British India History

02/01/2021

02/01/2021

Happy New Year everyone.

2021's first post is this superb picture of the Adjutant of the 44th Gurhas, Lieutenant J.A. Wilson, with the native commissioned officers of the Battalion, who all wear the Indian Frontier Medal with clasps for various campaigns.

Several in addition wear the " Order of Merit" given for conspicuous gallantry in action, as the V.C" is in the British Army.
No fever than seven of the native officers of the battalion have been wounded in action.
On the right of the Adjutant is seated the Suabadar Major, the senior native officer, Sirdar Bahadur KALU THAPA, the distinguished possessor of the Order of British India (1st class), the Imperial Medal, the Frontier Medal with Sox Cladps, covering over thirty years service and six campaigns.

The Navy and Army Illustrated
24th July 1896.

02/01/2021

Avenue of the Banyan Trees, Seringham, India
1858
Photographed by Captain Linnaeus Tripe
(British, 1822-1902)

A rare, beautiful example of Linnaeus Tripe concentrating simply on the landscape, this carefully composed image depicts a picturesque avenue of banyan trees, dense with foliage. Nearly 1,000 miles of road in the Salem District of India were lined by these trees, providing travelers with shade and shelter from the country's intense climate. The inherent characteristics of Tripe's paper negative—with its broad effects of light and shade and lack of crisp details—magnifies the impressionistic appearance of a scene filled with filtered sunlight. The abstract patterns of light and shadow lead the viewer's eyes down the centrally positioned road and through the compelling composition.

Image and text credit:
The Cleveland Museum of Art

02/01/2021

North West Frontier Impression, Early 1930s

North West Frontier Impression, Early 1930s

It is the early 1930s and this soldier is serving on the North West Frontier of India. He has been marching all day, hence his slightly care worn appearance. He wears KD breeches and jacket with a …

02/01/2021

On this day 2nd January 1859 Private Henry Addison of the 43rd Light Infantry is awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Indian Mutiny.

Addison was recommended for the VC in a dispatch from Lieutenant-Colonel F. Gottreux, "commanding Field Detachment, to the Assistant Adjutant General Saugor Field Division on January 15, 1859"

"Whilst in the neighbourhood of Kurrereah... chasing retreating mutineers... Lieutenant Osborne, Political Agent of Rewab, was wounded by a sword cut on the right hand. He was at the time he was attacked, closely followed by three men of the 43rd Light Infantry, two men of the artillery being a few paces in front of him. Private Henry Addison, of the 43rd Light Infantry, seeing him attacked and on the ground, rushed forward to defend and cover him in a most gallant manner. In doing this, I much regret having to record, that he received two very severe sword cuts, one on the left leg which rendered immediate amputation of the limb above the knee necessary, and another causing compound fracture of the left fore-arm. The heroism displayed by Private Addison in thus placing himself between Lieutenant Osborne and his assailant at the critical juncture he did, thereby saving that officer's life, may, I hope, be deemed worthy of the Victoria Cross, for which honour I earnestly beg to recommend him"

Due to his extensive injuries Addison medically discharged from the Army and returns to England and is presented his medal by Queen Victoria herself. After noticing his difficulty of retiring from her presence due to his wooden leg, the Queen paid for an artificial leg for him.

Lieutenant Osbourne in gratitude for saving his life arranged a pension of £20 a year which he paid Addision for the rest of his life.

Henry Addison died in 1887

02/01/2021

Rudyard Kipling was born on this day 30th December 1865 in Mumbai India.

Kipling was one the Empire's most famous mouth pieces. His poems and books brought stories of the Empire to the homes of the British public.

His most important work was humanising the humble British Tommy. His writings helped improve conditions in barracks and the treatment of the ordinary soldier.

"When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains, and the women come out to cut up what remains, jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains and go to your gawd like a soldier."

18/10/2020

The Gurkha's Burma Campaign

The Gurkha's Burma Campaign

To mark VJ Day 75 the Royal British Legion working with the Gurkha Museum and Chrome Media has created this film telling the story of the Gurkha's campaign…

18/10/2020

Photos from The Gurkha Museum's post

18/10/2020

Timeline photos

Delhi Day – Gurkhas at the Siege of Delhi, 1857.

The Siege of Delhi by British forces between June and September of 1857 during what is often referred to as the Indian Mutiny is one of the most important events of that conflict. Many rebel troops, having rebelled against their British officers for a number of reasons, flocked to the city, which had fallen to the rebels earlier in the year, and it quickly became a centre of revolt. British troops sent to regain control of the city, including the antecedents of the modern Brigade of Gurkhas, were met with attacks from both the besieged troops and other rebel forces.

Read more on our website: http://ow.ly/Q4kx50Bo29L

10/04/2020

Archive150

Life in Karachi c. 1897

30/03/2020

Paper Jewels

The Ruling Princes of India. D. A. Ahuja, Rangoon, c. 1908. Halftone, Divided back.

