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Rare British India documents surface

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  • Rare British India documents surface

    Rare British India documents surface

    Documents and papers shown to the BBC by a relation of the commander of British troops during the 1897 siege of Malakand - in what is now Pakistan's North West Frontier Province - provide a fascinating new insight into the struggle for South Asia.

    The papers belong to Ben Tottenham, a relation by marriage of William Hope Meiklejohn, who commanded British and Indian troops at the Malakand garrison, which was besieged by thousands of tribesmen for 10 days before it was successfully relieved.

    Colonel Meiklejohn's four-year-old daughter, Meg - Mr Tottenham's mother-in-law - was in the garrison throughout the siege in the scorching heat of the high summer of 1897. She would almost certainly have been killed by the tribesmen - not renowned for taking prisoners - if it had fallen.

    The tribesmen were led by Mullah Mastun, known by the British as the "Mad Mullah of Malakand". He roused them against British rule and decreed that it was their duty under Islam to remove foreigners from what was then India.

    Among the rare mementos seen by the BBC are photos and pictures of Malakand and the surrounding area in 1897 as well as letters and telegrams sent by Col Meiklejohn to his wife.

    "We are attacked by fanatics almost every night," wrote Col Meiklejohn in one of his daily letters to his wife.

    But even though he was responsible for the fort and the surrounding military outposts, he still found time to reassure her that their young daughter was safe and well.

    But it was Meg's nanny who was responsible for writing to Mrs Meiklejohn about their daughter's safety.

    "My dear Mrs Meiklejohn, just a line in a hurry to let you know that Miss Meggie is quite well, covered in prickly heat... But do not worry a bit about your dear baby girl, you must know that we are quite safe," the letter said.

    "In retrospect, her nanny may have understated the seriousness of the situation," Mr Tottenham told the BBC News website.

    "These papers provide a fascinating personal and first-hand insight into events on the ground at the time.

    "They are a historian's dream, and show that the forefathers of the Taleban were every bit as ruthless as they are today."

    Read more here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6176805.stm
    "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."
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