| Summary: |
Audio recording of oral history interview with Lady Kathleen Griffiths, covering the period 1922-1947.
Cassette side OA1/32/1: Obtaining position as governess in India. Shipboard romance; prestige of getting engaged to Indian Civil Service officer. Work as governess. Marriage in Dacca. Traumatic journey to Contai substation. Making best of situation; amusing incidents. Visiting primary schools and local medicine dispensaries. Teaching hygiene; contacts with pupils. Efforts to alleviate isolation. Feelings for India. Restrictions during terrorist activity at Midnapore; fears for husband.
Cassette side OA1/32/2: Managing servants and household in Contai. Description of Dacca household. Local food and primitive amenities in Contai. Problem of pregnancy in remote area. Transfer to Kalimpong; birth of baby. Separations from children. Evocative smells and sounds of India. Cook's role in shopping. Servants' pay. Problems of protocol. Paternalistic feeling towards Indians. Servants' trustworthiness. Stories illustrating relative status of Briton in India and Britain. Recollections of 'gully gully' man at Port Said.
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| Main author: |
Griffiths; Lady; Kathleen (d 1979); née Wilkes, wife of Sir Percival Griffiths |
| Other authors: |
Allen; Charles (b 1940); historian and interviewer |
| Extent: |
1 hr. approx.
|
| Admin history: |
British wife of District Officer in Indian Civil Service. |
| Access status: |
Closed
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| Access conditions: |
Access to sound recording of this interview is currently unavailable at SOAS Library. The transcript can be consulted. Researchers can access a copy of this sound recording at the British Library Listening & Viewing Service. Reference: C1510/32/01-02. For more details see www.bl.uk/listening or contact listening@bl.uk / 020 7412 7418.
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| Copyright: |
Copyright held by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) |
| User restrictions: |
Private study only. For publication or broadcast please refer to Archivist |
| Language: |
English
|
| Copies: |
Copy available at British Library Listening & Viewing Service. Reference: C1510/32/01-02
Copy available at Imperial War Museum. Reference: 004931/02 |
| Related material: |
Transcript available at SOAS Library. Reference: OA1/32/T |
| Format: |
Archive
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