A collage which would have been assembled from a variety of photographs, not a single sitting. In the bottom center with the black jacket is the Nawab of Hyderabad, the richest of them all. To his right, three figures down in the blue cape is Maharajah Rao Scindia of Gwalior.

[Verso, handwritten] "Dear May This will make a nice collection for you how many P.Cs. [postcards] have you got now what I have sent you. Leel"

14/02/2020

Under Every Leaf

Under Every Leaf

Queen Reviews Men Of Valour (1956)

About 300 Victoria Cross holders are gathered in central London for the VC centenary parade.
VC winners include, Subedar Khuda Dad Kan and Sepoy Ali Haidar, Sir Adrian Carton De Wart Lieutenant-General Lord Freyberg though Charles Upham is to be a touch shy for the camera!

and at 0.51 you can see Ishar Singh VC in the line up, he was the first Sikh to receive the Victoria Cross.

04/12/2019

Great British Tea Party

Lipton's Teas Newspaper Advertisement in The Illustrated London News from 1892.

06/11/2019

Archive150

Archive150

c. 1925: The earliest documentary Film about Village Life in -

02/11/2019

Jim Corbett Books

Jim Corbett illustration by Bill Gregg for a magazine article by Zack Taylor. Published in Sports Afield - July 1965

02/11/2019

Paper Jewels

[Afghan Territory Border with British India]. Unknown Publisher, c. 1930. Real Photo, Divided back.

The western edge of the Raj was the border with Afghanistan on the Khyber Pass. The man standing next to the sign is probably an Afghan border guard. Getting this close to the border usually required a special permit from the authorities during this time; the Third Afghan War had been fought in 1919.

26/10/2019

Paper Jewels

Prince of Wales Wild Boar Bagged in Patiala State. Raphael Tuck & Sons, London, 1924. Halftone, Divided back.

This card was part of a series published in connection with the British Empire Exhibition in Wembley in 1924, copyright and likely sponsored by the Patiala Government. It is one of those postcards that makes one reflect on the multiple levels of simulation offered to the user. The wild boar is dead, but looks alive on a platform arranged to look as if it is in the brush, with the stick that might have killed him thrust in its body.

22/10/2019

Archive150

c. 1877: Arrival Of Viceroy of India at Quetta

22/10/2019

Peterborough Cathedral

Henry Martyn (1781–1812) lived a short and in many ways lonely (but nonetheless incredibly fruitful) life as a Christian missionary and scholar. Having studied Mathematics, he was ordained and served his curacy at Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge, under the celebrated Evangelical theologian, Charles Simeon.

Although he felt the call to become a missionary, he struggled to obtain funding. His father’s business of coal mining failed and Henry needed to find another way to support himself. He thus accepted an invitation to become chaplain to the East India Company in Bengal. Unlike others, he soon got to know the local Indian population and learned the local languages. Martyn visited Hindu temples and engaged in discussions about matters of faith with Brahmin priests. He led services for local people, and even went out to preach to beggars in the street. This aroused suspicion among members of the East India Company, who feared that the revolutionary message of the gospel might lead to insurrection among the locals.

As a gifted linguist, Martyn translated the New Testament and the Book of Common Prayer into Hindustani and Farsi, and prepared a translation into Arabic. He even travelled to Persia, where he met Muslim scholars and debated the central tenets of the Christian and Muslim faiths with them.

Henry Martyn died aged 31 in Armenia, alone among strangers, but his legacy lives on.

29/09/2019

Paper Jewels

Coin-card with Viceroy-Flag of India. B. Rigold & Bergmann, Mumbai Bombay, c. 1905. Lithograph, Divided back.

An early postcard summarizing the value of British Indian coinage, one rupee and below, in silver and copper. One British pound at the time was worth 240 pence, with 1 Rupee worth 16 pence (the 'd' on the card). Another postcard summarized the value of larger coinage in a variety of currencies. Note that it took 1 anna (the center silver coin at the very bottom) to mail this card to Europe, and a half-anna (the large copper coin with Queen Victoria on it center right) to send it within India and Burma.

15/09/2019

Restoration of a Scottish cemetery in India could spark closer links between Tayside and India - The Courier

Restoration of a Scottish cemetery in India could spark closer links between Tayside and India - The Courier

A near-forgotten Scottish cemetery in the heart of Kolkata has become the centre of a restoration, regeneration and education project that is transforming lives.

15/09/2019

Paper Jewels

Shipping Tea, Colombo. The Colombo Apothecaries, c. 1905. Halftone, Divided back.

In the 1860's the coffee rust fungus disease destroyed much of the the coffee industry of Sri Lanka. In the late 1860s, a Scotsman named James Taylor established the first multi-acre tea plantation in the country. Within a few years the first tea consignments were being sent to England. In 1897 tea replaced coffee as the island's biggest export and Ceylon tea became the brand name around the world it still is today.

