Indian Newspapers

[jon_armstrong]

Does anyone know of any online newspaper resources for British India in around 1920?

An officer from the village I'm researching survived the war, only to be murdered on a train in India on his way to take up a position with the Indian Army in May 1920. He was Colonel Arthur Tufnell. He died in Calcutta, but there was also talk of taking a suspect to Bombay.

I've found three articles in The Times (London) and six or seven in The Straits (Singapore) which give details of the murder and the immediate aftermath - post mortem, search for suspects, etc. However, the coverage just sort of drifts off at the point where they have a good suspect.

Ideally I'd like to find out if they ever convicted anyone and what happened in the investigation. I would guess my best chance is finding a newspaper article, but a little time on Google hasn't thrown up anything particularly promising in the way of online resources.

Do any pals have any experience of researching British men's time in India and know of any useful resources?

Thanks in advance.

[high wood]

There is a book called something like, "The Punjab mail train murder" which I have somewhere which tells the story of a British army officer murdered on a train after the Great War. I seem to remember that the officer came from a village in Devon and that the book was written by a medal collector. I will try and locate the book.

I believe that the National Newspaper library at Colindale has some foreign newspapers but I am not sure if they are online; I would imagine that they probably aren't because of the sheer numbers of newspapers printed.

[high wood]

It looks as if his medals came up for auction at DNW in 2000.

An interesting C.M.G. group of eight awarded to Brigadier-General A. W. Tufnell, Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment, murdered on the Punjab Mail Train in May 1920

The Order of St. Michael and St. George, C.M.G., breast badge converted for neck wear, silver-gilt and enamels, in its Garrard & Co case of issue; India General Service 1895-1902, 2 clasps, Punjab Frontier 1897-98, Tirah 1897-98 (Lieut., 1st Bn. Ryl. W. Surr. Regt.); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 6 clasps, Cape Colony, Tugela Heights, Orange Free State, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laing’s Nek (Lieut., Rl. W. Surr. R.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (Capt., The Queen’s); 1914-15 Star (Lt. Col., The Queen’s R.); British War and Victory Medals, with oak leaf M.I.D. (Brig. Gen.); French Legion of Honour, Knight’s breast badge, silver and enamels, the group mounted Court style as worn, some contact marks, otherwise generally good very fine (8) £1000-1200

Footnote

C.M.G. London Gazette 3 July 1916.

M.I.D. London Gazette 22 September and 11 December, 1915, and 6 March 1916.

Arthur Wyndham Tufnell was born on 16 February 1872, educated at Eton and Sandhurst, and joined the Royal West Surrey Regiment in 1891. He first saw active service in India, being engaged in the Tirah campaign of 1897-98. In the South African War he served first with the Natal Field Force under Sir Redvers Buller, and took part in all the operations for the relief of Ladysmith, being severely wounded at the action of Colenso. Later he served in the Transvaal and Orange River, gained several mentions in despatches and promotion to Major in May 1900. Returning home, he passed the Staff College in 1904, was attached to the General Staff, War Office, for two years, then from 1906-10 to the General Staff of the Scottish Command, and from 1912-14 was General Staff Officer, East Lancashire Division.

On the outbreak of the Great War he was given the temporary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and went out with his division to the Dardanelles, where he was wounded in July 1915. He was afterwards transferred to France, commanded the 126th Infantry Brigade, and in 1916 was appointed to the Staff of the 68th Division, being raised to the rank of Colonel and later Brigadier-General. He left England in January 1920 to take up an appointment in India, where he met his death in mysterious circumstances in May 1920. General Tufnell was travelling from Darjeeling to Simla, and was the only occupant of a carriage on the Punjab Mail Express. He was found lying unconscious with head wounds at Burdwan Station, 70 miles from Calcutta. He was taken back to Calcutta and to hospital where he died on the 17th May.

The group is accompanied by a large quantity of related documents and effect, including Warrant and Statutes for C.M.G.; three M.I.D. Certificates; Diploma for the Legion of Honour; two portrait photographs; black Staff Officer’s tunic with regimental buttons and medal ribbons; red Mess tunic and trousers, with regimental badges and buttons, both jackets with name tags; a Staff Officer’s waist belt, red leather with gilt lace and Victorian waist belt buckle; a framed pastel caricature and several contemporary news cutting reporting his murder. See Lot 685 for his group of miniature dress medals.

[jon_armstrong]

Thank you.

I suspect this one will be difficult to track down. The newpapers initially attributed the murder to "natives", but later a Charles Richard Lewis, said to be a deserter from the army, was arrested. The last mention I can find they were still trying to build a case against him -- they thought he had an accomplice they couldn't find, and they were trying to recover Tufnell's stolen watches.

I found some information on the Punjab Mail Train Murder book, but it seems this was about the later murder of a different officer in 1931.

[TGM]

On 11/29/2011 at 10:51, jon_armstrong said:

Thank you.

I suspect this one will be difficult to track down. The newpapers initially attributed the murder to "natives", but later a Charles Richard Lewis, said to be a deserter from the army, was arrested. The last mention I can find they were still trying to build a case against him -- they thought he had an accomplice they couldn't find, and they were trying to recover Tufnell's stolen watches.

I found some information on the Punjab Mail Train Murder book, but it seems this was about the later murder of a different officer in 1931.

 

Another serviceman - Lieut. Col. Kennedy was killed in similar circumstances in 1923!

[Richard Tufnell]

I do not know if Jon Armstrong is still interested in my Cousin, Arthur Wyndham Tufnell. I can expand on the above. His daughter Star Tufnell left me various papers and a considerable number of B & W photographs. I believe he was the last British officer to evacuate Gallipoli, and I also have that article.

[Moonraker]

Welcome, Richard

 

Jon hasn't visited us since November 2018. I've just sent him a private message, which he may or may not pick up.

[Richard Tufnell]

Moonraker - 

   Many thanks for your note, Jon has reappeared and I have sent him a lengthy piece copied from his letter to his wife concerning his role in the evacuation from Gallipoli. It was reproduced years ago by the Royal British Legion.

   Warm regard,

Richard

[Richard Tufnell]

Dear All - 

   As I'm new to 'Forum contributions' perhaps I should also post here as well as my personal reply. If this is incorrect, please inform.

 

Dear Jon,

   Thank you for replying. I knew his only daughter, Star Tufnell, well. She was only four when he was killed. She left me his medals, photographs and other bits and pieces. She never married and reached a high position in the military. I also remember his mother, Daisy Tufnell, who almost reached 100 and had the misfortune to marry two Tufnell's.

 This post lists a good summary of his career, but in the family we understood he was also ADC to Sir William Redvers Buller. I have an interesting photograph of him sitting cross legged with senior British Officers and some decidedly shaggy looking Boers, taken I believe close to the armistice.

   After he was attacked on the train, he briefly recovered consciousness but  was unable to describe his attacker. He said that the man had swung in off the roof through the window. No-one was was ever arrested for the crime, although huge efforts were made across large swathes of India to trace the attacker.  The CID report says he had some 35 injuries, the most serious of which was a catastrophic skull fracture caused by a heavy blunt weapon. Fingerprints of the attacker were found - one set being on a Bradshaws Railway Guide. Possibilities of their belonging to anyone else were eliminated. Because blood was found scattered in the carriage it was assumed a struggle took place. My cousin appeared to have been struck initially through the carriage window, which may well have hindered his ability to defend himself. A gold watch and chain, some R's 300 and another silver watch appeared to have been taken, but all else remained. Two Europeans were seen struggling together on the train some time later, and the strong suspicion was that one of them was the murderer. However, the culprit or culprits were never traced despite extensive efforts lasting many months.

 

I now will copy in full a letter he sent to  his wife Daisy Tufnell on January 11th 1916 as Brigadier General, 4 Q 126th Infantry Brigade, 42nd Division BEMF.  concerning the evacuation from Gallipoli.

 

 " Life has been such a whirl , the last week that I only know I've written you one letter from on board HMS Triad, and I really don't know what I've told you and what I haven't, so, if i'm guilty of repeating myself you must forgive me. I was originally left behind as Principal Military Landing Officer to supervise the embarkation of one division at Gully Beach. All was desperately secret . There were only five people on the peninsular entrusted with the secret of the evacuation being decided upon, and I had some difficulty in getting permission to tell my general why I was remaining. Eventually they decided to only evacuate 700 men at Gully Beach, owing to the exposed position there; so I handed over the job to a lesser star and was given command of the "covering force" which was sent to act as a rearguard to protect the others while they embarked. I was then sent to live at corps headquarters."

