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Reference ●
Last
updated: 11-March-2009
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If there
are any technical problems, factual inaccuracies or things you have to add,
then please
contact the group under info@calcutta1940s.org
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There are large number of museums, galleries,
archives and websites which also deal with aspects of relevance to 1940s
Calcutta. Have a look and perhaps one of
them is easily accessible to you as well.
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http://www.indianmuseum-calcutta.org
This museum was established in 1878 on
Jawaharlal Nehru Road. The museum is built in Italian architectural style and
is considered as the largest museum in the country and one of the best in Asia.
The largest museum in the country, the museum has six sections: Art,
Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology, Zoology and Industry (economic botany).
From the Egyptian mummy to the skeleton of the whale and some rare statues; the
museum has every thing. One of the rooms has a collection of meteorites. The
museum also has a unique fossil collection of prehistoric animals which
includes a giant crocodile and a huge tortorise. The
art collection has many fine pieces from Orissa and
other temples and superb example of Buddhist Gandharan
art.
Address:
Indian Museum
27 Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Calcutta 700016, India
Telephone : +91-(0)33- 249 9902, 9979, 8948, 8931
Fax : +91-(0)33-249 5699
E-Mail :
imbot@cal2.vsnl.net.in
Opening times:
Open : March to November (10.00 a.m. to 5.00
p.m.)
December to February (10.00 a.m. to
4.30 p.m.)
Closed for the public : Every Mondays, Republic Day
(26th January), Holi 10th March 2001, Independence
Day (15th August), Mahatma Gandhiji's birth day (2nd
October), Dusshera or Vijaya
Dashami (26th October 2001), Diwali
(14th Novenber 2001) Id- ul-fitr,
(17th December, 2001)
http://www.rabindrabharatimuseum.org/
The rambling old Tagore
House is a centre for Indian dance, drama, music and other arts. This is the
birthplace of Rabindranath Tagore,
India's greatest poet, and his final resting place. It's just off Rabindra Sarani, north of BBD Bagh. There is a daily Bengali sound- and-light show at 6
and 7 pm.
Collection: Paintings of Tagore,
photographs, personal effects, books, journals, tapes and disc records.
Address:
6/4 Dwarkanath Tagore Lane, KOLKATA (Calcutta) 700007, West Bengal, India
Tel: +91-(0)31-2345241
Opening times:
10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. - 1.30 p.m
Closed on Sundays,
government holidays and university holidays.
Established in 1942. Preserves personal
collections of Tagore as well as gifts made or him
form India and abroad. The Museum consists of a library section containing
manuscripts of Rabindranath, letters to and from Rabindranath, books on and by Rabindranath
and a general section comprising paintings, photographs, cine-films and
voice-records of the poet.
Address:
Viswa Bharati
SANTINIKETAN, district : Birbhum, West Bengal, India
Opening times:
10.30 - 13.00; 14.00 - 16.30, Mondays to Thursdays;
10.30 - 13.00 Tuesdays. Closed - Wednesdays.
Established in 1961. Has a large collection of photographs
portraying Gandhiji's life, particularly his peace
mission to Naokhali; also photostat
of letters to Gandhiji from different countries,
letters written by him, a large number of press cuttings and bulletins and tape
recordings of reminiscences of Mahatmaji. Has a good
library of Gandhian literature.
Address:
4, Riverside Road, Barrackpur,
District :24-Parganas, BARRACKPUR 170, West Bengal,
India.
Opening times:
12.00 - 18.00 (April - October), 11.00 - 17.00
(November- March) , closed on Wednesdays.
http://www.netaji.org/museum.htm
Collection: Original letters, manuscripts,
paintings, sculpture, original documents and photostat
copies of letters, documents concerning the life, activities and thoughts of Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose and Sarat Chandra Bose.
Address:
Netaji Bhawan,
38/ 2 Lala Lajpat Rai Road, KOLKATA (Calcutta) 700020, West Bengal, India
Tel: +91-(0)31-2473745
Opening times:
12 noon - 6 p.m. Closed on Mondays and declared
holidays.
http://www.victoriamemorial-cal.org/
At the southern end of Maidan stands the Victoria Memorial built between 1906 and
1921 on the lines of the Taj Mahal
in memory of Queen Victoria. This huge white-marble museum houses a vast
collection of memorabilia from the days of British empire.
