under Tantia Topi. He acted as assistant field engineer under Lieutenant-colonel McLeod, the commanding engineer of General Windham's force, and when that force fell back on the entrenchments was employed in strengthening the defences; noticing that the whole area as far as an outpost some 600 yards away was swept by the enemy's fire, he effectively connected the outpost with the entrenchment by a simple screen of mats fixed during one night. After the rebels were defeated by Sir Colin Campbell on 6 Dec, Sankey was transferred as field engineer to the Gurkha force under Jung Bahadur. He organised an engineer park at Gorakpur and procured material for bridging the Grogra and Gumti rivers for the march to Lucknow. Alone he reconnoitred the Gogra, which was crossed on 19 Feb. 1858, when the fort Mowrani on the other side of the river was seized. Next day he took part in the action of Phulpur, where he constructed a bridge of boats 320 yards long in two days and a half, and made three miles of road. The Gurkha army, 20,000 strong of all arms, then crossed into Oude, and Sankey received the thanks of his commander and of the government of India for 'his great and successful exertions.' While on the march on 26 Feb., Sankey's conspicuous gallantry in forcing an entry into a small fort at Jumalpur occupied by the rebels was highly commended by the commander in his despatch, and he was unsuccessfully recommended for the Victoria Cross.
Sankey was at the action of Kanduah Nulla on 4 March, and was mentioned in despatches. He constructed the bridge to pass the troops over the river to Sultanpur and received the thanks of government. At Lucknow the Gurkha army was posted in a suburb south-east of the Charbagh, which it attacked on the 14th. Next day Sankey was with the Gurkhas when they carried all before them to the gate of the Kaisar Bagh, which General Thomas Franks [q. v.] had captured. Sankey was also engaged with the enemy on the 15th, 18th, and 19th, and on the final capture of the city made arrangements for establishing the bridge over the canal near the Charbagh.
Soon after the fall of Lucknow Sankey returned to Calcutta in ill-health, and was sent to the Neilgherries to recruit. For his services in the mutiny campaign he received the medal with clasp, was promoted second captain on 27 August 1858, and brevet major the next day. During 1859 he was executive engineer, and also superintendent of the convict gaol at Moulmein in Burma, and received the thanks of the government of India for his management of the prison. In 1860-1 he was garrison engineer at Fort William, Calcutta.