Carts like these were used to bring dried tea from plantations to harbors, and the loaded tea cart became a symbol of Lipton and other prominent tea companies; postcards like this charted the movement of the crop from plantation to what can barely be glimpsed in the background is Colombo harbour.

15/09/2019

The Army Children Archive (TACA)

Forgotten faces: a Raj-era army family in India (TACA latest).
http://www.archhistory.co.uk/taca/latest.html

15/09/2019

The Aftermath of an Earthquake in India Postcard (Part 2)

The Aftermath of an Earthquake in India Postcard (Part 2)

Last week we looked at a postcard from India showing the aftermath of an earthquake. Tonight we look at another image that I believe was taken at the same time as the last. this image shows a much …

15/09/2019

Paper Jewels

A Dandy. J. Burlington Smith, Darjeeling, c. 1910. Collotype, Divided back.

"I was carried to and from the hall in a primitive conveyance, called a “dandy”; it consists of a bit of canvas, fastened stoutly to an oblong frame of wood, terminating in a short pole at either end," writes Margaretta Catherine Reynolds, author of the fine memoir At home in India ; or Tâza-be-Tâza (1903). "The canvas forms a kind of hammock, in which one sits, being carried by the poles on the shoulders of two bearers, four of whom accompany each dandy; this mode of locomotion being by no means unpleasant."

Another point of view, as Clare Danes notes in the book Transcultural Encounters in the Himalayan Borderlands (2017) writing about precisely this Paar postcard, refers to Saloni Mathur as seeing in "the white woman carried aloft in a dandy by local men, the 'natives' are literally the bearers of European civilisation embodied, in this instance, in female form" (p. 100).

The word dandy itself, according to Hobson-Jobson, has multiple meanings, from a boatman in Gangetic rivers, with an origin in the Bengali dand, 'a staff or oar,' to a type of ascetic who carries a small wand or Dand. For a third meaning, the dandy pictured here, they write: "Same spelling, and same etymology. A kind of vehicle used in the Himālaya, consisting of a strong cloth slung like a hammock to a bamboo staff, and carried by two (or more) men. The traveller can either sit sideways, or lie on his back. It is much the same as the Malabar muncheel (q.v.), [and P. della Valle describes a similar vehicle which he says the Portuguese call Rete (Hak. Soc. i. 183)]. [1875. -- "The nearest approach to travelling in a dandi I can think of, is sitting in a half-reefed top-sail in a storm, with the head and shoulders above the yard."- Wilson, Abode of Snow, 103." (p. 296). One stick, many worlds.

22/08/2019

The Black Watch Castle & Museum

This McVities oatcake tin commemorates Private James Davis carrying the body of Lieutenant Bramley under fire during the attack at Fort Ruhya for which he won the Victoria Cross. It can be seen in Gallery 4 of the Museum.

22/08/2019

Families In British India Society

Families In British India Society

Sophie Spielman, who was born in India, led the residents’ campaign to save Treves & Lister Houses in Whitechapel. http://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/08/16/sophie-spielman-victorious-campaigner/

22/08/2019

Paper Jewels

Bombay, From Harbour. Raphael Tuck & Sons, London, c. 1906. Halftone, Divided back, Bombay Series II.

[Original caption] Bombay from Harbour. Bombay is without doubt a prosperous city. The houses are large, hand some and well built–the gardens well laid out and cared for, while the streets are clean and orderly. This locality is the favorite spot of European inhabitants, of whom there are about 15,000 British born. [end]

Note the Taj Hotel in the distance on the left, so this postcard would likely have been made from a photograph taken after 1903 when it opened.

22/08/2019

Kolkata Scottish Heritage Trust

Tollygunj Club, Kolkata: Scottish Connect

22/07/2019

Officer’s Hill, Dagshai Postcard

Officer’s Hill, Dagshai Postcard

For this week’s postcard we go back to the Indian hill station of Dagshai and this image of the officers’ bungalows as seen from the hospital: The bungalows themselves can be seen array…

04/07/2019

Curry from the colonies: The incredible advice for young brides from Raj-era cookbooks

Curry from the colonies: The incredible advice for young brides from Raj-era cookbooks

Written for those still living in India, or missing it, these books help understand daily life in colonial times.

29/06/2019

www.paperjewels.org

www.paperjewels.org

19/06/2019

www.paperjewels.org

www.paperjewels.org

19/06/2019

Deccan British War Hospital Postcard

Deccan British War Hospital Postcard

In the First World War it became clear that for troops injured seriously in the fighting against the Ottomans in places such as Mesopotamia, the journey back to England was too great. The authoriti…

19/06/2019

www.paperjewels.org

www.paperjewels.org