There are portraits, statues and busts of almost all the main participants in British
India history. Two regular sound and light shows are held in the evening.
Collection: Drawings, busts, statues, manuscripts,
documents, stamps, coins
Address:
1 Queen's Way, KOLKATA (Calcutta) 700071, West Bengal, India
Tel.: +91-(0)31-2 445154
Opening times:
I March to 31 October 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
1 November to 28 February 10
a.m. - 4 p.m. Closed on Mondays and gazetted holidays.
Established under the Treaty of Cession of Chandernagar, 1952 as a cultural centre with a museum, art
gallery, library and auditorium, the Institute today is an important
Indo-French cultural link. The Museum building itself is of historical
importance with relics of French in India along with valuable documents and
relics of local freedom-fighters, bibliographical materials, photographs,
paintings, a few terracotta and other antiquities and fold art objects. Museum
set up in the old French governors mansion, concerning
the history of Chandernagore and its links with
France. One room is dedicated to the
process of decolonisation in the 1940s. Extensive library.
Collection: Relics of French in India and valuable
documents; relics of local fighters, paintings, terracottas,
antiques.
Address:
Institute Chandernagore
The Residency, CHANDERNAGORE, West Bengal, India
Opening times:
Weekdays 4 p.m. - 6.30 p.m.;
Sundays 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed on Thursdays.
http://www.empiremuseum.co.uk/
A new museum about the British Empire. They are also
building up an oral history section.
Address:
British Empire & Commonwealth Museum
Clock Tower Yard, Temple Meads,
BRISTOL BS1
6QH
United Kingdom
Fax: +44 (0)117 9254983
Tel.: +44 (0)117 9254980 plus extension number (see
table below)
General enquiries Lucy Woodward admin@empiremuseum.co.uk Tel. ext: 201
Collections: Oral History archive oral.history@empiremuseum.co.uk Tel. ext: 220
Collections: Film archive Jan Vaughan film@empiremuseum.co.uk Tel. ext: 217
Collections: Photographic archive Joanna Hopkins photo@empiremuseum.co.uk Tel. ext: 216
Collections: Artefacts & documents collections2@empiremuseum.co.uk Tel. ext: 230
Retail & publishing (BECM Press) Simon Boice shop@empiremuseum.co.uk Tel. ext: 205
The Imperial War Museum is unique in its coverage of
conflicts, especially those involving Britain and the Commonwealth, from the
First World War to the present day. It seeks to provide for, and to encourage,
the study and understanding of the history of modern war and 'war-time
experience.'
Address:
Imperial War Museum
Lambeth Road,
LONDON SE1
6HZ
United Kingdom
contact: mail@iwm.org.uk
http://www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/
The National Army Museum is the British Army's own
museum. It is the only museum to tell the story of the Army as a whole from Agincourt in the Fifteenth Century to peace- keeping in the
Twenty-first Century.
Address:
National Army Museum
Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea,
LONDON SW3
4HT
United Kingdom
Tel. +44-(0)20 7730 0717
The
museum covers all aspects of British rule in India. There are a great many
photographs, including a large proportion of a set taken by R B Holmes, of the
1919 Afghan War. Other items include a collection of handmade and painted model
soldiers, stamps, medals, paintings, postcards and uniforms, including those of
Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck. There is a
diorama 'The Last Stand of the 44th at Gandamak'.
Exhibits: Photographs, models, uniforms, paintings
covering all aspects of history of British rule in India, from early 17C to
1947.
Opening hours:
Mon-Sat, February-November
Address:
British in India Museum
Newtown Street
COLNE Lancashire BB8 OJJ
United Kingdom
Tel: +44-(0)1282-613129. Fax: +44-(0)1282-870215
Directions:
By train to Colne, bus
stop within 100 yards of museum. Colne is on the main
road from Burnley to Keighley.
