History of the Consulate General in Calcutta In 1851 the King of the German State of Prussia established an Honorary Consulate for British India in Calcutta. In 1857 the Honorary Consulate came under the North German Federation, the authority responsible for the foreign relations of the German states. In 1871 with the creation of the German Empire ("Reich") the Honorary Consulate in Calcutta became a mission of the German Empire. At that time, the Bengal Presidency and the Province of Audh, including the native states in this area were made up its consular district. In 1885, with Germany's overseas interests increasing over time, the Empire established a Consulate General, staffed with German career diplomats, in Calcutta. Since Calcutta was the capital and business centre of India, the Consulate General became Germany's official mission (de facto embassy) for British India and Ceylon. The Honorary Consulate, which continued, retained the limited function of representing the interests of the local German business community vis-à-vis the British business community and its civic organizations in Calcutta. Every year, from March through October, the German Consul General would follow the viceroy and his government to Simla. When the capital of British India was shifted from Calcutta to New Delhi in 1912, after the coronation of King George V, the German Consulate General, however, remained in Calcutta. [snip] http://www.kalkutta.diplo.de/Vertretung/kalkutta/en/02/Kanzlei__history/seite__history__consulate__general.html Also see: Bengal and Germany: Some Aspects of Political, Economic and Intellectual Encounter http://www.kalkutta.diplo.de/Vertretung/kalkutta/en/06/Bilaterale__Kulturbeziehungen/seite__bengal__n__germany__history.html --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar

Thanks for this link Harshoo - in English too! - it's a pity that they only provide a list of the Consuls General from 1854. I wonder if there is a list available, together with other staff in the pre-war period. Maybe it would be a good idea to see if any of the other European nations provide similar information about their consular activities in India. My errant grandfather's 3rd wife whom he married in 1929 in Calcutta was Italian, I think, - Madeleine Lina Balbis, daughter of Vincenzo Balbis. That marriage like the earlier two probably also ended in divorce, but have often wondered if she belonged to staff of one of the consulates in Calcutta. Sylvia > -----Original Message----- > From: india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of > Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar > Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 3:19 PM > To: india-british-raj@rootsweb.com > Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] History of the German Consulate > in Calcutta > > History of the Consulate General in Calcutta

----- Original Message ----- From: "Sylvia Murphy" Maybe it would be a good idea to see if any of the other European nations provide similar information about their consular activities in India. ================= Pending that, we can make some search - research on our own. Here are some Italian connexions, of course, on different themes. 1 Italian POWs in India, 1944 06 April 2006 One of the most intriguing organized units involved in road building [in India] was the Italian Auxiliary Pioneer Corps. This was raised from so-called Italian 'co-operators'. During 8th Army's campaigns against the Italians in 1941 and 1942, thousands of Italians had been brought to POW camps in India as they could not be taken to Britain. At first, the Italians were something of a nuisance in a jocular sort of way. They were adept at spreading anti-Allied propaganda to the Indian population - for example on the backs of cigarette packs with one or two cigarettes left in them. British military intelligence was particularly struck by one jape. The POWs had fabricated an Italian fascist flag from old clothes. They captured a vulture which flew into their compound and tied the flag to it. The unfortunate bird was seen flapping around the surrounding villages for hours displaying the insignia of Mussolini's new Roman Empire. After the fall of the dictator and the German invasion of Italy, however, many Italian soldiers who were not committed fascists agreed to work on the Allied side. The valleys of Assam were alive with the sounds of the songs of Sorrento. SOURCE: Forgotten Armies: Britain's Asian Empire & the War with Japan, by Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper (Penguin, 2004), p. 426 http://faroutliers.blogspot.com/2006/04/italian-pows-in-india-1944.html 2 Tipu had in him Italian Renaissance 17 August 2008 By Tarique Anwar and Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net, (In an exclusive talk with TwoCircles.net Dr. B. Shaikh Ali, a renowned historian, an authority on Haider Ali and Tipu and former vice-chancellor of Mangalore and Goa universities, elaborated on neglected but shining aspects of Tipu Sultan: his personality, rule, his secular credentials and most significantly his resistance to the British expansion in India.) "In the field of historical movements, Italy gave Renaissance, Germany gave Reformation, France gave Revolution and India gave Tipu Sultan who blended in himself all these three movements." This is how Dr. B. Shaikh Ali, the renowned historian and an authority on Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan describes Tipu Sultan's multifaceted personality and his overall contribution to Modern India. http://www.twocircles.net/2008aug17/tipu_had_him_italian_renaissance_german_reformation_french_revolution_dr_b_shaikh_ali.html 3 Also see - British Italian Legion At the outbreak of the Crimean War Britain had difficulty expanding the army because of the policy of voluntary enlistment. As a result, foreign mercenary troops were recruited for service in the Crimea, forming the British German legion, British Swiss Legion and British Italian Legion. This move was unpopular at home and abroad, so the British government was anxious to disband the legions as soon as possible after the Crimean campaign. The East India Company declined to employ the men to strengthen its force in India, and there was opposition to the idea of retaining highly paid foreign troops in Britain for garrison duties. In most cases, repatriation was out of the question as their respective governments were reluctant to readmit legionaries who had served a foreign state. As a result, many legionaries settled in the colonies. Those who could afford to support themselves for a while opted for North America, but most were pressed into joining the military settlement scheme in Cape Colony. http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=The_British_German_Legion%2C_British_Swiss_Legion%2C_British_Italian_Legion =============== --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar