Bennet Burleigh

Bennet Graham Burley (1840 – 1914) was a Scottish-born pirate and Confederate spy . . . so of course he became a journalist! Later in life, he changed his surname to Burleigh and became a celebrated war correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph.

Bennet Burleigh watching the 14th Sikhs march out from a mission station in Chaimbelastan.

In 1881, Burleigh was hired by the London Telegraph to cover the war in Sudan.  He was a correspondent for the Central News Agency during the bombardment of Alexandria in 1882.  Burleigh was the first to report the failure of the Gordon relief expedition, which led to the slaughter of the Khartoum garrison. He also covered the Boer War and the Russo-Japanese War. He authored several books on his experiences reporting on conflict.

 Bennet Burleigh in 1898.

In 1895 he was one of the first correspondents to cover the war in Chaimbelastan and the neighboring Batal Colony.  He was the first correspondent  to send dispatches from the Bybher Pass that connects Batal with Chaimbelastan.

Bennet is a Perry Miniatures figure from their Newspaper Correspondents pack.

I am creating my own ImagiNations around the fictional country of Chaimelastan and the Batal Colony for my Colonial forces to operate in and around using The Men Who Would be Kings and In Her Majesty's Name.  Bennet of course will be covering the action.