Description
Object description
British civilian in Calcutta, India, 1939-1940; officer cadet at Senior Officers' School, British Indian Army, Belgaum, India, 1940; officer served with 6/7th Bn Rajput Regt in India, 1940-1941; served as staff officer with Zhob Bde in India, 1941-1944; commanded leave camp in Murree Hills, India, 1944-1945
Content description
REEL 1 Aspects of period as civilian in Calcutta, India, 1939-1940: taking up commercial employment in Calcutta, 1939; initial impressions of India; social gradations amongst Indian European community; joining Calcutta Scottish auxiliary forces; attitude to declaration of Second World War in Calcutta, 3/9/1939; relations with Indian employees. Aspects of period as officer cadet at Senior Officers' School, British Indian Army, Belgaum, India, 1940: joining course; pattern of training; choosing regiments. Aspects of period as officer with 6/7th Bn Rajput Regt in India, 1940-1941: communal composition of unit; joining unit in Madras, 10/1940; quartermaster duties; transfer of unit from Madras to Fort Sandeman in Baluchistan Agency, 1/1941; requirement to pass Urdu language examination.
REEL 2 Continues: help he received from subedar major. Recollections of period as staff officer with Zhob Bde in India, 1941-1944: background to becoming staff captain; composition of brigade at Fort Sanderman; role of brigade in training units in frontier warfare; laying out of camp site on column; brigade's proposed role of stopping Soviet forces advancing through Afghanistan; Indianisation of brigade; refusal of his brigadier to grant his application to join Army Kinographic Service; attending tactical course; his posting away from brigade, 1944. Aspects of period commanding leave camp in Murree Hills, India, 1944-1945: posting to command leave camp; behaviour of Scottish unit.
REEL 3 Continues: leaving British Indian Army, 1945; contact with jawans in 6/7th Bn Rajput Regt.