Book - The Arabian Frontier of the British Raj : Merchants, Rulers, and the British in the Nineteenth-Century Gulf Author - James Onley Publisher Oxford University Press 2007 Quoting from http://bookstore.ellibs.com/book/9780191527852?ref=atom The Arabian Frontier of the British Raj tells the story behind one of the British Indian Empire's most forbidding frontiers: Eastern Arabia. Taking the shaikhdom of Bahrain as a case study, James Onley reveals how heavily Britain's informal empire in the Gulf, and other regions surrounding British India, depended upon the assistance and support of local elites. The Arabian Frontier of the British Raj is a study of one of the most forbidding frontier zones of Britain's Indian Empire. The Gulf Residency, responsible for Britain's relationship with Eastern Arabia and Southern Persia, was part of an extensive network of political residencies that surrounded and protected British India. Based on extensive archival research in both the Gulf and Britain, this book examines how Britain's Political Resident in the Gulf and his very small cadre of British officers maintained the Pax Britannica on the waters of the Gulf, protected British interests throughout the region, and managed political relations with the dozens of Arab rulers and governors on both shores of the Gulf. James Onley looks at the secret to the Gulf Residency's effectiveness - the extent to which the British worked within the indigenous political systems of the Gulf. He examines the way in which Arab rulers in need of protection collaborated with the Resident to maintain the Pax Britannica, while influential men from affluent Arab, Persian, and Indian merchant families served as the Resident's 'native agents' (compradors) in over half of the political posts within the Gulf Residency. ====================== ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

First, a great news for the gourmets - the celebrated ''Culinary jottings: Treatise in thirty chapters on reformed cookery for Anglo-Indian rites'' by Wyvern aka Colonel A. R. (Arthur Robert) Kenney-Herbert 1840- 1916, published in 1885 by Higginbotham and Co. of Madras, is now online. Download this digitised copy for no cost and avoid paying the absurd prices booksellers keep asking for real copies. http://www.archive.org/details/culinaryjottings00kenn And here is a latest write-up in praise of this old classic - The return of Culinary Jottings for Madras >From The Economic Times, Bombay, dated 3 May, 2008. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/The_Leisure_Lounge/The_return_of_Culinary_Jottings_for_Madras/articleshow/3006067.cms The writer Vikram Doctor has done his homework, but clearly he forgot to look for the book on the net. I have just now revealed this secret, and in return, expect an invitation to a series of festive dinners. (GRIN) ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Look at Abebooks on the net...plenty of paperbacks at a reasonable price--postage may be more than the cost of the book though {;}}> Peter D Rogers. Kipling'sArmy byByron Farwell Hello Harshawardhan - I have read the review and my thanks for bringing the book to our attention. I will explore the possibility of acquiring myself a copy for if it is in hardback, the cost will probably be exorbitant ! Thank you again - Sally Stewart

Hello Harshawardhan - I have read the review and my thanks for bringing the book to our attention. I will explore the possibility of acquiring myself a copy for if it is in hardback, the cost will probably be exorbitant ! Thank you again - Sally Stewart

I recently acquired this book - Mr. Kipling's Army by Byron Farwell. My mind was made up after I read the following reviews at Amazon. What is our members' opinion? ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mr. Kipling's Army by Byron Farwell Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication Date: 1987-08 ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0393304442 ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780393304442 Paperback -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Readers' Reviews: 1 - A Gem As an unrepentent Anglophile and devoted reader of anything to do with British military history, I have no idea how I could have missed this marvelous volume over all the years since its publication. Treating with the British Army during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, Farwell tells his story with clarity, sympathy, and a fair measure of entirely appropriate humor, portraying the petty prejudices and fusty foibles of the army with rich anecdotes and personal recollections. Wellington on more than one occasion referred to his men as "the scum of the earth" and they called him "that hookedy-nosed Old Bastard", but that "scum" and their successors in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were seldom found wanting for either courage or fighting ability and were regarded by most other nations as man-for-man the best soldiers in the world. The British Army that necessarily evolved during the First World War may have emerged from that conflict better educated, better trained, and perhaps even better led than their forebears, but the blood shed in the trenches washed away many of the traditions and, for lack of a better term, charm, of the "Old Army", the qualities lovingly portrayed in this too-short work. Read this book alone or in conjunction with the equally delightful "Redcoat" by Richard Holmes which comes at the same subject from another angle and covers a broader span of time. Both are extremely well-written, uniquely informative, and "musts" for any British military library; I'm only sorry it took me so long to add Farwell's to mine. 2 A Good Tribute the The Widows Army If your interest is that you want to know a lot about the Tommy Atkins & his Officers. That and of the various ways & units he lived in and fought with then go no further. Its a fine story and worth the time. 3 Be Prepared--You Will Captured by "Mr. Kipling's Army" A superb book. Superb, highly entertaining stories on the pre-World War I British Army covering subjects as diverse as discipline, officers, enlisted men, religion, women (there were few of them-wives, sweethearts, prostitutes), drink (there was way too much of that), the importance of regimental loyalty,-see chapter titles for a full list. This does for the British army of the later 19th century what Don Rickey's FORTY MILES A DAY ON BEANS AND HAY accomplished for the American frontier army but is far more readable and enjoyable. One drawback to the book--there are no footnotes or bibliography. 4 An Eccentric View of The Victorian Army This book provides a comprehensive survey of the Victorian army during the height of the Great British Empire. Mr. Farwell is something of an expert on this period and his lucid writing is a joy to read. The book brings out the many varied living conditions that existed in the British army of that time. This is more social history than pure military fare, but don't let that discourage the perspective reader. This is not dry stuff about living conditions in the Victorian army, the book is full of amusing anedotes from actual living Victorian soldiers. The book goes to great lengths to explain the huge social gulf between officers and enlisted men. 5 This books is a valuable addition to the literary collections of military historians and modern military officers. =================