   I think we all felt confident that the Turkish infantry would not come on and attack :  but we did expect a very severe shelling and at this time of the year the weather was a serious risk as all the beaches are so exposed. The 8th was the night decided upon; and although the day produced a calm sea,there was a southerly wind and a steadily falling barometer, which was a great anxiety. However, they decided to go through with it, and as we always expect the worst weather of the year about January 14th, to miss a chance might have put it off for weeks, or even a couple of months.

   I can't ell you how many men and guns had to be embarked as the censor would object, but it was many thousands, and it was decided to go the whole operation in one night. If we weakened our force in preliminary night the and we were attacked the next day, we might have been  in the soup. Our division had already been cleared and been relieved by another. Preparations were very full and complete. As there was no moon the paths had to be very carefully marked with wire and posts. Communication trenches not intended for use were blocked with sandbags. A steep zig-zag path down to the cliffs was fenced with a balustrade  and all the supplies we could not hope to move were saturated with parafin and tar ready to light at the last moment.

   At 5 PM we began to thin out the men in the trenches bringing them back gradually in small batches, some of them for a five mile maour trenches were only ao or twenty yards from the Turks and there the mens feet had to be muffled in sandbags, and the last left the firing line at 11.45 PM. In places rifles and very lights were rigged with cans attached to the trigger, in to which water poured gradually through a small hole so that as soon as there was a weight of about 7lbs. it would pull the trigger and the rifle would go off. In this way our men would appear to be firing from the trenches long after they has left them.

   It didn't seem possible that the Turks could have any doubts as to our intentions. In the first place there was increased activity in shipping for several days and nights before while supplies, baggage, guns,, and horses were being removed. Besides this my covering forces had to dig a new line of trenches, with a barbed wire entanglement right across the peninsula, about half a mile from Cape Helles: and this could be easily recognised from the top of Achi Baba. The only thing the Turk could be in any doubt about was the date and I expect he had up his mind that we should not attempt it on the 8th with the glass going down. We had very little rain for some days previously, which was a great help, as the tracks and communications trenches were not slippery - a great consideration, as it is clay everywhere.

   They began to thin out the men in the front trenches at 5AM and kept continually withdrawing until 11 PM, by which time our trenches were absolutely empty, and it only remained to be seen how long the Turks would take to find out. All worked like clockwork; nobody lost their way, nobody was forgotten and the different batches kept arriving punctually at the beaches where they were to embark. They had about four and a half miles to come back to the beach. Everything went on satisfactorily until after midnight, but the falling barometer was constantly on our minds, and kept us constantly anxious and about this time the anxiety was growing    for although there was little increase in wind there was a constantly increasing swell. We had a little opposite corps HQ office, from which we were to be taken off by a naval picket boat at the last moment; and at about 1.30 the sailors came and told us that this could not be used as they were having considerable difficulty in loading the remaining guns onto the lighters.

   "Two or three torpedo boats were to be used, each of which can stow about 1000 men but the bulk of the troops were put on to motor lighters which carry about  425, and as these have iron decks practically awash they are very dependant  on fine weather, for after the troops have got aboard from the piers, they have to be transferred to the troop carrying ships. These motor lighters are known as 'beetles' as they are rather like these insects.

   Conditions were getting worse every hour; in fact, every ten or fifteen minutes made a difference, and one of the piers was already hors de combat. Still, we were quite confident of success as the Turks showed no signs of activity and all was working well up nto schedule time. At 2.30 am we got news which gave us furiously to think. One of the two lighters lighters at Gully Beach had gone aground, and all efforts to get her afloat were unavailing. The one available was filled to the brim, but there remained 160 men with no means of transport. The only thing to do was to march this party down to one of the main beaches (a distance of two miles), where the embarkation had been practically finished. It was no use risking one thousand men to save 160, so the bulk of my covering force was called in then, leaving only fifty men to cover the withdrawal of the belated party, and these were all duly embarked. Had things worked out at Gully Beach as they did at the other place we should have completed with a comfortable margin. But the withdrawal of the belated party in the dark, by a road which had not been reconnoitred, took nearly one and a half hours, and it was a very critical time, for it was beginning to blow hard, and failure to embark would mean a ticket (single not return) to Constantinople. However, they did eventually reach their destination, and began to fill up the last lighter, together with the last fifty men of the covering force, which I then withdrew.

