Thomas Otho Travers facts for kids

Thomas Otho Travers (born September 25, 1785 – died July 9, 1844) was a soldier and a close friend of Stamford Raffles. He also served as Raffles's special assistant, known as an aide-de-camp. Travers wrote a journal called The Journal of Thomas Otho Travers 1813-1820, which was published many years after he passed away. This journal helps us understand a lot about his adventures and the history of the time.

Early Life and Joining the Army

Thomas was born in Cork, Ireland. His father, Robert Travers, was a banker and a local official. When Thomas was twelve years old, his father died. In 1803, at the age of 18, Thomas joined the East India Company as a cadet. This company was a powerful British trading company that also had its own army in India.

Thomas arrived in Bengal, India, in September 1804. Just a few weeks later, he became a Lieutenant in the 20th Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry.

Adventures with Stamford Raffles

In 1806, Thomas Travers was sent with his army unit to Prince of Wales' Island, which is now known as Penang in Malaysia. This is where he first met Stamford Raffles.

By 1811, Stamford Raffles had become the leader of Java, an island in Indonesia. Travers and another officer, Captain Robert C. Garnham, became Raffles's personal assistants. They helped him with many important tasks.

In 1815, control of Java was given back to the Dutch. In early 1816, Travers went with Raffles on a trip around the island to help make this change smooth and peaceful.

Travels with Raffles

After their work in Java, Travers traveled back to England with Raffles in late 1816. Travers spent some time in Ireland, where he attended his sister Harriet's wedding.

In early 1817, Travers was back with Raffles in England. He often helped Raffles's new wife, Sophia, by escorting her. Later that year, Travers returned to Ireland to propose to Mary Lesley. They became engaged by the end of July and were married soon after.

As the summer ended, Raffles received a new job in British Bencoolen, located in Sumatra, Indonesia. Travers went with him. They left England in late 1817 or early 1818 and arrived in India in March 1818, after a very long journey of over 14,000 miles without stopping.

In March 1820, Raffles gave Travers an important role. Travers, who now had a child, was appointed to be the leader and commander of Singapore. He was meant to replace Robert Townsend Farquhar. However, Farquhar decided he did not want to leave his position. After working for a short time in Singapore as an assistant to Farquhar, Travers decided to return to Europe in December 1820.

Later Life and Journal

Travers eventually returned to his home in Ireland. He did not see Raffles again until October 1824. Both Raffles and Travers faced financial difficulties around 1825 due to a financial crisis. Travers had invested money in a company that went bankrupt.

In April 1825, Travers and his wife Mary moved to London. Raffles died later that year. Travers continued to visit Sophia, Raffles's wife, and helped her with a book about Raffles's life, which was published in 1830.

Travers's diary is a very important historical document. It helps historians understand more about Stamford Raffles and the history of the East India Company during that time. While parts of his earlier diary entries exist in other notes, the main journal starts from 1813.

Thomas Otho Travers passed away in July 1844 at his home in County Cork, Ireland.