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http://www.nlindia.org/index2.html
The National Library, India is the
largest library in the country. It is an institution of National importance
under the 'Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Government of India'. The library is designated to collect,
disseminate and preserve the printed material produced in the country. The
library is situated on a scenic 30 acres Belvedere Estate, in Kolkata, formerly Calcutta City.
Address:
National Library, Belvedere,
KOLKATA 700027 (Formerly Calcutta) West
Bengal, India
Phone Numbers:
National Library: +91-(0)33-4791381/1384
Fax: +91-(0)33-4791462
Telex: 021-8117
E-mail: nldirector@rediffmail.com
Collection: East India Company's administrative
records from 1770-1858. Persian, Bengali, Dutch, Danish
records.
Address:
6 Bhowani Dutta Lane, Calcutta 700034, West Bengal, India
Tel: +91-(0)31-2347182, +91-(0)31-2341133.
Timings: 10.30 a.n-l.
- 5.30 p.m. Closed on Sundays and government holidays.
Office of the Chief Municipal Officer,
Calcutta Municipal Corporation Main Office
5, S.N. Banerjee
Rd.
First Floor.
KOLKATA
700 013
India
Note that
no Anglo Indians were registered with the Indian Municipality.
Note also
that we have not been able to find out whether the register is open to be
viewed by the public, and what conditions of access might be.
http://www.indev.nic.in/asiatic/index.htm
The Asiatic Society is a famous centre of Indology,
Literature and Scientific Research. It was founded by Sir William Jones in 1784
with Warren Hastings as its first patron. Its library contains about 20000
volumes including about 8000 rare Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and Hindi
manuscripts.
Address:
1 Park Street, Calcutta 700016, West Bengal, India
http://www.indianmuseum-calcutta.org/library.html
The Indian Museum Library houses a vast
collection of some fifty thousand books and journals along with many rare
publications. Books and Journals are available on Museology,
Archaeology, Anthropology, Art etc. Scholars, school and college students can
access the library by becoming members.
Address:
Indian Museum Library
27 Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Calcutta 700016, India
Telephone : +91-(0)33- 249 9902, 9979, 8948, 8931
Fax : +91-(0)33-249 5699
E-Mail: imbot@cal2.vsnl.net.in
Opening times:
10.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. (except Sundays and second
Saturdays of the month and other official holidays.)
Located at St Xavier’s College on Park Street this
Library holds a large a mount of material on Christianity and education in
Calcutta. There is also a photo library
associated with it although this is located elsewhere.
The aims of the NRB are stated as collecting and
preserving all intelligence, documents and manuscripts, books, leaflets,
periodicals, photographs and films, records and other objects and materials - relating
to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. To establish and maintain libraries, museums,
reading rooms, laboratories and archives for the preservation, exhibition and
study of all objects and materials collected by the Bureau and also for such
other general and special purposes as the Bureau may deem fit: to provide the
facilities for students and scholars to research and study the life and work of
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
To promote and encourage the study of and research
about the history of India, her struggle for freedom, its leadership, political
institutions, international relations and allied subjects. and
many more.
Address:
Netaji Research Bureau
Netaji Bhawan,
38/ 2 Lala Lajpat Rai Road, KOLKATA (Calcutta) 700020, West Bengal, India
Tel: +91-(0)31-2473745
Opening times:
12 noon - 6 p.m. Closed on Mondays and declared
holidays.
The 70s the Centre's academic interests revolved
around certain dominant themes such as the economy and politics of
north-eastern India, peasant and popular nationalism in Bengal, the agrarian
and industrial economy of colonial India, and reassessments of the nineteenth
century Bengal Renaissance. Alongside these, there was a strong analytical
interest in contemporary economic and political issues as well as institutions.
In the 80s the focus shifted to issues of trade, industry and labour under
changing economic policies. Major contributions were also made in the field of
social, intellectual and cultural history, including landmark studies on
nationalist thought, and the social and cultural history of Bengal. Some of the
Centre's scholars played a crucial role in the formulation and development of
Subaltern Studies. The Centre was also one of the first places to give due
recognition to gender-based social and economic analysis. In the 90s yet
another area of study started demanding greater attention - film, mass media
and cultural studies. Here, approaches have moved between the historical and
the contemporary, using both archival material as well as non conventional oral
and visual sources.