   The little temporary pier which had been rigged up for us was quite unpracticable by this time, so we made for number one pier on the main beach, where we were told our steam boat was to take us off. But when we walked halfway down it we found only odd floating barrels in the swell; the centre of it no longer existed, so we went to number 2. There the last lighter was loading, and we went over the lighter onto the steamboat and cast off at 3.53 AM; the lighter getting away at 4.05 am and now the fireworks began. Arrangement had been made to light the bonfires destroying the surplus stores at 4.00 am: this was done by winding an inflammable fuse round an ordinary candle, which burned at the rate of an inch an hour so that the fuse ignited as soon as the required length of candle had burned. The first flared up punctually at 4.00 am and the others at 4.05, 4.07 and at 4.10 the magazine went up with a terrific report. Eight guns had been previously blowsn up. They were obliged to keep a certain amount to the last, and those selected were badly worn out.

   We had a horrible passage  on the steamboat, and I felt nearly ready to die! But a mile out, we got alongside the HMS Triad, the Admirals yacht, and climbed aboard with some difficulty. I was too overcome to bother about my kit, and trusted that the boats crew would see to this; but they betrayed my hopes, as they were evidently too much occupied to think of such trifles. I soon found i was minus my haversack (containing revolver) electric lamp, and oil skin coat; next day I recovered all except the havesack, which i am confident i will never see again. I sent all my other kit some days in advance with the exception of one blanket and Gillette razor.

   Now we had the welcome sight of a clean white tablecloth and a glass of champagne, and at 5.30 we tumbled into bunks and slept til eight. On waking we found ourselves in Tenbros harbour and a jolly good breakfast waiting for us.

   This was 9th January, and at 12.30 I went off in a picket boat to HMS Chatham, as I had the offer of a passage to Mudros, where my brigade was. It was a horrid sou'wester, but I thought it would be silly to miss the chance of going in a good ship like that, as the only alternative would have been the open deck of a trawler, and a six or eight hour journey, whereas the Chatham cold do it in about three and a half hours. Excellent lunch (cold pheasant) in the Captains cabin, and at 2.30 we got under weigh. It was no fun as it was an absolute dead wind, and she fairly put her nose into it. Sofa, armchairs and even the captains bed, contained the limpest of figures - three generals, a naval captain, and a general staff officer. About 5.45 PM we anchored in Mudros harbour, and as it was late, I transferred to SS Aragon and stayed the night there. The next day i joined my brigade on shore and then I felt that was the end of the evacuation of Helles. 

   "But my kit was a sad matter for more than half of it was missing; some was recovered during the next two days, the rest must either be altogether lost, or have gone in a ship to Alexandria direct. What are missing are all my thin clothes, including khaki and drill, camp table and chair. Time will show. This was 10th January, on 14th January my brigade sailed for Alexandria in the SS Allantian, and interest now centres on what is to be our destination in Egypt.

   14th January, - Here i am on board a ship, and we expect to sail for Egypt early tomorrow. I have the whole of my brigade on board and several other smaller lots as well. I am in command of the troops. This seemed rather a bore at first, as it means a certain amount poof work; but when i saw my cabin, boredom gave place to satisfaction, for i am in real luxury - a regilar suite with bathroom, bridge and writing tables, armchairs galore, and Bartolozzi prints on the walls. There's only one such other on the ship Occupied by the corps commander.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AlexM]

Dear Richard. 

Fascinating to read this. 

Earlier today I bought a book and it has your relations coat of arms in it, and it looks as if Arthur has signed it too. 

While looking into this I found myself here. 

Alex. 

 

[MaureenE]

The images recently posted are not displaying for me. Could they be reposted?

Maureen

[AlexM]

3 hours ago, MaureenE said:

The images recently posted are not displaying for me. Could they be reposted?

Maureen

If they still aren't showing may I suggest trying another device. 

[Richard Tufnell]

Dear Alex - 

   Thank you very much for letting me know you have this. How long have you had the book? 

   Daisy was Arthur's first wife - she was left a widow with a little girl when he was killed in India in 1920. Daisy then had the misfortune to marry another Tufnell, but the marriage was annulled.  She died in 1965 (I think) just a few days short of her hundredth birthday. Star, her daughter followed her a few years later, having looked after Daisy for most of her adult life. 

   His parents were Bishop and Mrs Tufnell, he was the first Bishop of Brisbane.

[Kath]

Fascinating!!

