| Summary: |
Audio recording of oral history interview with Lady Rosamund Lawrence, discussing lifestyle; Amritsar; Gandhi, covering the period 1914-1926.
Cassette side OA1/39/1: Family connections with India. Recollections of voyage to India; first impressions. Description of Belgaum; reception as wife of new collector, Sir Henry Lawrence 1914. Description of bungalow: furnishings; snakes and pests. Club life; strangeness of forest officers due to their isolated life. Husband's bearer. Daily routine.
Cassette side OA1/39/2: Servants' loyalties and duties. Eating habits; champagne dinners. Story of being served rotting fish at dinner party; risk of food poisoning. Ending fashion of wearing gloves at meals. Servants' flower arranging. Monsoon rains: incident with cobra; problems; end of monsoon. Belgaum's climate. Story of woman who hated India. Work of missionaries. Stories of eccentric judge. Camping expeditions.
Cassette side OA1/39/3: Evocative sounds of India; bird calls. Evocative smells. Story of foundation of Indian college. Story of visiting leper asylum in Bombay. Views of life as governor's wife: advantages; hardships and duties during First World War. Position of Indian Civil Service; husband's strict honesty; Indian efforts at bribery.
Cassette side OA1/39/4: Impression of troubles in Sind and Punjab; opinions on General Dyer's actions at Amritsar; story of being given pistol to defend herself. Victory celebrations at end of First World War. Suggested explanation of supernatural sounding jungle cry; other strange experiences; story of car breaking down in desert; lucky escape. Reactions of Indians to Gandhi. British attitudes to independence.
Cassette side OA1/39/5: Childhood recollections of India. Description of reception as wife of new collector; meeting old collector's wife. Dressing for dinner; conventions of dress. Visiting club; eating there and at home. Description of club. Moral outlook in Belgaum. Lifestyle of British women in India; musical recreations. Civil service officers' devotion to duty; husband's devotion to scheme for barrage to control flow of Indus; his sense of duty.
Cassette side OA1/39/6: General respect for ICS. Stories of local naturalist. Recollections of Lady Willingdon. Morning rides; horse stories. Description of bearer and his duties. Learning Hindustani. Hidden costs for Indians using hospitals; bribery in India. ICS attitude to work. Feelings on leaving India; memories of jungle.
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| Main author: |
Lawrence; Lady; Rosamund (1879–1976); wife of Sir Henry Lawrence |
| Other authors: |
Allen; Charles (b 1940); historian and interviewer |
| Extent: |
2 hr. 35 min.
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| Admin history: |
British civilian wife of District Officer and Governor 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: C1510/39/01-06. 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
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| Copies: |
Copy available at British Library Listening & Viewing Service. Reference: C1510/39/01-06
Copy available at Imperial War Museum. Reference: 004938/06 |
| Related material: |
Transcript available at SOAS Library. Reference: OA1/39/T |
| Format: |
Archive
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