A previous post on this blog told the story of Alice Buckley who contacted the India Office regarding hidden stolen loot.  However, this isn’t the only such case which came to the notice of government.

In April 1905, the India Office received a communication from the Rev Dr Hume, a missionary of the American Board who worked in Ahmednagar and was then on furlough in America.  Hume was acting on behalf of Edward Dowling of 61 Henry Street, New York City.  At that time Dowling was 73 years old and infirm, and felt he needed to make a statement to government concerning some buried loot.  In November 1858, Dowling was a sergeant with the 54th West Norfolk Regiment serving in Oudh.  Along with three friends he had found and buried some loot, amounting to 3 bags of gold coins, a quantity of silver, and two packages of precious stones in the joints of hollow bamboos.  He said it would not be ‘either correct of politic’ for him to give the names of his comrades.  He offered to return to India and help officials there to find the loot.

Edward Dowling's first statement IOR/L/PJ/6/718, File 1152

The Government of India accepted this offer, but Dowling’s doctor then forbade him from travelling on health grounds, stating that ‘any attempt on his part to make such an extended trip would simply be suicidal’. 

Report on Edward Dowling's health by Dr J Huber IOR/L/PJ/6/718, File 1152

Instead, Dowling made a more detailed statement to aid any attempt to find the loot, and this survives in India Office files.  The statement is headed ‘Directions for finding loot hidden near the fort of Amathie, Oudh, India, on the 11th November 1858’.

Edward Dowling's second statement IOR/L/PJ/6/718, File 1152

Dowling and three comrades were spread out foraging in the vicinity of the deserted fort of Amethi, attended by a camp-follower.  The camp-follower came running towards Dowling shouting ‘Loot Sahib’, pursued by a rebel sowar who cut him down before Dowling could prevent it.  Near him they found loot consisting of gold and silver coins and precious stones.  Knowing the strict rules against looting, they carefully checked no-one was nearby, and then two men kept watch while the other two buried the loot.  It required a trench 8ft long and 2ft deep.  The surplus earth was thrown into a nearby swamp, and every care was taken to conceal the place.  However, one of the men was unreliable as he had a record of drunkenness and tended to blab when drunk.  So the two men who had originally buried the loot moved it half a mile to the west.  They didn’t have an opportunity of telling Dowling as his wing of the Regiment had moved to Fyzabad, while the other three went to Sultanpur.

Edward Dowling's map of the area showing the location of the treasure IOR/L/PJ/6/718, File 1152

The two men who buried the loot died without Dowling seeing them again, but one of them on his deathbed sent for the unreliable man and told him where the loot was.  He gave him £300 and instructed him to tell Dowling, which he evidently didn’t.  Dowling did not see or hear anything until March 1904 when he met the unreliable man accidently in the Bowery in New York.  Dowling said that he was in a deplorable condition, and he did what he could to help him. After a couple of weeks, he disappeared, and Dowling was unable to trace him and believed him to be dead.

On 18 August 1905, the India Office forwarded the information to the Government of India with the instruction to take what action they deemed advisable.  Sadly, there are no further papers in the files indicating what action, if any, was taken.

John O’Brien
India Office Records

Further Reading:
Offer of information concerning the position of valuable plunder said to have been buried in Oudh during the Mutiny, April 1905, shelfmark: IOR/L/PJ/6/718, File 1152.

 

One Saturday evening in May 1870 at Murree Station, Bengal, a ball was held for the civil and military officers and their families stationed there.

People dancing at a ball from Dean's Shilling Story Books, 1876 - 12809.g.21 Images Online

The next morning, the ball’s attendees were surprised to find the Station’s Chaplain, Reverend William Whitmarsh Phelps, preaching his sermon on the immoralities of dancing and of attending such balls.  He went on to make comments more generally on the financial situation of men and what he seemed to view as the excessive spending associated with balls commenting on the ‘probable inability of husbands to meet their wives' milliners’ bills.’

Many of the individuals in the congregation found his remarks to be inappropriate and out of line, and wrote to Robert Millman, Bishop of Calcutta, to complain about Phelps’s conduct.

