Background
Florentia Wynch was born on 13 August 1790, in Madras, during Company rule in India, the daughter of George Wynch, a member of the civil service.
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Florentia Sale
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She was dubbed "the Grenadier in Petticoats" for her travels with the army, which took her to regions such as Mauritius, Burma and India, and various other areas under the control of the British Empire. George"s father Alexander Wynch was the Governor of Madras for a time during the 1770s. In 1809, Wynch married Sir Robert Henry Sale of the British Army.
Five of the couple"s other children were born in Portuguese Louis too, the last being in 1818.
Her last child, Alexandrina was born nearly three years later, on 2 January 1823 in Calcutta, India. The group were taken hostage by Akbar Khan following the massacre in the Khurd Karbul Pass.
Upon his death, she secured him a Christian burial. He was the only fallen officer to receive such a burial.
Lady Sale bribed the Afghan officers into releasing them.
They were then rescued by Sir Richmond Shakespear on 17 September 1842. Her courageous and defiant actions meant that she endangered herself frequently. She was shot in the wrist, with the bullet lodging there.
Throughout her time as a captive, Lady Sale kept a diary, detailing the events of the ordeal.
A year later, Lady Sale published her journal which documented her experiences throughout the Afghan War, and the book received critical acclaim. Lady Sale"s husband died in action in 1845, leaving her widowed.
She remained in India for most of the rest of her life. After her husband"s death she received a pension of £500 per annum in light of her conduct as a prisoner and her husband"s military services.
Sale took a trip to the Cape of Good Hope in 1853 for her health, though she died not long after her arrival, on 6 July 1853, in Cape Town, South Africa.
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Born
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Died
July 6, 1853 (aged 62) -
Nationality
British