Biographical Notes

 

1. History of the Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment. Vol. IV 1800-1837 Compiled by Col. John Davis Eyre & Spottiswood London 1902. Vol. V 1837-1905 Compiled by Col. John Davis Eyre & Spottiswood London 1906. Vol. VI 1905-1923 Compiled by Col. H.C. Wylley CB., Gale & Polden Aldershot, 1925. Vol. VII 1924-1948 Compiled by Major R.C.G. Foster MC., 1953.

2. History of the East Surrey Regiment

    Vol. I 1702-1914 Compiled by Col.H.W. Pearse DSO Spottiswood Ballantine 1916.
    Vol. II 1914-1917 Compiled by Col.H.W. Pearse DSO and Brig. Gen. H.S. Sloman CMG DSO., who also compiled
    Vol. III 1917-1919 which was published by the Media Society in 1923.
    Vol. IV 1920-1952 Compiled by David Scott Daniell publ. Ernest Benn Lond. 1957.

3. “A History of the British Army” by J.W. Fortescue. Published by Macmillan 1923 Vol XI Chapters 1 & 4. Force reductions, conditions of service and Army estimates 1814 onwards.

4. “Campaign in Afghanistan with recollections of Seven Years of Service in India” by Lt. John Greenwood of the 31^st Regiment. Publ. by Henry Colburn. Lond. 1844 (2^nd editn).

5. The series “Historical records of the British Army” Publ. by Parker, Furnival & Parker in 1855. Separate books cover the 2^nd, 31^st and 70^th Regiments. The author was Richard Cannon who was tasked to compile the history while a civil servant in the War Office.

6. Illustrated English Social History Vol.4 by G.M. Trevelyan. Publ. by Longman, Green & Co. in 1852. Chapter 2 describes England after Waterloo.

7. “The Age of Elegance 1812-1822” Publ. Collins in 1950. Social background of officers, soldiers and their families.

8. “They Committed Matrimony” Article by Col. N.T. St.John Williams in Brassey’s Defence Publications.

9. “On the Strength - A Story of the British Army Wife” by Veronica Bamfield. Publ. by Chas. Knight Ltd in 1974. Soldiers and their families in the 19^th century. Soldiers were not expected to remain celibate and the large number of prostitutes who followed regiments was tolerated.

10. “Women of the Regiment - Marriage and the Victorian Army” by Marjorie Trustram. There were officers’ ladies, non-commissioned officers’ wives and soldiers’ women.

11. The East India Company:

“Lords of the East - the East India Company and its Ships” by Jean Sutton. Conway Maritime Press 1981, page 11.

The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. Edited by Peter Kemp. Oxford Univ: Press 1976, reprinted in 1992, page 279.

The Penguin History of the World by Dr. J.M. Roberts. Publ. by Penguin Books 1990.

“A Matter of Honour” by Philip Mason. Jonathan Cape 1974.

“Raj - The Making of India” by Lawrence James. Little, Brown & Co. 1997.

12. “They Went by Water”. Article by Lt. Col. P.R. Butler DSO in Blackwood’s Magazine No.1469 March 1938. He quotes the description by Capt. Thomas Skinner of the river journey of the 31^st Regiment. in 1826.

13. “From Paddle Steamer to Nuclear Ship” by W.A. Baker and “The Ship” by Bjorn Landstrom. Developments from sail to steam and paddle wheel to propeller.

14. “A Melancholy Loss” by Daniel Fearon, a descendant of the Commanding Officer of the 31^st Regiment. He described the shipwreck of the Kent in an article in Heritage Magazine, No.16, 1967.

15. “Raj - The Making and the Unmaking of British India” by Lawrence James. Publ: by Little, Brown & Co. 1997.

16. “A Matter of Honour - an Account of the Indian Army, its Officers and Men” by Philip Mason. First publ. by Jonathan Cape Ltd in 1974. Page 11:-The Mutiny, The Afghan War, rum and the British soldier, soldier and sepoy friendliness, the experiences of Subadar Sita Ram, the threat of disease.

17. “From Recruit to Staff Sergeant” by M.W. Bancroft with an introduction and epilogue by Major-Gen. B.P. Hughes. A Bengal Horse Artillery view of the 1^st Sikh War. Ian Henry Publications 1879.

18. “At them with the Bayonet” by Donald Featherstone. The New English Library Military History No.3 Paperback 1974. The Sikh Wars.

19. “Plain Tales from the Raj” edited by Chas. Allen. Century Publishing Co. 1985. British civilian life, soldiers off duty.

20. “Letters of a once Punjab Frontier Force officer” by Col. J.P. Villiers-Stuart CB,DSO,OBE. Sutton, Praed & Co Ltd. London SW1 1925.

21. “Beggars in Red” - The British Army 1789-1889 by John Strawson. Publ. by Hutchinson in 1991. Includes a description of the Cardwell reforms of the 1881 period.

22. “Diplomacy” by Henry Kissinger. Publ. by Simon & Schuster 1994. See page 150 - an empire built in a fit of absent-mindedness; page 151 - the Russian threat to India.

23. The Quetta Earthquake - article in the Regimental Newsletter, November 1935.

24. “Nehru -The Making of India” by M.J. Akbar. Penguin Books 1989. See page 580-communalism not communism.

25. “Never Despair” - Winston S.Churchill 1945-65” by Martin Gilbert. Publ. by Heineman in 1988. Page 1040 - his views on British India.

26. Among the museum archives:

Memoranda:		Books:
Field Exercises and Evolutions of the Army (1824).		Autobiography of Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Smith (Vol 2) 1901.
An Act for Punishing Mutiny and Desertion (1856).		The Queen’s Royal Regiment - Haswell.
Social and Official Intercourse between European officers and Indians (1913).		The Infantry Campaign in the Arakan and Kohima - Lowry.
Hints for Soldiers proceeding to India (1938).		Wingates’ Raiders - Rollo.
1st Queen’s Standing Orders for Column on the Frontier.		Serials 1, 2 and 4 above.
The Baluchistan Gazette May 1935.
The First Anglo-Afghan War - The British Retreat of 1842 (Louis Dupree).
Nominal Roll of the 31st Regiment during the Sutlej Campaign.

 

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