FYI. Ver: 4.3 of Google Earth is now out. For Apple OS X and Windoze. http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=darjeeling&sitesearch=&start=10 9 Minutes. At the end here are nice shots of Kanchenjunga and a short shot of a DHR Loco. http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=darjeeling&sitesearch=&start=10 Shot of 788 arriving at Darjeeling Station - only 35 seconds of video. http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=darjeeling&sitesearch=&start=30 9 Minutes. Nice shots of DHR Loco and Train on the 'flat'. Location? http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=darjeeling&sitesearch=&start=30 2 Minutes. St Paul's School, Darjeeling. http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=st+pauls+school+darjeeling&sitesearch= More St Paul's School Darjeeling 2 Minutes. http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=kurseong&sitesearch= More DHR Loco #780. 35 seconds. http://video.google.com/ Type in the place name Kurseong and you will find some shot of Goetham memorial School (GMS), St Helen's Convent School and some other shots of Kurseong. Obviously you can type in any name that you please. ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon.

G'day Bill, On 01/05/2008, at 1:23 PM, Bill Stabler wrote: > I found the stories and articles by and about Group Capt. MPO Blake > most intriguing.Thank you............Billlllll.........! He retired to Australia, where he still lives, in Sydney. ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon.

John - I found the stories and articles by and about Group Capt. MPO Blake most intriguing.Thank you............Billlllll.........!

Yes, Micky is also featured on the AIHC website. :))) Cheers, Lynne. :)) ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Feltham" <wulguru.wantok@gmail.com> To: <india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 10:01 AM Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN ARMY > G'day Rupert, > > On 30/04/2008, at 11:28 PM, Butler - business and family wrote: > > << Sure, except that (a) I was in the RAF, so parti pris (b) in almost > all > theatres of war there is organisationally only one Air Force (in British > practice one RAF Command or Tactical Air Force) - so the Indian Air > Force > contributed units and personnel to Burma while remaining nominally in > Delhi > or wherever (c) my underlying theme is that, while so many people > fought and > died so bravely, there was almost a collective paranoeia about not being > appreciated - RAF 224 Group against 221 Group, Arakan against Main > Force, > Hussain's Auxiliary Pioneers against any infantry unit, any unit that > was > visited by the bigwigs against any that was not >> > > large snip 8<....... > > Thanks for that informative precis. > > You might not have heard of an old boy of my school, Group Captain MPO > Blake. IAF., VrC., who flew Hurricanes with the RAF and IAF in Burma. > > Some of his stories can be found at > > www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Sites/Blake.html > > > > ooroo > > If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. > > Anon. > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.6/1407 - Release Date: 4/30/2008 > 11:35 AM > >

Book Review from the New York Times, April 30, 2008: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/books/30gord.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print Silk, Spices, Gold and Destiny: Global History Is Part of the Bargain ''A SPLENDID EXCHANGE'' - How Trade Shaped the World By William J. Bernstein 467 pages. Atlantic Monthly Press. $30. ================ ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Peter Bellamy sings songs from Rudyard Kipling's Barrack-room Ballads. Free download. (It's a bit slow process, BTW.) You'll need winrar or new winzip to unzip the MP3 files. http://download83.mediafire.com/bld5azsrfaug/nnvylmdmwpn/peter+bellamy+-+barrack+room+ballads+of+rudyard+kipling.rar ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Anybody for these short videos of Calcutta streets? Drive from Armenian Church in Calcutta to school http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TovzW5Pu5OU&feature=related Walking down Mirza Ghalib St. in Calcutta http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbfo-waD2kw ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

G'day Rupert, On 30/04/2008, at 11:28 PM, Butler - business and family wrote: << Sure, except that (a) I was in the RAF, so parti pris (b) in almost all theatres of war there is organisationally only one Air Force (in British practice one RAF Command or Tactical Air Force) - so the Indian Air Force contributed units and personnel to Burma while remaining nominally in Delhi or wherever (c) my underlying theme is that, while so many people fought and died so bravely, there was almost a collective paranoeia about not being appreciated - RAF 224 Group against 221 Group, Arakan against Main Force, Hussain's Auxiliary Pioneers against any infantry unit, any unit that was visited by the bigwigs against any that was not >> large snip 8<....... Thanks for that informative precis. You might not have heard of an old boy of my school, Group Captain MPO Blake. IAF., VrC., who flew Hurricanes with the RAF and IAF in Burma. Some of his stories can be found at www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Sites/Blake.html ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon.