Resources of the cente
include The Library and the Hitesranjan Sanyal Memorial Collection.
The Library
The library specialises mainly in English language
publications from India, with a discerning selection of foreign publications in
the main areas of the Centre's academic interests. It now has a collection of
over 22,000 books. In spite of financial constraints, the Centre maintains its
subscription to 76 Indian and 73 foreign journals and periodicals. It is also
the depository in Eastern India for all World Bank publications. Some private
collections of books of Calcutta scholars have been gifted to the library over
time. The collection of maps in the library basically refers to Eastern India
with special emphasis on West Bengal and the city of Calcutta. The collection
includes topographical sheets of the Survey of India, maps published by the
National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation, District maps published by
the Directorate of Land Records and historical maps of Calcutta. A full list of
the Occasional Papers is available on request. Apart from collecting documents,
the Centre launched a project of thematic selection of articles from the
Bengali periodicals during the colonial period.
A list of Bangla
Periodicals in the Centre (pdf, 29 Kb) can be found
at:
http://www.iisg.nl/~csssc/pdf/encl2.pdf
The Hitesranjan Sanyal Memorial Collection
http://www.iisg.nl/~csssc/hsmc.html
The
CSSSC's microfilm collection began with the
acquisition of the Indian Census Reports from 1872 to 1952, in microfiche form
distributed by the Inter Documentation Company of Switzerland. Along with this,
a considerable number of microfilm rolls, mainly on the Communist and Labour
Movements, belonging to the Indian Council of Social Science Research, was incorporated in this collection. In addition, there are
a few rolls acquired by the CSSSC from time to time on demand from scholars and
some that were gifted by faculty members. The idea of beginning a microfilm
collection of old and rare printed materials originated from the research needs
of scholars at the CSSSC working on the social and cultural history of Bengal.
Most of these materials located in various old libraries in Calcutta and its
surrounding areas are in a perilous condition of decay and are fast becoming
unusable. In 1993, a project was begun by the CSSSC to preserve in microfilm
old Bengali periodicals containing materials on social history. This was made a
constituent part of a collaborative research project of the CSSSC with Roskilde University, Denmark, and the Centre for Basic
Research, Kampala, funded by DANIDA, on the study of Nationalism, Modernity and
Urban Culture. A major portion of the present collection has been filmed from
the Bangiya Sahitya Parishat library of Calcutta (listed below as BSP). This is
the most exhaustive collection anywhere of 19th and early 20th century Bengali
periodicals. A project is now being undertaken to expand the collection to
include 19th and early 20th century books and other printed materials. The
latest addition to this Archive is the collection of transparencies of 19th and
early 20th century paintings, prints, illustrations and photographs from
Bengal. This is part of an ongoing project of the CSSSC on Hybrid Genres: A
Photographic Archive of Visual Material of the Late 19th and Early 20th Century
in Various Calcutta Collections. This project is funded by the India Foundation
for the Arts, Bangalore.
The Centre is procuring colour transparencies and
corresponding photo negatives of these paintings and photographs for use by
scholars. In recent years the archive started acquisition of old books, mainly
with illustrations, manuscripts and other documents relating to the social
history of Bengal. Enquiries regarding the collection may be sent to Abhijit Bhattacharya at abhijit@csssc.ernet.in
A guide to the Hitesranjan
Sanyal Memorial Collection in PDF format (329 Kb) can
be found at:
http://www.iisg.nl/~csssc/pdf/guide.pdf
Address:
Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta
R-1, Baishnabghata-Patuli
Township,
KOLKATA (CALCUTTA)
700 094
India
Tel.: +91-(0)33-24.66.6472 / 5477
Fax: +91-(0)33-24.66.6958
E-mail: postmast@csssc.ernet.in
E-mail (Abhijit
Bhattacharya): abhijit@csssc.ernet.in
(formerly at: 10 Lake
Terrace, KOLKATA (CALCUTTA), 700 029, India)
“ The National Archives of India
is the repository of the non-current records of the Government of India and is
holding them in trust for the use of administrators and scholars. It is an
Attached Office of the Department of Culture under Ministry of Tourism &
Culture. It was set up in March 1891 in Calcutta (Kolkata)
as the Imperial Record Department and subsequent to the transfer of the
National Capital from Calcutta to New Delhi in 1911 it was shifted to its
present building in 1926. The Department is committed to providing maximum
assistance to scholars, administrators as well as the common man who approach
us in connection with their work. All
enquiries are attended to promptly, and efforts are made to ensure satisfaction
of the concerned person by providing feedback facility to the
scholars/researchers visiting the Research Room.”
