The Grave of Ashe: Killed by Vanchinathan

Robert William d'Escourt Ashe, famously known as Ashe Durai, held the position of District Collector during the British Raj. Born on November 23, 1872 CE, in Ireland, Ashe arrived in India in 1895. He assumed office as the District Collector and Magistrate of Tirunelveli District in 1908.

Ashe played a pivotal role in the closure of the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, operated by freedom fighter V.O. Chidambaram Pillai. He was also responsible for levying sedition charges against V.O.C and Subramanya Siva. Furthermore, he issued orders to open fire on freedom fighters protesting against the conviction of national leaders.

In response to Ashe's actions, a group called the Bharata Matha Sangam devised a plan to assassinate prominent British leaders. Vaanchinathan, a 25-year-old hailing from Senkottai, was part of this organization. He received three months of pistol training from VVS Aiyar in Pondicherry.

On June 17, 1911, Ashe, accompanied by his wife Mary Lillian Patterson, boarded the Maniyachi Mail at Tirunelveli Junction, en route to Kodaikanal. They occupied the first-class compartment. When the train stopped at Maniyachi station, Vaanchi entered the compartment, brandishing a Belgian-made pistol. He shot Ashe and subsequently locked himself in a restroom, taking his own life.

Ashe was the lone British official assassinated during the freedom movement in South India. The British Government erected a memorial in his honor in Tuticorin.

In St. George's Cathedral in Chennai, a renowned church that houses various memorial tablets and statues of individuals who served the British Raj, you can find a historic tablet dedicated to Ashe, erected by his friends.

In addition to these two memorials, not widely known is that Ashe's final resting place is in Palayamkottai. His grave lies in the cemetery of Christ Church, opposite St. Xavier's College. The cemetery boasts numerous graves dating back to the 1800s, which hold a deep fascination for historians.

On Ashe's grave, an inscription reads, "Sacred to the Memory of Robert William D'Escourt Ashe, Member of the Indian Civil Service, who, after sixteen years of loyal and faithful service, fell at the hand of a political assassin on June 17, 1911, while serving as Collector and District Magistrate of Tinnevelly, aged 38 years. This memorial was erected by his fellow officers."

The church itself is steeped in history. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Englishmen in Palayamkottai used Clarinda Church for their prayers. However, due to its small size, it couldn't accommodate the growing population, necessitating the construction of a larger church. Hence, Christ Church was built and consecrated on February 23, 1856, making it over 170 years old.

Happy travelling.