| Order number: |
OA4, Memories of the British in India, Sound Cassettes, Box 1 [CLOSED]
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| Summary: |
Sir Paul Benthall's career in India in commercial and civil posts, from 1924 until the 1950's, with reminiscences of people and events: Family and educational background; journey and first impressions of India; the European community in India; his work in the Bengal jute trade; characteristics of Indian labour strikes and trade union organisation; memories of Suhrawardy and of Gandhi; memories and opinions of Sardar Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajagopalachari; Benthall's experience and reminiscences of the judicial system of British India; the growth of the Nationalist movement and European attitudes towards it; his volunteer force work during World War II; the Bengal famine; Indian independence and his assessment of British rule in India; Benthall's work in trying to prevent, and then coping with the aftereffects of flooding in the Brahmaputra Valley in 1950.
Summary: Playback Cassette Side 1: Family and educational background. Early attraction to India. Role of Benthall's ill-health in going to India. European health in India. First impressions of India. Death of Indian on train journey. Behaviour and status of British soldiers in India. Character of pre-War Calcutta; transport facilities. Benthall's employment experience in UK. His work in Bengal jute trade, preventing fraud. Characteristics of Indian labour. Characteristics of Indian labour. Strikes and TU organisation. Indiscipline among clerical staff. Memories of Suhrawardy. Gandhi's visit to Bengal, 194 7. Benthall's meeting with him; story of attempted intimidation of Gandhi by Hindus. Memories of meeting with Jawaharlal Nehru in New Delhi.
Summary: Playback Cassette Side 2: Memories of Nehru; his anger with Marwaris for their demand for invasion of East Pakistan, 1947; his personal characteristics; story to illustrate his impractical character. Benthall's estimate of Gandhi; his hypocrisy and heroism. Admiration for Sudar Patel . Memories of Rajagopalacharia as Governor of Bengal; his opposition to proposal for moving jute mills to Pakistan; his fine personal characteristics; his opposition to alcohol. Ineffectiveness of laws against alcohol. Judicial delays in India. Example of court case which lasted decades. Another example of judicial delay. Ruin of Bird and Co. through coal nationalisation. Case of claimant to Bhawal estate; conflicting judgements of three High Court Justices; excitement in Calcutta at arrival of Justice Costello's judgement; Benthall's opinion of the case. His work as Juror in criminal case
Summary: Playback Cassette Side 3: Jury work in criminal case of wounding. Rareness of public manifestations of mental illness; instances of violence by the mentally sick. European attitudes to nationalist movement. Necessity for Europeans to carry arms; reliance on Muslims to protect Europeans Shooting of Edward Villers. Unimportance of exercise of franchise. General European preference for Muslims. Use of lingua franca in Calcutta. Quit India movement, manifestations. Degree of pro-Japanese talk by Indians. Degree to which Japanese conquest felt to be possible. Benthall's volunteer-force work. His volunteer force work. Provision of parachute material to armed forces at time of Kohima battle. Bengal famine: manifestations and causes. Rumours that Muslim League leaders profiting by speculation during famine. Flying of Congress flags by Europeans during Partition. Deploring of undertaking made by Cripps to Indian nationalists 1942. Positive assessment of British rule. Birds' tea-box factory in Brahmaputra Valley; effect of earthquake in damming rivers, NEF 1950
Summary: Playback Cassette Side 4: Benthall s work in NEF trying to prevent floods; fear of prosecution for building illegal airstrip; suspected Chinese infiltration.
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| Main author: |
Benthall; Sir; Arthur Paul (1902-1992); Knight; merchant |
| Other authors: |
Wood; Conrad (b 1942); historian and interviewer |
| Previous numbers: |
OA2/61/1-4
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| Extent: |
2 sound casettes
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| Note: |
Addendum to the summary of an interview with Sir Paul Benthall. Towards the end of the first side of Playback Cassette 2 a new subject, namely a tea box factory in the North East Frontier Tract, is suddenly introduced in terms which indicate that it had already been mentioned. Some words appear to have been accidentally omitted and the following explanations seems to be called for. Bird & Co. had built a tea-box factory near the area where India, Tibet, China and Burma meet. The timber for the boxes was obtained from virgin forest. The trees were felled and cut into logs by hand. The logs were dragged by elephants to a tramline, loaded onto trucks by tusker elephants, and then drawn by small steam locomotives to the factory or to a point on a river bank where they were made into rafts and floated downstream into the factory. Elephants were vital to the operation and the company owned about fifty.
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| Admin history: |
Sir Paul Benthall - 1924 Joined Bird & Co. and F.W. Heilgers (merchants agents and managing agents) Calcutta. 1934-55 Partner (later director) of both firms. 1948 and 1950-53 Member, Central Board, Imperial Bank of India. 1950-1953 Chairman, All India Board of Technical Studies in Commerce and Business Administration. 1945-47 President, Royal Agri-Horticultural Society of India. 1953-73 Chairman, Bird & Co. (London) Ltd. |
| Custodial history: |
Recorded as part of the ’Memories of the British in India’ project by India Office Library & Records [subsequently the Oriental and India Office Collection, British Library]. This recording was previously held at SOAS Library as part of the 'British in India Oral Archive Project' collection [Reference OA2], removed from this collection in August 2014 to reflect the recording’s alternative provenance as part of the ‘Memories of the British in India’ project. |
| Access status: |
Closed
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| Access conditions: |
Sound recording currently unavailable at SOAS Library due to preservation reasons. Researchers can access a copy of this audio recording at the British Library Listening & Viewing Service. 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 Library |
| User restrictions: |
Private study only. For publication or broadcast please refer to Archivist |
| Language: |
English
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| Originals: |
Original sound recording of interview available at British Library Listening & Viewing Service [Reference: C63/17-23]
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| Format: |
Archive
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