'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' [‎7v] (14/118)

temper, which may well have been affected by the silver plate in his head.
I found myself posted to n A M Company, commanded by Herbert, the
senior subaltern, a morose individual but at least he had played Rugger
for the Army some years before. When I arrived I found five of my platoon
(No. 4) were in jail on charges of murdering and robbing a char-wallah,
one who sold tea and '’wads" of cake to British troops, and as they never
re-appeared I presume they were found guilty. Another, youngish soldier
was unaccountably bolshy, and refused to march when we went up to Murree
but the C.O. cured that by having him chained to the back of an A. T. cart.
By the end of April Pindi was getting pretty hot, 96°, and it was
a relief to march up to the hills, to Gharial about 8 ,COO ft above sea
level, four miles away from the main hill station of Murree and 42 miles
from Pindi and 6,000 ft. higher.
In Gharial I had quite a decent quarter in a bungalow which I shared
with two other suoalterns, Le Mee Power U.L.I.A. and Blair Oliphant of
the Border. This bungalow was on top of a cliff, and on a clear day one
had the most magnificent views of the peaks of the Himalayas as far as the
eye could see. I gathered later that the building had been condemned as
likely ^o fall down the said cliff, but happily it survived for at least
the six months we were in it. It was the furthest away from the Mess,
about i mile, but in a much pleasanter situation than some of the nearer
bungalows. John Morton, the other U.L.I.A., was next door to the Mess,
so ii time was short, I was always able to make use of his quarter to
change or have tea.
Life in Ghariai was not very exciting. One srent interminable weeks
on the rifle range putting first one company and then another through their
courses. For^relaxation cricket, tennis, athletics, some riding and
during the rains a lot of rugger, with occasional trips by ponv into Murree
to the club and cinema.
tne ^ e Sinning of September ’32 Hugh Pettigrew came up to Murree
from Peshawar, where he was doing his year's attachment to the Gordon
n^ghlanders, to bring their Hockey team up to take part in the Murree
tournament. He stayed with me, and what is more, in she same bungalow,
as Blair Oupnant was away on an M.G. course. We had originally planned
to oe attached to the same British Battalion, but at the last moment he
was switched to the Gordons, so we had not seen each other since our
journey up from Bombay in March *32.
R ,,_, er 1 *3® 1 y h September '32 I was lucky enough to go with the Border
. u 0 ger XV aown to Calcutta and then on to Madras, taking cart in various
inT£ai° nS TW h PlaC8S and c ’ jlmiaatin S in the All India Tournament
Ceviofj- Tnl T WaS eventu y- ly won by Ceylon, and then in the final Match.
tiffSe dais'to -e^ tn 3 !?? tno^e.onosen to play for India. It took
„ to c,et 00 Calcutta ana two more on to Madras, so during our