Thanks to all contributers.

Kath.

[AlexM]

Thank you for your reply Richard. 

I've only had the book since Tuesday morning. 

I found it in the British Heart Foundation shop in Union St (Glasgow). 

I was initially drawn to it as it featured a female lead character in a detective role. Quite unique for the time. 

The author was mentioned in the HG Wells novel The Time Machine, and he was a friend and neighbour of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Semi forgotten now, but quite the groundbreaking gentleman when he was alive. 

The family connection to yourself has just been an added bonus. 

Other than myself a few friends have spent hours trawling the Internet finding out as much as we can. Your response is of course very welcome as it makes it all so much more personal. 

[MaureenE]

16 hours ago, AlexM said:

If they still aren't showing may I suggest trying another device. 

Thanks for reposting.  I was able to see these when I changed browsers (from Safari to Chrome), although strangely I had no problems with the images in  Richard Tufnell's post which followed, and I generally don't have problems with Safari.

Maureen

[Andrew Wells]

Yesterday I was trying to discover more about the Tufnell family and particularly Arthur Wyndham Tufnell so it was a real bonus to find this chat on GWF which I have now joined.

Richard, if you're still on the forum, AWT's wife Daisy (Frances Mary Adelaide) was the daughter of my great-grandfather's second cousin, Captain John Campion Wells RN (so not closely related to me!) but my grandfather and then my father knew Daisy and Star and I remember having tea with them at Odiham in the 1960s.  She and my grandfather (Reginald W, unusually a Great War chaplain Army then RN) corresponded on family matters and I have inherited his extensive papers including interesting information on Daisy's branch of the family.    I was most interested to put flesh onto AWT's skeletal biography especially his fascinating long letter to Daisy which throws much light on a difficult campaign.  I didn't know that her second marriage was annulled, nor that Star had a military career.  It would be interesting to know more about these.  I'm pretty sure Daisy was alive, approaching 100, when I married in 1974 and we know her great niece Angela well.  Another connection - my son's father-in-law is a great-grandson of Maria, daughter of John Jolliffe Tufnell, of Langleys, Essex, identified when we were trying to find out more about the portrait of a Jolliffe daughter who married a Wells, this time a first cousin of my great-grandfather.

Grant Allen's book is an intriguing find in itself, its provenance a bonus.

This is rather digressing from the Great War but it would be interesting to know more and how your were related to AWT.  Happy to correspond by email to spare other members non-military discussion!

Andrew Wells

 

[Michelle Young]

Welcome to the forum. @Richard Tufnell last visited the forum in 2021. My tag may alert him to your post.

[Andrew Wells]

Yesterday I was trying to discover more about the Tufnell family and particularly Arthur Wyndham Tufnell so it was a real bonus to find this chat on GWF which I have now joined.

Richard, if you're still on the forum, AWT's wife Daisy (Frances Mary Adelaide) was the daughter of my great-grandfather's second cousin, Captain John Campion Wells RN (so not closely related to me!) but my grandfather and then my father knew Daisy and Star and I remember having tea with them at Odiham in the 1960s.  She and my grandfather (Reginald W, unusually a Great War chaplain Army then RN) corresponded on family matters and I have inherited his extensive papers including interesting information on Daisy's branch of the family.    I was most interested to put flesh onto AWT's skeletal biography especially his fascinating long letter to Daisy which throws much light on a difficult campaign.  I didn't know that her second marriage was annulled, nor that Star had a military career.  It would be interesting to know more about these.  I'm pretty sure Daisy was alive, approaching 100, when I married in 1974 and we know her great niece Angela well.  Another connection - my son's father-in-law is a great-grandson of Maria, daughter of John Jolliffe Tufnell, of Langleys, Essex, identified when we were trying to find out more about the portrait of a Jolliffe daughter who married a Wells, this time a first cousin of my great-grandfather.

Grant Allen's book is an intriguing find in itself, its provenance a bonus.

This is rather digressing from the Great War but it would be interesting to know more and how your were related to AWT.  Happy to correspond by email to spare other members non-military discussion!

Andrew Wells

 

5 hours ago, Michelle Young said:

Welcome to the forum. @Richard Tufnell last visited the forum in 2021. My tag may alert him to your post.

Many thanks Michelle.  Let's hope Richard sees this.  

I hope this reaches you - I replied hours ago but my answer seems to have disappeared. Sndrew