The Bishop’s response to the complaints was prompt and decisive.  He censured Phelps for his comments, stating that the very idea of dancing being immoral seemed absurd and that he found the Reverend’s comments regarding officers' finances to be impertinent.

'The Immorality of Dancing' - Newspaper article from the Boston Guardian, 11 June 1870 British Newspaper Archive

Phelps did not remain in Bengal much longer following the events in Murree.  By 1872 he had left India on furlough, retiring from service on 16 July 1872.

The Reverend William Whitmarsh Phelps was born in Cricklade, Wiltshire, in 1826, the son of Reverend William Whitmarsh and Octavia his wife.  He studied for the clergy at Queen’s College Oxford and received his M.A. in 1852.  He was appointed an Assistant Chaplain on the East India Company’s Bengal Establishment on 2 August 1854 and was subsequently posted to Peshawar, Sialkot and Rawalpindi before being appointed as a Chaplain in 1866.  He had been Chaplain in Mian Mir before being posted to Murree.

He married firstly in Lee, Kent, in 1857 to Amelia Matilda Hughes Hughes.  The couple had no children and she died in Eastbourne, Sussex, in 1892.  Phelps married for a second time the following year to Laura King.  They had one daughter Laura Elizabeth Whitmarsh who was born in Eastbourne in 1894.

William Whitmarsh Phelps died on 6 October 1906 in Brighton Sussex, one month shy of his 80th birthday.

Karen Stapley
Curator, India Office Records

Further Reading:
IOR/E/4/828, p.103 - Appointment of Reverend W.W. Phelps to the Bengal Ecclesiastical Establishment
Boston Guardian 11 June 1870 ‘The Immorality of Dancing’ British Newspaper Archive
S. J. McNally, The Chaplains of the East India Company, p.87 entry for William Whitmarsh Phelps - Available in Asian and African Studies Reading Room OIR 253.0954

 

The British Library’s display ‘Queer Lives in Literature’ is now open in the John Ritblat gallery at the British Library in St Pancras.  Drawing on the British Library’s collection of rare books and manuscripts, the display focuses on queer themes in English literature made between the years 1600-1900.  The display is open until January 2025.

Literature has long been an outlet to explore the diversity of human desires, sexualities and identities.  These representations and articulations precede the acronym LGBTQ+ which today informs much of our current understandings of sexuality and gender.  Same-sex love and desire, as well as gender non-conformity and transgression may have been understood differently in the past, but they were still explored by writers.  The British Library’s new display 'Queer Lives in Literature' showcases the permanence of queer love, desire and experimentation within works of literature, illuminating some of the humour, transgression and skill with which creatives have approached such subjects.

The display begins in the 17th century, where satire and humour were often employed to allude to same-sex relations and transgressive gender expressions.  Some of this was utilised in satirical and derogatory ways, but likewise some writers would occasionally explore sincere romantic sentiments through poetry and prose.  Included among the collection items from this era is a manuscript transcript of John Donne’s poem, ‘Sapho to Philaenis’.  The poem voices the thoughts of the ancient Greek poet, Sappho, and her affection towards her female lover.  This poem is believed to be the first lesbian-themed poem in modern English.

A 17th Century transcript of John Donne’s poem, ‘Sapho to Philaenis’, Add MS 18647, ff. 39v-40r. 1620.30

Satire and playfulness continued to be a feature of some of the 18th-century works that include queer themes or narratives.  The display includes an epistle which articulates the voice of the Chevalier d’Eon.  The Chevalier was an actual 18th-century diplomat, spy and soldier who changed gender during their lifetime.  There was much interest in their identity, and this was captured within the street literature of the era.  This flirtatious poem and its accompanying print capitalised on the public’s fascination over the Chevalier.  Other 18th-century writings, however, employed more romantic sentiments, with a focus on ‘romantic friendship’ among same-sex couples within the aristocratic circles of the era.

Print Etching of the Chevalier D’Eon representing their male and female presentations, J/11631.g.31.(12.), 1778

From the 19th century we can identify some more affirmative queer literature.  Writers such as Edward Carpenter realised a more positive prose with a focus on liberatory gay love.

Portrait of Edward Carpenter, 1890. Add MS 70536 (117).

This contrasted with the idea of transgressive/taboo sexualities, as articulated by authors such as Algernon Swinburne.  Through an exploration of taboo and contentious sexual subject-matter, his work built on the longstanding gothic motif of the dangers of unrestrained sexuality.  At the turn of the 20th century, Oscar Wilde’s literature was used against him as evidence of immorality.  With Wilde’s conviction and subsequent death in exile, many that followed would fear engaging with such themes.

The expansive and self-realised queer literary landscape that exists now is often interpreted as a modern phenomenon, but the poetry and prose of the centuries which preceded this instead articulate the permanence and persistence of queerness in literature.

Jessica Gregory
Project Officer – Modern Archives and Manuscripts

Further reading:
LGBTQ Histories in the Archives

This post provides details of digitised collections from the India Office Records and Private Papers which are available online while we recover from the cyberattack.

It builds on the previous blog posts, Interim ways of working with the India Office Records and Private Papers and IOR catalogue records added to Discovery platform. 

The focus is on collections held by the British Library, although we do mention external sites which have a content overlap with some of our currently inaccessible digitised collections.

Qatar Digital Library (free access)

Over 2 million images, primarily taken from the IOR and Private Papers, with a focus on the Gulf region, plus Arabic scientific manuscripts from the British Library.

Qatar Digital Library (qdl.qa)

British Library Research Repository (open access)

A small amount of IOR material has been made available here, including the India Office Lists, a selection of Government of India Administration Reports, and a selection of indexes for the East India Company dispatches.

Datasets from the India Office Records and Private Papers // British Library (bl.uk)

Endangered Archives Programme - Survey of East India Company and Colonial materials of Jamestown, St Helena (free access)

This project surveyed relevant archives at Jamestown and digitised a selection of materials.

https://eap.bl.uk/project/EAP524

Botany and medicine resources (free access)

While the Botany in British India collection remains unavailable, you may find relevant published material online at the Biodiversity Heritage Library. 

While the India Office Medical Archive collection remains unavailable, you may find relevant published material online at the National Library of Scotland Medical History of British India site.

Adam Matthew - East India Company (subscription)

Focused on the Company period (1600-1858), and divided into six modules. An overview of the records included can be found here: Nature and Scope - East India Company - Adam Matthew Digital (amdigital.co.uk) 

Adam Matthew - Area Studies: India (subscription)

Digitised from microfilm, this resource includes official and personal papers of George Curzon, Viceroy of India 1898-1905, from Mss Eur F111 and F112; Indian Newspaper Reports c1868-1942, from IOR/L/R/5; a selection of personal diaries by military and civil office holders, from across the Private Papers; and a selection of publications on India and Britain by Indian authors, from the India Office Library collections.

Adam Matthew - Area Studies: India  

Find My Past - British India Collection (subscription)

This service will let you search and view digitised military, civil service and medical personnel records, plus birth, baptism, marriage, death and burial registers, wills and probate records.

Find My Past - British India Office Collection (findmypast.co.uk) 

Gale Cengage resources (subscription)

Papers from the Public and Judicial Department (IOR/L/PJ) appear in Refugees, Relief and Resettlement: Forced Migration and WW2.

Papers from the Military Records (IOR/L/MIL), Political and Secret Department (IOR/L/PS) and Burma Office (IOR/M) appear in China and the Modern World: Diplomacy and Political Secrets, 1869-1950. 

 

When the East India Company (EIC) invaded the South Indian kingdom of Sivaganga in 1772, they met with opposition from Indian warrior women.  These women were a diverse group from different walks of life - royal household, rural areas, across all caste groups.  Although many of their names and stories have not found a place in history, they have survived in local folklore, songs, bharathanatyam performances, and have been immortalised as deities in the local temples.

View of Sivaganga, Mysore, India. Wash-drawing by Colin MacKenzie, 1800 - British Library WD570.

