Interview with Sir Penderel Moon [sound recording]

Audio recording of oral history interview with Sir Penderel Moon, covering the period 1929-1944. Subjects: Punjab, Jollundur, Pind, Multan, Amritsar, Gujrat. Cassette side OA1/48/1: Joining Indian Civil Service, Punjab Province. Probationary year. Impressions on arrival 1929. Jollundur posting: hap...

Full description

Archive & Special Collections OA1/48/1-4 Closed

Date(s) of creation: 1972-1974
Level: Item
Format: Archive           
Main author: Moon; Sir; Penderel (1905-1987); Knight; colonial administrator
Other authors: Allen; Charles (b 1940); historian and interviewer

collection SOAS Archive
id OA1.48.1-4
recordtype archive
scb_item_location Archive & Special Collections
item_location Archive & Special Collections
scb_loan_type Reference only
callnumber OA1/48/1-4
callnumber_txt OA1/48/1-4
callnumber-sort OA1/48/1-4
prefix_number 1-4
title Interview with Sir Penderel Moon [sound recording]
scb_date_creation 1972-1974
scb_level Item
level_sort 8/Collection/Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Sub-Collection/Series/Sub-Series/Sub-Sub-Series/File/Item
scb_extent 1 hr. 40 min.
author Moon; Sir; Penderel (1905-1987); Knight; colonial administrator
author_facet Moon; Sir; Penderel (1905-1987); Knight; colonial administrator
Allen; Charles (b 1940); historian and interviewer
authorStr Moon; Sir; Penderel (1905-1987); Knight; colonial administrator
author_letter Moon; Sir; Penderel (1905-1987); Knight; colonial administrator
author2 Allen; Charles (b 1940); historian and interviewer
author2Str Allen; Charles (b 1940); historian and interviewer
format Archive
scb_admin_history British Secretary to Governor of Bombay in India Civil Service, 1929-1944.
description Audio recording of oral history interview with Sir Penderel Moon, covering the period 1929-1944. Subjects: Punjab, Jollundur, Pind, Multan, Amritsar, Gujrat. Cassette side OA1/48/1: Joining Indian Civil Service, Punjab Province. Probationary year. Impressions on arrival 1929. Jollundur posting: haphazard duties; training; court work. Posting to Pind Dadan Khan as subdivisional officer; increased court responsibilities. Isolation from British society. Effects of climate. Posting as Multan deputy commissioner 1934: burden of work; daily routine and duties. Unreliable evidence in criminal cases. Problems with community rioting. Cassette side OA1/48/2: Recollections of bearer. Petitioners to deputy commissioner: typical petitions; importance of open access for even humblest petitioner. Evocations of India. Efforts to prevent corruption. Village record keepers. Tasks whilst touring villages in Multan area; opinion that towns were neglected; efforts to inspect Multan and Amritsar. Opinions on Amritsar incident 1919. Typical causes of riots in Multan; belief in show of force to quell riots. Cassette side OA1/48/3: Magistrate's corruption in granting acquittals after Gujrat communal riots 1937. Officers dismissed unjustly for corruption. Corruption of lower Indian ranks; relative integrity of British. Critical opinion of British Raj. Increasing confidence of Indian women. Racial prejudice. Good relations with Punjabi. Opinion on independence, Raj and Moon's own role in India. Family's dislike of its earlier Indian connections. Power of district officer. Posting as secretary to Punjab governor 1939; importance of partition issue. Cassette side OA1/48/4: Importance of partition issue whilst governor's secretary. Inadequate training in dealing with complex points of etiquette. Protocol on meeting important Indians. Multan police inspector's warning of dangers of prohibiting meetings. Story of Indian friend's decline after end of his marriage. Horrors of India.
scb_access_status Closed
scb_conditions_gov_access 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: C1510/48/01-04. For more details see www.bl.uk/listening or contact listening@bl.uk / 020 7412 7418.
scb_copyright Copyright held by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
scb_use_restrictions Private study only. For publication or broadcast please refer to Archivist
language English
language_search English
scb_copies Copy available at British Library Listening & Viewing Service. Reference: C1510/48/01-04 Copy available at Imperial War Museum. Reference: 004947/04
scb_related_material Transcript available at SOAS Library. Reference: OA1/48/T
hierarchy_top_id_raw OA1
hierarchy_sequence OA1.0048.001-4

Similar items