ABSTRACT

INTERVIEWEE NAME: John Gardiner, Colonel W.A. Salmon

COLLECTION: Gardiner, 4700.578; Salmon, 4700. 582

IDENTIFICATION: Britons in pre-Independence India

INTERVIEWERS: Frank De Caro, Rosan Jordan

PROJECT: British Voices in South Asia

DATES: 2/7/78, 3/6/78 FOCUS DATES: 1930s

Tape 846, Side A

clubs and integration in Delhi during war; more segregation in commercial places like Calcutta and Bombay; social place of club akin to place of local pub in England; club activities: tennis, hockey, polo; first post was at Faizabad, east of Lucknow; description of Faizabad; club in Faizabad; polo played with government-allotted horses; shooting, pig sticking; organizing shoots; amount of leave given, system of leave pay, allowance for travel to and from England; Ashort leave@ used in summer to go to hill stations; transferring office between Simla and Delhi; use of horses in India; experience in the January, 1934, Bihar earthquake; receiving reports regarding consequences of earthquake; description of railroad routes; extent of earthquake damage; explanation of how earthquakes occur; special assignment in Jamalpur to repair locomotive workshops; workshop flattened by quake, European housing in area ruined; Gardiner worked there 3 2 years; nearby city of Monghyr (now Munger); friends who had a sugar plantation in area; went to Burma in 1938 as inspector of railroads=; rules regarding inquiries into accidents, deaths; religion in Burma; Burmese were attractive people, absolute villains; women did all the work, men sat around smoking; many skilled workers in Burma were Indians; advantages of Burmese people over Indians; British community in Rangoon; importance of rank and precedence in India; relative prestige of different regiments; British family tradition of service in India; public works: irrigation, railroads, bridges; Gardiner family tradition of railroad work in India; how marriage affected his lifestyle in India; family members in India; Gardiner=s Moselm servants; types of servants; servants generally male; separation from children; trip between England and India by ship.

early days as a gunner; worked in morning before too hot; staying healthy; railroad=s medical system; availability of dental care; India was a very good life for Britons; importance of railroads; importance of irrigation works built by British in North India; British at home admired work done in India back then, but now such causes are unpopular; hand over at time of India=s independence, terrible massacres; wars and emergencies since, religious problems of Bangladesh, Muslims versus Hindus; after war, went to Germany as director of transportation; Britons don=t retire to India, except tea planters; Gardiner always considered England home; nothing to stay on for after retirement there; type of person who thrives in India; differences between Indians and Africans, skin coloration; education of Indians; opinion of radio program that aired about Anglo-Indians; superiority of Indians over Africans; success of British in uplifting India; Margery tells of bombing at their sons= prep school; headmaster suggested boys go to US during war, but her sons chose to stay in England; her son=s friend regretted going to US during war; Margery enjoyed India; shooting expedition where they rode elephants; the Raj looked upon as awful now, but she=s not so sure; Indians were wonderful cooks, dishes they specialized in; inferior cooks in Peru; primitiveness of Indian kitchens; DeCaro=s stint in India; beauty of Kashmir; women=s activities; modern women would call it a wasted life; caring for young children in India; getting fresh milk in India; worries about children=s health in India; warned against eating fish; seeing present-day Indian poverty on TV; description of Calcutta; disparity in price of cotton and silk in India, Britain; increase in cashmere sweater prices at Marks & Spencer; Margery knits heirloom sweaters; prices of sweaters, descriptions of sweaters, Guernsey sweaters; difficulty of finding woolen stockings, horror of cold feet; Colonel WH Salmon describes family tradition of Indian Army service; family were landed gentry in Cheshire; Indian service of relatives; amazing Indian exploits of great grandfather; grandfather also served in Madras, eventually retired southern India; grandfather=s awe for his own father; great grandfather more or less ruled whole Cannanore area; grandfather joined Hyderabad contingent, commanded 3^rd infantry battalion through two Burmese wars; grandfather captured famous outlaw in Burma, was rewarded with gong; grandfather died just before war, house bombed during war.