Private Kendrick is a minor antagonist in the Bernard Cornwell novels Sharpe's Triumph and Sharpe's Fortress. He is a British soldier in 1803.
Biography[]
Private Kendrick was a soldier in the 33rd Foot, based in India, and a crony of Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill. He was one of six soldiers that Hakeswill selected to accompany him to arrest Sergeant Richard Sharpe after Hakeswill had framed him for an attack on Captain Charles Morris. However, when they arrived at the fort of Serginapatam, they found that Sharpe was away on detached duties with Colonel Hector McCandless. Their old commanding officer Sir Arthur Wellesley, who now commanded the army fighting the Mahrattas, assigned them to assist the quartermaster Captain Mackay. Kendrick believed Sharpe's wealth came from fiddling the stores but Hakeswill explained his belief that Sharpe had stolen the Tippoo Sultan's jewels. He offered to share the jewels with Kendrick and the others if they helped him kill Sharpe and claim he was shot while trying to escape. After McCandless foiled Hakeswill's attempt to arrest Sharpe, Kendrick balked at Hakeswill's plan to kill McCandless but stood back and allowed the murder to happen.
Kendrick and Private Lowry remained at the fort with Hakeswill in the aftermath, now working for the corrupt Captain Torrance. When the now Ensign Sharpe interfered with Torrance and Hakeswill illegally selling off British supplies to merchants, Kendrick assisted in rendering Sharpe unconscious to be sold to Jama, whose brother Naig had been hanged for his part in the theft and who intended to have Sharpe killed by jettis. Kendrick ended up with a share of the jewels and assured Hakeswill that Sharpe's servant Ahmed, who had witnessed his abduction, spoke no English. He talked Hakeswill out of killing Sharpe himself since Jama wouldn't pay them if he was dead. Kendrick was later part of the night picquet around Gawilghur when he was surprised by Sharpe, who had escaped and slipped back to the lines posing as Colonel Kenny. Sharpe stabbed Kendrick to death without a fight.