One of the most interesting items in their
collections are the documents of the Commission
enquiring into the 1943 Bengal Famine.
All committee members were required to destroy their documents at the
end of the enquiry. Just one of them
secretly kept his set and later donated it to the archives.
Address:
All requests may be addressed to the Director
General of Archives
National Archives of India,
Janpath, NEW DELHI, 110001, India
Website: www.nationalarchives.nic.in
Email: archives@ren02.nic.in
Contact numbers :
+91-(0)11-2338-3436 (Director General of Archives)
+91-(0)11-2338-9027 (Deputy Director of Archives,
Records)
+91-(0)11-2307-3003 (Asstt. Director of Archives, Records)
+91-(0)11-2307-3462 (Research Room)
+91-(0)11-2338-4797 (Public Relations Cell)
Fax No. +91-(0)11-23384127
Pondicherry used to be the capital of
all the French settlements in India.
The
French Institute of Pondicherry is a multidisciplinary
research and advanced educational centre whose scope embraces "Indian
civilisation, history and society, environment and development in South and
South-East Asia".
It is a
resource centre having exceptional collections: specialised libraries,
manuscript collections, photo library, herbarium, pollen library and, more
recently, databases.
The
French Institute is also a centre for scientific production which since its
creation has published nearly 200 books in its own collections: the series of the
Publications of the Departments of Indology, Ecology
and Social Sciences and CD-Roms
in addition to thousands of articles in international journals and books and
scientific reports published elsewhere.
Address:
The French Institute of Pondicherry
11, Saint Louis Street, PONDICHERRY 605 001, India
Website: http://www.ifpindia.org/
Tel : +91-(0)413-334170 / 334168,
Fax: +91-(0)413-339534
E-mail addresses:
Director, Dr. Denis Depommier
- denis.depommier@ifpindia.org
General Secretary, Michel Perraudin
- michel.perraudin@ifpindia.org
Ecology, Dr. Pierre Grard
- pierre.grard@ifpindia.org
- Botany, Dr. B.R. Ramesh
- ramesh.br@ifpindia.org
- Palynology, Dr. Anupama K. - anupama.k@ifpindia.org
- Soil Sciences, Dr. Pierre Curmi
- pierre.curmi@ifpindia.org
Indology, Dr. Francois Grimal - f.grimal@ifpindia.org
Social Sciences, Dr. Patrice Cohen -
patrice.cohen@ifpindia.org
Geomatics, Dr. Danny Lo Seen -
danny.loseen@ifpindia.org
Webmaster, S. Jyotinarayan
- jyotinarayan.s@ifpindia.org
http://www.bl.uk/collections/orientalandindian.html
The Oriental and India Office Collections,
are the focus within the British Library for collecting and providing access to
material relating to all the cultures of Asia and North Africa and the European
interaction with them.
The Oriental and India Office Collections of the British
Library were brought together in 1991. The new department has taken over, from
the old Department of Oriental Manuscripts and Printed Books, responsibility
for the British Library's holdings in the languages of Asia and of north and
north-east Africa covering the humanities and social and political sciences.
The collections of the India Office Library and Records reflect the territorial
interests and activities of the East India Company and the India Office, and
include literature and documents on India, Pakistan, Burma, Bangladesh and
neighbouring countries, Iran and the Gulf states,
South Africa, St Helena, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, China and Japan.
