Bengal Railway

[Guest freddydavis]

Hello

I'm new to this forum.

My grandfather instead of going to France in 1914 was sent to work on the Bengal Railway, eventually returning home about 1920.

1. Quite simply, why?

2. Would he have been part of the British Army or would he have been part of the Indian Army?

The Anglo-Russian peace agreement (1905?) should have finished the Great-Game in India. Militarily the British government shouldn't have expected trouble in Bengal.

So why send valuable men to India for the Great War.

I have some photos and he seems to have had a wonderful time.

John

[tintin1689]

The Russian Army would had to have turned in an exemplary performance to menace Bengal

After the Indian Mutiny of 1857 an extensive investigation was conducted and it was found one of the reasons it was so destructive was the shortage of European troops. It was agreed they would not be allowed to fall below a certain figure (which I believe was 60,000 odd).

With the Great War becoming more serious the original BEF no longer sufficed. The regular troops were called home from Egypt, where the 42nd Division of the TA was sent, and the regulars in India were replaced by the 43rd, 44th and 45th Divisions

European troops were very valuable in communal disturbances as they would be impartial not being particularly interested in the Moslem/Hindu thing. When Turkey joined the war there was some disquiet as to the situation in the Moslem area as the Sultan of Turkey was also the Caliph

In Bengal the railways were particular strategically valuable. The Assam Bengal Railway - tea and jute shipped out of Chittagong. The East India Railway - coal out of Calcutta. Eastern Bengal Railway - indigo, oilseed, sugar and rice out of Calcutta. There were some very large and vulnerable bridges. The Railways had their own paramilitaries also.

[Archer]

The Railways had their own paramilitaries also

A rather modern word for what was - at least at the start of the war, the Indian Volunteer Force.

The railway companies did indeed have battalions of Volunteers associated with their railways.

Many of the other ranks of the Railway Battalions were Anglo-Indian railway employees (also referred to in earlier times as 'Eurasians'). Often these men came from Railway villages built by the Railway companies along the line and populated virtually exclusively by Anglo-Indian families.

Officers would be drawn from the managers of the railway company - chiefly railway engineers.

The units were used to secure the internal lines of communication (the railways) in the event of a popular uprising. They were occasionally called out "in support of the civil power" to deal with local riots.

In 1917 the Indian Volunteer Force was re-organised as the Indian Defence Force and then in 1920 (if memory serves me) into the Auxiliary Force (India).

Natives of India ("Indians") could not join the Volunteer Force before 1917. When the Indian Defence Force came into being, some openings were made for them.

I have never yet heard of someone being sent to work on the Bengal Railway, if by 'sent' you mean ordered or posted.

But grandfather could have been recruited to work on the railways and perhaps joined a Battalion of the Volunteer Force / IDF as a volunteer.

British War Medals, 1914-18 are known to the Volunteers. They also qualified for Long Service medals after 20 years' service.

William

[Guest freddydavis]

Dear all

Thanks for the replies, you've provided many clues. I suspect that the received family version of his life is probably not the real one.

john

[Matthew B.]

John,

Just a note, but a number of Territorial Battalions were sent to India in 1914 to release regular battalions from garrison duty. Just a thought.

Matthew B.