India and WWI: balancing demands of war with defence of Empire

[Adam Prime]

Here is a post I wrote for a blog ran by The London School of Economics called 'India at LSE' who approached me as they wanted to commission some FWW related posts and were aware of my research.

This short piece is part of a larger future project I intend on undertaking looking at the defence of India during the FWW.

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/indiaatlse/2014/08/20/india-and-wwi-balancing-the-demands-of-war-with-the-defence-of-empire/

[centurion]

You appear to be conflating India and Empire and internal unrest with external threat. Essentially there was no external threat to India (and indeed very little to most of the Empire) from 1907 to 1919. The only significant military operations in the empire or on its borders other than actions against the Central Empires from 1902 to 1919 involved Tibet, a revolt against the Sultan of Oman, Dervish incursions in Somaliland, a localised Nigerian revolt and the occupation of Sollum, being handled in the main by The Indian Army, The Nigerian Regiment and the Egyptian Army. Yes there was unrest along the NWF (when isn't there?) but defence expenditure in this area had dropped to 6% of pre 1902 levels.I feel that if your title was stability of India (or words to that effect) rather than defence of empire it would make more sense.

[Adam Prime]

First thing is to say I didn't chose the title myself and I was given a 1,000 word limit but that isn't important.

The issue isn't the actual military operations but the perceived threat. The British were aware of missions sent from both Constantinople and Berlin with the intention of stirring up anti-British sentiment in Asia. Likewise, the Ottoman Sultan declared jihad in 1914 with the intention of encouraging the Muslims of the British Empire to rise up. For the authorities in British India this was a creditable threat in 1914.

Through my research I have also discovered that as the capitulation of Kut loomed the British Government took renewed interest in the defence of India, fearing again such a defeat would encourage Muslims to rise up and declare a jihad.

[bushfighter]

Well done Adam

You are one of the few members of this Forum who shares research pieces.

I personally think that there is a lot more to discover and say on this subject, and I look forward to your larger project.

Harry

[centurion]

The fear of a 2nd mutiny pre-dates WW1 and appears to emanate mainly from the Secretary of State for India Viscount Morley. It was a fear not shared by either Kitchener or Curzon but as his biographer Col Morgan wrote in 1925 Morely was "the most autocratic Secretary for India ever reigned at Whitehall" and never listened to advice from anyone (I suspect he was reincarnated as one of my old bosses). It was Morely who stymied Haldane's attempt to bring back a number of garrisons from India to boost the Expeditionary Force to 3 Corps (an idea first floated by Broderick). Haldane makes a sarcastic comment on this in the Commons (recorded in Hansard).

I sympathise over the word restriction - I'm currently attempting to describe the formation and structure of the BEF as it went to war in 1914 in 4,000 words which is t least 500 words too few

[Steven Broomfield]

Out of interest, slightly off-topic but, I hope, relevant, I am currently reading Lloyd's recent book on the Amritsar Massacre, which seems to go into a fair amount of detail on the situation in India leading up to those tragic events.

I merely mention this as an aside to the conversation, and have not yet got far enough in to make any form of cogent opinion, but certainly looks like n interesting read.

[Guest]

The fear of a 2nd mutiny pre-dates WW1 and appears to emanate mainly from the Secretary of State for India Viscount Morley. It was a fear not shared by either Kitchener or Curzon but as his biographer Col Morgan wrote in 1925 Morely was "the most autocratic Secretary for India ever reigned at Whitehall" and never listened to advice from anyone (I suspect he was reincarnated as one of my old bosses). It was Morely who stymied Haldane's attempt to bring back a number of garrisons from India to boost the Expeditionary Force to 3 Corps (an idea first floated by Broderick). Haldane makes a sarcastic comment on this in the Commons (recorded in Hansard).

I sympathise over the word restriction - I'm currently attempting to describe the formation and structure of the BEF as it went to war in 1914 in 4,000 words which is t least 500 words too few

I would be interested to read your article/essay on the BEF when it is done. 4,000 words is indeed rather restrictive. MG

[Terry_Reeves]

Adam

Thanks for sharing your research, it is a subject that seems to have been forgotten. For what it is worth I agree with your post no 3 about Turco-German interference in the region and the British view of it.

TR

[Adam Prime]

Well done Adam

You are one of the few members of this Forum who shares research pieces.

I personally think that there is a lot more to discover and say on this subject, and I look forward to your larger project.

Harry

Thanks, given some of the comments above I am not surprised that people keep things to themselves!

The fear of a 2nd mutiny pre-dates WW1 and appears to emanate mainly from the Secretary of State for India Viscount Morley. It was a fear not shared by either Kitchener or Curzon but as his biographer Col Morgan wrote in 1925 Morely was "the most autocratic Secretary for India ever reigned at Whitehall" and never listened to advice from anyone (I suspect he was reincarnated as one of my old bosses). It was Morely who stymied Haldane's attempt to bring back a number of garrisons from India to boost the Expeditionary Force to 3 Corps (an idea first floated by Broderick). Haldane makes a sarcastic comment on this in the Commons (recorded in Hansard).

I don't recall saying Kitchener did hold fears of a second mutiny.

[centurion]

Thanks, given some of the comments above I am not surprised that people keep things to themselves!

I don't recall saying Kitchener did hold fears of a second mutiny.

No the point I thought I was making was that was Morely's fear and unsupported by Kitchener and Curzon.