The online catalogue for the British library is
available at:
India Office Select Materials
There are three catalogues for India Office Select Materials via:
http://prodigi.bl.uk/iosm/index.asp
where you can decide to go for the “Private Papers”, “Print & Drawings”
or “Photographs” catalogues.
Private papers
The Private Papers include letters, diaries, memoirs, copies of official
correspondence and papers, photographs, scrapbooks, in fact documents of every
type originating from private sources rather than the official archives. They
relate primarily to the British experience in India in the period 1600-1947,
but there is also some material on neighbouring countries from central Asia to
Indonesia and from Egypt to Japan, and a few collections extend into the
post-colonial period after 1947. Further details are provided elsewhere on this
website.
Prints and drawings
The Prints and Drawings collection includes visual materials (European
drawings, paintings, sculptures, prints, etc.; Indian miniatures and Company
paintings; and various other types of oriental drawings) which were mostly made
or collected in India and the east and which are held in the Prints, Drawings
and Photographs section. There will also be found in the catalogue other
relevant types of visual material, from books of prints, drawings within
private papers, and oriental manuscripts. Further details are provided
elsewhere on this website.
Photographs
The Photographs collection comprises some 250,000 photographs held in
the Prints, Drawings and Photographs section, as well as photographs included
in private papers or mounted in 19th century printed books. While the bulk of
the material relates to India prior to 1947, there are also major collections
from neighbouring areas such as Burma, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Tibet and
Chinese Central Asia. The photographs range from c. 1850 to the mid-20th
century and are particularly strong in archaeological and topographical
material and in the illustration of the British experience in India. Further
details are provided elsewhere on this website.
Address:
The British Library, Oriental and India Office
Collections
96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB, United Kingdom
Tel. +44 (0)20 7412 7873
Fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7641
Email: oioc-enquiries@bl.uk
Viewing the collections
Private Papers may be consulted in the Library's Oriental and India
Office Reading Room at St Pancras in London. The
Reading Room is open Mon, 10.00am-5.00pm; Tue-Sat, 9.30am-5.00pm.
The collections of Prints and Drawings and Photographs can be viewed by
appointment only in the Library's Oriental and India Office Print Room at St Pancras in London. Prospective users must communicate in advance
to make an appointment and to discuss their requirements. 24-hours notice is
required to view photographs.
Before
you go to the OIOC Room be prepared with reader's card (valid only one month),
a £1 coin (for the lockers) and pencils (biros are definitely a no-no) (these
can be purchased in the shop on the ground floor). The microfilm printer is
good but there's only one. So if you need print-outs then don't leave it too
late.
The Print Room is open by appointment: Mon-Fri 10.00am - 12.00pm, 2.00-5.00pm.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7876/7877
Fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7641
E-mail: oioc-prints@bl.uk
http://www.bl.uk/collections/sound-archive/nsa.html
The National Sound Archive holds over a million
discs, 185,000 tapes, and many other sound and video recordings. The
collections come from all over the world and cover the entire range of recorded
sound from music, drama and literature, to oral history and wildlife sounds.
They range from cylinders made in the late 19th century to the latest CD, DVD
and mini-disc recordings. We keep copies of commercial recordings issued in the
United Kingdom, together with selected commercial recordings from overseas,
radio broadcasts and many privately-made recordings.
Address:
The Recorded Sound Information Service, The British Library
National Sound Archive, 96 Euston Road, London NW1
2DB, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7440
Fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7441
E-Mail: sound-archive@bl.uk
Online-Catalogue at:
http://cadensa.bl.uk/cgi-bin/webcat
The catalogue includes entries for almost
two-and-a-half million recordings held in the Sound Archive and is updated
daily. It is one of the largest catalogues of its kind anywhere in the world,
covering both published and unpublished recordings in all genres from pop,
jazz, classical and world music, to oral history, drama and literature,
dialect, language and wildlife sounds.
