| Order number: |
OA4, Memories of the British in India, Sound Cassettes, Box 1 [CLOSED]
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| Summary: |
Lt. Colonel E.H.M. Parsons is interviewed about his army career and his life in india from 1922 until 1947 and his reminiscences of people and events. The interview is in two parts, the first in July when the interview was Dr. Conrad Wood, the second in Sept. with Margaret Macdonald.
Summary: Playback Cassette Side 1: Family and educational background. Decision to join Army. Moplah Rebellion: receiving news of; character of Suffolks unit sent; equipment of unit; briefing of unit; reaction of unit to posting; journey to Malabar; clearing areas of rebels; Moplah atrocities; how unit dealt with rebels surrounded in house; evidence of looted treasury; rebel casualties; suicidal charge; Moplah appearance; rebel arms. Moplah Rebellion: Moplah ignorance about firearms; units involved in suppressing Rebellion; discription of rebels; belief that British rule ending; search for souvenirs by troops; method of execution of rebels; working of martial law; bizape diet of Burmese troops; troops raiding houses for rice; civilian atti¬tude to troops; Malappuram as a str.ony point in the rebellion zone; attempt to blow up culverts;-a terrified Hindu;Parsons1 later internal security work in Malabar, 1933-34.
Summary: Playback Cassette Side 2: Madras; clearing streets of strikers, Landi Kotal: protection of caravans; murder of two Seaforths officers; wildness of Afghan frontier post guards; attitude of Gurkhas to frontier service and Pathans; Gurkha superstition. Gurkha unit's regimental centre at Dehra Dun; organisation of unit's dairy farm. Training: Razmak: belligerence of local Pathans; attacks on Army columns; Tuker's counter-guerrilla raids. Sketch of Parsons' inter-war postings. Parson's Staff College (Camberley) experience. Peshawar: contact with Basil Embry; method adopted of directing aircraft against snipers; Embry's dispute with superior officer about use of aircraft against tribesmen; assessment of results of RAF work; punishment of tribal 'hostiles'; character of Fakir of Ipi's rebellion; Mahsuds' success against a British unit. Belief in impenetrability of North-East Frontier. North-West Frontier, 1940-41: minor trouble with Pathans. Japanese attack: instructions to supply Wingate with whatever he wanted; his impracticable ideas; sewing of parachutes for Wingate's operation. Parsons' work to convert 3/7 Gurkhas to parachute unit.
Summary: Playback Cassette Side 3: Tribal recruitment of Gurkhas. Amusing story about Gurkha misconceptton about parachuting. Inter-Gurkha rivalry. Standing of Chettri NCO with lower caste comrades. North-West Frontier: Mahsud attack on Parsons' Gurkha unit; his orders to withdraw in dark under fire; heavy casualties to unit and Pathans (1943). Parsons' staff appointments. His work with Lushai troops and Nagas in Burma; his operations against Japanese; sole Japanese captive; capture of Japanese elephant; how Parsons lost the elephant to 'Elephant Bill'; fighting qualities of Japanese. Memories of Ayub Khan. Burma; story of Parsons' attempt to get artillery support for operation against Japanese; skirmish; occupation of Japanese defensive positions for counter-attack; Parsons' sacking of unit's cook. Parsons' dealing with Burmese Communist village at request of police; surrender of village without resistance. Parade of unit through Shillong. Feelings of Nagas and Lushai s about Indian Independence. Partition, Calcutta: Parsons' lack of first¬hand information about disturbances. Honouring of Parsons on his later return to Assam and North-East India generally.
Summary: Playback Cassette Side 4: Family connections with India. Meeting with Indian on train; aloofness of Europeans from Indians. Amusing story about US Lady's unfami 1iarity with Indian jargon. Army Education Corps Course: pranks at hill station where it was held. Dehra Dun: organization of regimental dairy farm; uniqueness of 'the venture; demand for cream by brigadier's wife; polo victories. Story of abortive tiger hunt. Pig-sticking stories; Army approval of the sport. Invitation to Indian landowner's wedding; an interminable play. Early days of the training of Indians for the air force. CO's organization of boycott of club because of blackballing of Indian. Amusing story of children’s' over-eating in course of social visit of Indian family. Indian officer who was unable to pay mess bill because of his debts. Officers borrowing from banias. Officers' problems in paying their way without private income. Function of mess clerk. Deference of Indians to Europeans. The social life in hill stations: boredom of grass widows. Opportunities to return to UK. Air liaison work on North-West Frontier in mid-1930's. Parsons' organization of Burmese dancing for Assam Regiment troops. Paternalistic relationship between officers and men in Indian Army. Dusserah rites among Gurkhas. Parsons' proficiency with kukri. Gurkha nautch feasts. Composition of Assam Regiment. Story to show unsatisfactory offensive spirit of Assam Regiment recruits. Calling-out in aid of civil power.
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| Main author: |
Parsons; Edward Hugh Moyle (b 1901); Indian army officer |
| Other authors: |
Wood; Conrad (b 1942); historian and interviewer, Macdonald, Margaret (speaker, female; interviewer) |
| Previous numbers: |
OA2/72/1-4
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| Extent: |
2 sound casettes
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| Note: |
Two interviews conducted with Parsons by two diferent interviewers. The second interview begins on OA4/72/2.
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| 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: C63/29-36]
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| Format: |
Archive
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