Here is the story of three of these early female freedom fighters: Velu Nachiyar, Udaiyaal and Kuyili.  As the earliest women to rise against the EIC, their lives offer a glimpse into the beginnings of the anti-colonial movements, evoking an image of resilience and fortitude.

Rani Velu Nachiyar was a formidable Tamil Queen, who was both admired and vilified by the British for her valour and bravery in defending her kingdom.  She was born in 1730 to the Raja and Rani of the Ramnad kingdom. Skilled in the art of warfare and weaponry, Velu Nachiyar was also a scholar, and mastered several languages including English, French and Urdu.  At the age of 16, she married the prince of Sivaganga, Muthuvadugananthur Udaiyathevar. In 1750, Velu Nachiyar and her husband became monarchs of the Kingdom of Sivaganga.

Sword with double edged steel blade; iron hilt, guard, pommel and reinforcements. Two brass jingles below the pommel cap.Tamil Nadu (Sivaganga) India, 17th century. V&A Collections (Accession No. IM.11-1924).

In 1772, EIC troops, alongside the Nawab of Arcot’s son, invaded Sivaganga and marched towards the Kalaiyar Kovil Fort.  The Raja of Sivaganga was killed at the Battle of Kalaiyar Kovil on 25 June.  The kingdom fell under enemy control and the Kalaiyar Kovil Fort was plundered.  Rani Velu Nachiyar and her daughter Vellachi escaped capture through the sacrifice of Udaiyaal, a village woman who refused to reveal their secret hideout during interrogation and who was killed for her insubordination.  Rani Velu Nachiyar and Vellachi fled Sivaganga and sought refuge near Dindigul.

View of Dindigul. Tamil Nadu, India, 1790 - British Library WD 640, f.3(16)).

During her eight-year exile, Rani Velu Nachiyar acquired influential alliances with neighbouring rulers (e.g. Gopala Nayaker, Hyder Ali) who supported her preparations for battle against the EIC, providing additional soldiers, weapons, resources and training. Rani Nachiyar built an army of fierce female warriors that she named after Udaiyaal.

Mausoleum of Haidar Ali near Mysore, Karnataka. Coloured aquatint by J. Wells after A. Allan, 1794 -Wellcome Collections (Reference: 29869i).

In 1780, Rani Velu Nachiyar and the Udaiyaal army skilfully infiltrated Sivaganga.  Aware of the superior military prowess of the British, Rani Nachiyar used her knowledge of the terrain and employed guerrilla warfare tactics - spies, sabotage, ambush.  Rani Nachiyar’s military advisor was Kuyili, a woman from a lower caste background.  As a spy for the royal household, she had protected the Rani’s life on multiple occasions and soon rose to the rank of commander-in-chief of the Udaiyaal women’s army.  At the Battle of Sivaganga, Kuyili devised a strategy to attack the EIC’s weapons storage.  Disguised as a rural woman, Kuyili entered the secure storehouse unnoticed and set herself ablaze, destroying the EIC’s weapons and ammunitions.  The EIC and the Nawab fled from Sivaganga in defeat and Rani Nachiyar regained her Kingdom.  The Tamil Queen ruled Sivaganga for another decade before handing the kingdom to her daughter.

View of Shevagunga on the road to Seringapatam. Wash-drawing by Robert Home, 1792 - British Library WD3775[14].

In recent years India has honoured the memory of these women warriors through issuing commemorative stamps, installing monuments and memorials.

Rani Velu Nachiyar on Indian postage stamp 2008- Wikimedia Commons

The contribution of these women as warriors vanished at the intersection of colonialism and patriarchy, instead brown women were recast as helpless and in need of saving. I hope this blog post creates curiosity and the excavation of more stories of Warrior Women!

CC-BY
Theeba Krishnamoorthy
Research Fellow, University of East London

Creative Commons Attribution licence

Further reading:
Archer, Mildred. British Drawings in the India Office Library, Vol. 2: Official and Professional Artists (London: 1969), p474-475.
Letters received from Madras (28 Feb 1772 - 29 Oct 1773), including letters from General Smith regarding the Carracoil War. British Library, IOR/E/4/305.
Mishra, A., Mishra, M. and Paluri, L. (2021) 'Velu Nachiyar: The Veeramangai who petrified the British'. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 12(8).