The catalogue does not contain data about every
single recording in the collection and some subject areas are better
represented than others. If you are unable to find a particular recording or
there is something you don't understand, please contact us either by email or
by telephone/letter.
http://www.bl.uk/collections/newspapers.html
The British Library Newspaper Library catalogue
includes entries for over 52,000 newspaper and periodical titles. The
collections include: all UK national daily and Sunday newspapers from 1801 to
the present; most UK and Irish provincial newspapers, some dating from the
early 18th century onwards; selected newspapers from around the world in
European languages, some dating from the 17th century onwards; and a wide range
of UK and Irish popular periodicals, covering all subjects from fashion, pop
music and cinema, to sports, hobbies and trades.
Each entry in the catalogue contains details of the
title, place of publication and dates held. Please note that titles, which are
listed as being held to date are currently being
received, but issues published in the last few months or years may not yet be
available. Full details of the most recent overseas newspapers held may be
found at www.bl.uk/collections/latest.html. Please contact us for information on
the availability of recent UK newspapers.
Address:
The British Library, Newspaper Library
Colindale Avenue, LONDON NW9 5HE United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7353
Fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7379
Email: newspaper@bl.uk
Opening times: Monday to Saturday, from 10.00 to 16.45,
except on public holidays and certain additional days which are advertised in advance.
Newspaper Library users are strongly advised to
place advance reservations for the material they wish to consult. Up to four
items may be reserved by telephoning the Library on +44 (0)20 7412 7353 or by
emailing BookDelivery-Colindale@bl.uk, preferably 48 hours in advance. Please
note that some material, mainly those titles with shelfmarks
beginning F.Misc or F.2000 onwards, are stored
off-site and must be ordered at least 48 hours in advance.
Online-Catalogue at:
http://prodigi.bl.uk/nlcat/
The Public Record Office (PRO) is the National Archive
of England, Wales and the United Kingdom (as well as their dependent
territories). The PRO holds central government records dating from the domesday book
to the present day. Their aims are to preserve these records and make them
available to future generations.
Address:
Public Record Office,
Ruskin Avenue, Kew
RICHMOND TW9
4DU
United Kingdom.
Telephone Number: +44-(0)20-8876-3444, Fax:
+44-(0)20-8392-5286
Especially helpful is the
Online catalogue at: http://catalogue.pro.gov.uk
A search in the online catalogue for Calcutta
1938-1952 p.ex. found
over 400 entries ranging from Records of the Board of Trade, and Ministry of
Pensions and National Insurance all the way up to the Colonial Office , the
Treasury, the Cabinet Office and even the Special Operations Executive.
http://www.movinghere.org.uk/default.htm
The vision of Moving Here is to celebrate, explore
and record why people came to England, and what their experiences were and
continue to be.
This web site offers online versions of original
material, including photographs, personal papers, government documents, maps
and art objects, as well as a large collection of sound recording and video
clips. You can also see stories and
photographs which have been contributed by members of the public - these are
available from the stories section of this site.
Address:
Moving Here
Public Record Office, Kew, Richmond, Surrey. TW9 4DU, United Kingdom.
Enquiries: enquiry@movinghere.org.uk
Comments about this website: webmaster@movinghere.org.uk
http://www.s-asian.cam.ac.uk/archome.html
Large Archive of India related material.
Address:
Laundress Lane
CAMBRIDGE CB2 1SD
Tel: +44-(0)1223-33.8094
Fax: +44-(0)1223-31.6913
An
archive especially interesting for it’s Central Index
of Merchant Seaman 1913-1941.
Opening
times:
Tuesday
to Friday 9.30 and 16.30 (no appointments needed)
Between
12.30 and 1.30 documents cannot be produced from strong rooms
Monthly
late evening, open until 9.00p.m. (by appointment)
Research
service. A
search of the Central Index costs £5.00 per surname (with a
maximum of 3
individuals for that surname included in this price).
Address:
Southampton
Archives Services
Civic
Centre
Southampton SO14 7LY
United
Kingdom
Tel.:
+44-(0)23-8083-2251
E-mail:
city.archives@southampton.gov.uk
Address:
Anchor
House
Cheviot
Close, Llanishen
CARDIFF CF4 5JA
United
Kingdom
Tel.:
+44-(0)1222-747.333
An
archive especially interesting for it’s Mountbatten papers database.