Interesting.... Obviously there are not any Traffic Wardens on duty- in the UK reputedly the most hated official known to man {:}}> I do wonder though why the trams do not have bull bars fitted to help the oncoming cars to return to the other side of the road...... Cheers Peter

Whenever I think of Burma & WWII, I think of Orde Wingate and his Chindits, too. And of people like Raymond Campagnac and John Masters.....AI's who took part in the expedition. John Clay's biography of Masters includes a graphic account of this episode in Burmese history. Cheers, guys. Lynne. :)) P.S. And yes, John, I agree......the guys of the IAF were.........and are..........fantastic. :)) ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Feltham" <wulguru.wantok@gmail.com> To: <india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 10:20 PM Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN ARMY > G'day Rupert, > > On 30/04/2008, at 9:46 PM, Butler - business and family wrote: > > << The Royal Air Force played a most important part in the victory, > both firstly by cutting the supply lines to the Japanese who might > otherwise have overwhelmed the defenders of Imphal > and Kohima and then by supplying our advancing forces. These airmen > often felt that, in theatre at the time and even in the published > official histories, they were the Forgotten Air Force. > > Can I suggest that the Forgotten Air Force in Burma might be the > Indian Air Force? > > > > ooroo > > If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. > > Anon. > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.6/1402 - Release Date: 4/28/2008 > 1:29 PM >

G'day Rupert, On 30/04/2008, at 9:46 PM, Butler - business and family wrote: << The Royal Air Force played a most important part in the victory, both firstly by cutting the supply lines to the Japanese who might otherwise have overwhelmed the defenders of Imphal and Kohima and then by supplying our advancing forces. These airmen often felt that, in theatre at the time and even in the published official histories, they were the Forgotten Air Force. Can I suggest that the Forgotten Air Force in Burma might be the Indian Air Force? ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon.

Sure, except that (a) I was in the RAF, so parti pris (b) in almost all theatres of war there is organisationally only one Air Force (in British practice one RAF Command or Tactical Air Force) - so the Indian Air Force contributed units and personnel to Burma while remaining nominally in Delhi or wherever (c) my underlying theme is that, while so many people fought and died so bravely, there was almost a collective paranoeia about not being appreciated - RAF 224 Group against 221 Group, Arakan against Main Force, Hussain's Auxiliary Pioneers against any infantry unit, any unit that was visited by the bigwigs against any that was not, it goes on and on (d) in inverse proportion to the army situation (and indeed that of the Royal Indian Navy), the flying squadrons were very largely manned by white airmen of all ranks from UK and the dominions, trained far away from India, often flying their aircraft all the way from UK. Typical might be 177 Squadron RAF, a Beaufighter squadron in Burma for almost all of its 2 years of life. I have two private histories on my shelf. Of the 160-odd aircrew and 220-odd groundcrew, the only IAF representative seems to have been a Flt Lt Z A Aziz, the squadron signals officer for the last year. I believe the Indian Air Force was markedly undeveloped before the war, so was unable to play a leading role in the War. Some individuals like Flt Lt Aziz would have used ability, education and perhaps wealth to make their mark in spite of that. Members of the IAF who survived the war experience of course became distinguished figures in their redoubtable national air forces afterwards. Rupert Butler -----Original Message----- From: india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com]On Behalf Of John Feltham Sent: 30 April 2008 13:20 To: india-british-raj@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN ARMY G'day Rupert, On 30/04/2008, at 9:46 PM, Butler - business and family wrote: << The Royal Air Force played a most important part in the victory, both firstly by cutting the supply lines to the Japanese who might otherwise have overwhelmed the defenders of Imphal and Kohima and then by supplying our advancing forces. These airmen often felt that, in theatre at the time and even in the published official histories, they were the Forgotten Air Force. Can I suggest that the Forgotten Air Force in Burma might be the Indian Air Force? ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.6/1404 - Release Date: 29/04/2008 18:27 No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.6/1404 - Release Date: 29/04/2008 18:27

Snipped from http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144913&command=displayContent&sourceNode=231190&home=yes&more_nodeId1=144922&contentPK=20497561 REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN ARMY Date : 29.04.08 Up to one million troops faced death, injury and disease every day during the long campaign to push the Japanese out of Burma. They were the Forgotten Army - out of sight and, to most of the British public, out of mind. Their leader, General Bill Slim, is only now being properly remembered in Bristol, the city of his birth. TORBEN LEE tells the story of Slim's Heroes. Huge distances, appalling weather, difficult terrain, tortuous lines of communication, rampant diseases, the strange jungle environment and the seemingly unbeatable Japanese. That, along with the low priority his campaign held in Allied strategy, is how Bristol-born Bill Slim, commander of the 14th Army, remembered the Burma Campaign of 1943-45. [snip] ======================= ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India