Armies of the Raj

During the Second World War, Byron Farwell (1921–1999) served as a captain of engineers attached to the Mediterranean Allied Air Force in the British Eighth Army area.

"With a profusion of anecdotes conveying the character of India under British rule, Farwell offers a panoramic survey of the Indian army during the 90 years between the Sepoy Revolt and the births of independent India and Pakistan. . . . Farwell is particularly entertaining on the subjects of polo playing, tiger hunting, pig-sticking and promiscuous romancing—all popular forms of relaxation for army men. Other matters of interest include discussion of the Sikhs, whose innate ferocity was fully exploited by the British, and an account of the 1919 massacre at Amritsar—a catalytic event that convinced many that the British would never accept Indians as equals."