NB In the British Library archives: (1) Raja (King) Muthuvadugananthur Udaiyathevar of Sivaganga is referred to as Nalcooty Polygar; and (2) Kalaiyar Kovil is spelt as Kella Coil or Carracoil.

 

The Harley Manuscripts, over 7,000 volumes spanning the period from the 8th to the early 18th century, are one of the 'foundation collections' of the British Library.  Over the last few years, the Library has been working to make revised catalogue descriptions for them available online.  So far, cataloguing of medieval manuscripts in the collection has been completed, throwing up some fascinating discoveries on the way, as keen readers of the BL’s Medieval Manuscripts blog will already know.  But beside these medieval treasures, Robert Harley (1661–1724) and his son Edward Harley (1689-1741) collected many later manuscripts, dating from the 17th century and the early years of the 18th century.  Post-1600 manuscripts make up nearly half the entire collection.  Some had already been re-catalogued as part of previous projects (Science manuscripts; Greek manuscripts; Hebrew manuscripts; Tudor & Stuart manuscript pamphleteering; etc.), but until 2018 the bulk of post-1600 manuscripts remained to be added to the online catalogue.  The current project aims to update descriptions for post-1600 manuscripts given in the four volume printed Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum (1808-1812), in line with modern cataloguing practice, and add them to the online catalogue.

Séguier binding showing the monogram of Pierre Séguier and his wife Madeleine Fabri (Harley MS 3979)

Notable manuscripts include the collections of Sir Simonds D’Ewes (1602–1650), politician and antiquary, one of the first libraries acquired by Robert Harley in 1704, forming about one twelfth of the Harley Manuscripts as a whole, and the copious heraldic collections of the four-generation Holme family of Chester.  Besides English, Welsh and Scottish material, the Harleys used overseas agents to purchase manuscripts from the Continent, especially France, Germany and Italy,.  These included manuscripts from the libraries of the German scholar J. G. Graevius (1632-1703), the French statesman and patron Pierre Séguier (1588-1672), and other collectors.  Besides political, heraldic, theological and legal manuscripts, there are ships logs and travel narratives, journals, verse collections, writings on the occult, surveys, and more.

How to make oneself understood in France, from Penson’s Short Progress (Harley MS 3516 f. 44v)

Owing to the size of the collection, some works appear in several guises, reflecting contemporary manuscript copying and circulating practices (e.g. Harley MS 2224 and Harley 4619, papers relating to the parliament of 1628-9 and the imprisonment of Sir John Eliot and others in the Tower for non-payment of King Charles I’s forced loan).  In many cases manuscripts surprise the reader with humdrum incidental features, such as doodles, pen trials, shopping lists, bills, and recipes, bringing to life their writers, illustrators and former owners.

Doodles in a volume from Randle Holme’s library (‘Cheshire collections’, Harley MS 1988 f. 2v)

An incidental note in one of Randle Holme’s heraldic manuscripts: a bill from the indexer, complaining about past underpayment (Harley MS 1985 f. 127).

The current phase of the cataloguing project runs from April 2024 to April 2026.

Tabitha Driver
Cataloguer, Modern Archives and Manuscripts

Further reading:
A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum, 4 vols (London: Eyre and Strahan, 1808-1812).
Cyril Ernest Wright, Fontes Harleiani: A study of the sources of the Harleian collection of manuscripts preserved in the Department of Manuscripts in the British Museum (London: British Museum, 1972
Cataloguing the Harley manuscripts - Medieval manuscripts blog (May 2019)

 

Some discoveries during the cataloguing projects:

Unexpected encounters of the fragmentary kind - Medieval manuscripts blog (June 2019)

New Prophecies of the Ancient Sibyls - Medieval manuscripts blog (December 2020)

A newly discovered manuscript from Byland Abbey - Medieval manuscripts blog (April 2021)

Deciphering an English exorcism manual - Medieval manuscripts blog (March 2022)

Records of homosexuality in 17th century England - Untold lives blog (April 2019)

Henry Stubbe: Islam and religious toleration in Restoration England - Untold lives blog (May 2019)

 

In December 1919, Paris was awash with diplomats.  The victors of the First World War met to calculate reparations and carve new political entities from collapsed empires.  Amidst these negotiations, a smaller diplomatic mission was conducted.  On 25 December, a British Captain named Norman Bray found himself rushing from hotel to hotel.  He hoped to arrange a meeting between representatives of two men who now dominated the Arabian Peninsula, and thereby prevent war breaking out between two British allies.

