General Chat

My father was a Major in the army and in India in the 1930's. He was apparently doing something with maps. They didn't appear to have much stress in India and he came home an alcoholic for life. Has anyone any stories they can share?

There is a very interesting series on BBC2, Fridays at 9pm. 'The Lost World of the Raj' which covers the times you refer to. Young ladies - now elderly - talk of constant parties and being entertained by Maharajah of ...., can't remember where. I have seen at least two in the series, and it continues this Friday.

MHG S... he did like his Gin, that could be the reason. I recorded and watched the programme yesterday Elisabeth. It's this that got me thinking. If I could turn back time I would have asked my father what he actually did there. Hey ho...too late now. Tina x

I was more interested in the story of when the families were sent up to the hills - a bell was rung early in the morning to waken the young men in time to leave the rooms of their married lovers!!!!!

The book about the mapper Everest is a good read. The Great Arc: The Dramatic Tale of How India Was Mapped and Everest Was Named (Hardcover) by John Keay But it makes life in India as mapper sound difficult and dangerous. Don

Hi Tina Marie, I am very interested as my Great, Great Grandad Dickson served in India in the 1870s and 80s,Several of his children were born there including my Grt gran.Sadly 2 also died of cholera. He married a native girl but the story is shrouded in secrecy, there are stories that she was descended from the Khyber pass and Afghanistani chieftans, I'll never know I guess, Caz xxx

What a coincidence. I picked up a book in a 2nd hand shop yesterday - 'Raj - A Scrapbook of British India' by Charles Allen. (He also wrote 'Plain Tales from the Raj') It is full of illustrations of things from that time and really brings British India to life. As some of my forebears were involved with the Indian railways in Baroda, one illustration caught my eye. It was of a very damaged railway track resulting from a monsoon in Baroda in 1927. Sixty inches of rain fell there in just 4 days according to the caption. Seeing yesterday's flood devastation in Sheffield, the mind just boggles at this. The caption goes on to add 'other classic situations involved wild elephants on the line, station-masters beseiged by tigers and awkward maharajahs who would allow no beef to be eaten on trains that crossed their territory.'

FATHER IN LAW BORN 1923,PHOONA I HAVE SOME PHOTOS IF ANYONE INTERESTED

This all sounds fascinating, I watched the programme about the young women looking for hubbies and the bell ringing at 2.30 am to get the lads out of the ladies' rooms. My father was in India during the war but haven't a clue what he did, he mentioned lots of places but I never asked much and wish I had now.

Another eye-opener is 'Modern Colloquial Hindustani' by JR Abdul Hakim. My copy dates to 1926 and was intended for British officers serving in the Raj. My favourite quote is in the military and complex sentences - 'Notwithstanding that you have disguised yourself in woman's clothes, your voice betrays you' - Do they get much opportunity to use that one, I wonder? ;-)