'A Grandfather's Tale: Memoirs being mainly concerned with service in the Indian Army and the Indian Political Service in India and the Persian Gulf from 1932-1947' [‎17r] (33/118)

:r::e r ?? fUl1 bUt af ^.^in s
double bed in the Strand Palace Hotel* Rv fh U ?- ^ ende(i ap sharing a
past midnight we were both so weary we were beyoniTc^nf but^t’ l0nS
experience I should not like to repeat. ^ g ’ Dut lt: was 311
T.rat summer in England passed very auicklv ann t it
starting my I. ct^training^ VZSX ^ing -me before
was due to last eighteen months A o m +- , T j. , tric t* iilat training
again until late in 1945 and had I not gone on learfirigdri ^ 0
been a ten year stretch. 1937 would have
the 25 th in the p?Vn by train aoross France to a ">bark on
«. * 0. P.M.,. Strathnaver 22,500 tons. We reached Bombav
c^ e out with me e ?r ant - V °r S a ° n Monda y> 8th November 1937. I had brought a
though we had fandeffn^h ““ arranSed for ^ be ^ er *o ”eet me in Bombay.
rtl Z* t ^ a \ landed in the corning, it took most of the day to -et the
^d s^°off at 5 8 ° mS “tv then Vetted by FOrdS ’ 30 1 spent the night in Bombay
“ads for L Zw' n ? Xt day in my little 10 h *P‘ F °n d - Despite bad
at a dfk buSalow t mad !, V6ry SOOd P ro Sfess and stopped that night
The nert dav breekf Kbalsat 0 i the Na nbada Hiver, 320 miles north of Bombay.
tJ"® 5 / 5 ^ breakfas * ;Ln S °n the way at the Mhow club, I went on through
I left ouiteT^w a W a ;S r State ’ another 290 n ’ ile3 - On the Thursday 11th
I deft quite late but did the remaining 150 miles to Agra by lunchtime So
the whole journey of 760 miles had taken just over two days and the hfd
unml bTT 60 ^ thr ° U S hoUt - Pa ft of the way had been tLough thicSh
j ngle but I saw no very fearsome beasts en route.
Ao-r» a M M ?- ne ! n°f? ins WaS aS Assistant Collector and Assistant Commissioner
Agra. My first Collector, Hubert Evans, then a bachelor of thirty-three was
aw u y nice man, but he went on long leave about six weeks after my
H:LS n6Xt ^° b Was to be De P ut y Commissioner of Delhi. I stayed
W1 ain ’ as did ^• an Bowman, a young I.C.S. probationer just out from England
until November 29th when I moved out to Laurie's Hotel and Ian to a quarter ’
m the Agra Club. ^
f v, • j Tlle Collector,s House was a large mudbrick bungalow of the old-
as lone type, with walls about four feet thick and enormous high ceilin^-ed
rooms, and wide verandahs all round. It was set in about five acres of °~
oarden, mostly large trees and shrubs, infested by peacocks. The latter
t-h ^ 9 eautlful - to look at but made the most infernal noise, particularly in
y rnorni ^j and much as I had enjoyed staying with Evans, I was not
It leaVe the birds behind me. Laurie’s Hotel was conveniently close
e ourt and^ offices, and it was a pleasant place in which to live, at
eas : or a month or so, and I was very happy there. Quite apart from those
s who were resident, it was quite a popular alternative meeting place
0 he Club for the younger members of the European community, particularly as
it had a good swimming pool.