Bray was the political officer accompanying the ‘Najd Mission’.  This was a delegation representing the ruler of the Emirate of Najd, ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn Sa’ūd, and led by his teenage son, Shaikh Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd.  Under ibn Sa’ūd’s leadership, and with the help of an alliance with Britain, the Emirate had expanded rapidly.

Shaikh Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd, photographed in 1919 during the Mission’s visit to England. Source: Wikimedia Commons 

It now found itself clashing with its neighbour, the Hashemite Kingdom of the Hejaz.  The Hashemite ruler, King Husayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, had initiated the British-backed Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire.  His son Emir Fayṣal bin al-Husayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, the Revolt’s battlefield leader, had travelled to France to argue for a unified Arab state under Husayn’s rule.  The British were anxious to avoid a military clash between their allies, and so Bray sought to arrange a meeting in the hope that the sons might influence their fathers towards a peaceful resolution.

Emir Fayṣal bin al-Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī (centre) with his delegation at Versailles. Source: Wikimedia Commons  

Despite Bray’s hopes, almost all the Mission’s time in Paris passed without a meeting between the Shaikh and the Emir.  But on the evening of 25 December, the night before the Mission was to depart for Najd, the party found that Emir Fayṣal had left a card at their hotel.

The Mission received an invitation to meet Emir Fayṣal on the evening of 25 December 1919 - IOR/L/PS/10/391/1 f.557

Bray was eager to take advantage of this ‘un-expected courtesy’, but Aḥmad bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Thunayān- a key advisor to ibn Sa’ūd and senior member of the Najd Mission- refused to allow Shaikh Fayṣal to meet the Emir.  Aḥmad argued that the Emir’s failure to contact them earlier was disrespectful.  Bray nonetheless endeavoured to make contact himself, visiting ‘all the principal Hotels in Paris’.  He failed to find the Emir, but did encounter one of his advisors, Brigadier General Gabriel Haddad Pasha; the two agreed to bring the parties together.

Bray spent the night of Christmas 1919 searching Paris hotels, eventually finding Haddad Pasha, an advisor to the Emir - IOR/L/PS/10/391/1 f.558 

As neither side was willing to visit the other, Bray proposed a compromise- he would host a ‘private luncheon’ that both parties could attend without losing status.  Haddad Pasha agreed, provided that it was preceded by an introductory meeting.  This meeting was almost derailed by the refusal of one member of the Najd Mission to attend.

‘Abdulla’, a member of the Najd Mission, initially refused to go to the meeting with Emir Fayṣal, but was persuaded by Bray’s reminder that the meeting could benefit ibn Sa’ūd - IOR/L/PS/10/391/1 f.559 

Eventually, the Mission found themselves in Emir Fayṣal’s hotel room.  The conversation was ‘harmless’, other than a ‘rather tactless question’ from the Emir regarding the Ikhwan, ibn Sa’ūd’s fiercely loyal shock troops.  A ‘strain both in attitude and conversation’ ended the meeting.  Aḥmad ‘very politely refused’ the suggestion of further discussions and Bray abandoned the idea, lamenting that his last-minute diplomacy had failed.

Conflict between Najd and Hejaz proved to be unavoidable.  In 1925, ibn Sa’ūd conquered the Hejaz, absorbing the Hashemite kingdom into his state, soon to be renamed Saudi Arabia.  Emir Fayṣal became ruler of the short-lived Kingdom of Syria, and after a French army had driven him out, was established by the British as the ruler of the new Kingdom of Iraq.

Dan McKee
Content Specialist Archivist
British Library/Qatar Foundation Partnership

Further reading:
File 2182/1913 Pt 11 'Arabia: relations with BIN SAUD Hedjaz-Nejd Dispute', British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/391/1, in Qatar Digital Library 

Revolutions and Rebellions: Arab Revolt (Ottoman Empire/Middle East)

 

In this summer of major sporting competitions, we’re looking back to the 1940s and the exploits of the cadets of the Indian training ship Dufferin.

Notice of the application procedure for the Dufferin from The Indian Cadet Second Term 1944 - IOR/L/E/8/4977

The Indian Mercantile Marine Training Ship Dufferin was established at Bombay in 1927.  The ship prepared Indian youths for a career at sea, with Executive and Marine Engineering Branches.  Regulations from the 1940s state that applicants had to be aged between thirteen years and eight months and sixteen years, and they had to have reached a certain standard in education.  Qualifying examinations were held in different parts of India, and successful candidates had to pass an interview and medical and eyesight tests.  Although the focus was on training officers for the Merchant Navy, there were opportunities for boys to compete for commissions in the Royal Indian Navy.

Front cover of The Indian Cadet Second Term 1944 - IOR/L/E/8/4977

Reports of the sporting activities of Dufferin cadets in the 1940s are found in The Indian Cadet, the ship’s own journal published twice a year.  The boys played football and hockey, and competed in athletics and swimming.

Photograph of the Dufferin hockey and football teams in their sports kit and uniform jackets - The Indian Cadet First Term 1944 - IOR/L/E/8/4977

The Indian Cadet for Winter 1943 lists the results of athletics events.  Some of the times and distances are impressive.  Netto came first in the 100 yards for under 16s in a time of 12 seconds (record 11 seconds), whilst Wellington won the 100 yards open in 11.7 seconds (record 10.2 seconds).  Rees won the 120 yards hurdles (senior) in 19 seconds (record 15.4 seconds), and also triumphed in the long jump (open) with a leap of 17 feet 8½ inches (record 19 feet 10 inches).  Harding smashed the javelin record of 109 feet 5 inches with a throw of 128 feet 3 inches, and Jellicoe won the pole vault by clearing 8 feet ½ inch, easily beating the previous best of 7 feet 2 inches.  Valladaras ran a mile in 5 minutes 45 seconds.  A new event, the ‘Hop, Step and Jump’ (triple jump) was won by Ramakrishnan with 36 feet 5½ inches.

Table of athletics results - The Indian Cadet Winter 1943 -  IOR/L/E/8/4977

At the end of 1944 only fifteen cadets had not passed the ship’s swimming test, whilst seventeen held badges for proficiency.  For the first time, a cadet was entered for the Western India Swimming Championships.  Cadet Captain Aubrey William Wise was hampered by the lack of intensive training but acquitted himself well, reaching the finals of the under 18s breaststroke, free style, and backstroke.  At the ship’s Annual Aquatic Sports held at Back Bay Baths on 10 November 1944, Wise was named the best swimmer in the Dufferin for a third time.

Champion swimmer Cadet Captain Aubrey William Wise - The Indian Cadet Second Term 1944 - IOR/L/E/8/4977

‘Football Notes’ for the Second Term of 1943 reported that the team’s performance was not up to the usual high standard at the start of the season, although enthusiasm was not lacking.  An assessment of each of the players was given. Goalkeeper Jellicoe never hesitated ‘to use his boxing ability against the ball’.  Centre-forward Bhattacharya played a very swift game, dribbled well, and was a sure shot, with ‘the grace of an expert ball-room dancer’.  Outside-left Pillai was a promising fresher, but ‘gentle to a fault and forgets that Football is a game meant for men and not for girls’.  I hope I heard a sharp intake of breath from our readers then?

Margaret Makepeace
Lead Curator, East India Company Records

Further reading:
IOR/L/E/8/4977 Issues of the Dufferin journal The Indian Cadet 1942-1945
IOR/L/E/9/861-862 Indian Mercantile Marine Training ship Dufferin 1933-1947
IOR/V/27/750/13 Copies of the Dufferin prospectus 1928-1951