Opening
times:
see: http://www.library.soton.ac.uk/opening.shtml
Address:
Archives
& Special Collections
University
Library
University
of Southampton
Highfield
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
United
Kingdom
Tel.:
+44-(0)23-8059-2721
Tel.:
+44-(0)23-8059-2720
E-Mail:
archives@soton.ac.uk
A great resource for the study or the history of the
working classes as well as political movement associated with them. Especially interesting to us are the
collections of the Asia Department, amongst which there are the 40 cassettes of
their “Bengal Oral History - Communist, Peasant and Labour Movements of
Bangladesh and India”.
Address:
Cruquiusweg 31
1019 AT AMSTERDAM
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31-(0)20-66.85.866
Fax: +31-(0)20-66.54.181
Email (Asia Department): asia.department@iisg.nl
http://www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/caom/fr/index.html
Situated in Aix-en-Provence (department Bouches-du-Rhône), the Centre des archives d'outre-mer conserves the archives of Frances colonial
history and its presence in Algeria. (the archives
concerning the protectorats Marocco
and Tunisia are conserved at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The material is divided intop
the following groups
- Archives ministérielles (Ministerial archives)
- Fonds ministériels anciens (old ministerial materials before 1815 classed by
series letter (A to K))
- Fonds ministériels modernes antérieurs à 1920 (modern ministerial materials from before 1920 classed
by topic (general, missions.etc.) and by geographical
area (Inde etc..))
- Fonds ministériels modernes postérieurs à 1920 (modern ministerial materials from after 1920
classed by provenance depending on administration of origin)
- Dépôt des papiers publics des colonies (public papers like état
civil, notariat, greffes, recensements, hypothèques)
- Dépôt des fortifications des colonies (colonial
fortifications classed by country)
- Les fonds
rapatriés (repatriated materials)
At independence government files were repatriated
(this does not include functional files on matters like health, infrastructure,
education, finance etc. which were left in place).
The standards of classification depends on territory
and state of progress as sorting is ill ongoing.
For French india
the classifications are the following:
- Fonds de la compagnie des Indes (French East India Company),
- fonds moderne
(modern materials),
- fonds des papiers
publics (public papers classed by letter of series).
- Autres
fonds (other materials)
- the private archives contain the papers of politicians,
civil servants or other persons related to the French colonies etc.
- cartographic
collections: ca. 50 000 maps and plans.
- photographic material ca. 20 000 post cards, plus 60 000
photographs on paper, 15 000 photographic plates, 20 000 negatives, 500
posters, 200 films.
- the library has 100 000 volumes which places the Centre just
behind the Bibliothèque nationale
de France in Paris for items of colonial history.
Address:
Le Centre des Archives d'Outre-Mer
29 chemin du Moulin-Detesta, 13090
Aix-en-Provence FRANCE
Tel.:
+33-04.42.93.38.50
Fax: +33-04.42.93.38.89
E-mail: caom.aix@culture.gouv.fr
Opening times: Mon-Fri 09.00 – 17.00 (first Thursday morning
of every month it opens only at 13.00)
annual closure: 15 days after the
Monday following the 14th July.
Conditions of access:
The Centre des archives d'outre-mer
is open to all French and foreign readers who carry a
photographic proof of identity. It is
advised to telephone first before any visit.
Signing in: After filling in
and inscription form at reception the reader receives a magnetic swipe card
which is needed for all orders of documents. There are three versions of the swipe card
(annual for 20 euros, 7 consecutive days for 5 euros,
and the provisional laissez-passer valid for one day).
Readers who have already paid their
signing in fees at the Centre historique des Archives
nationales in Paris, are exempt from charges at the
Centre des archives d'outre-mer.
The only items allowed in the reading rooms are
sheets of paper, pens and laptops (without bags), all other possession can be
deposited in lockers.
Further details on working at the centre (in French)
at
http://www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/caom/fr/caomsal.html
For état civil documents
less than 100 years old. If you are a direct relative you can demand a copy of
the whole file which is often quite rich in detail.
Documents older then 100 years are kept at the Centre
des Archives d'Outre Mer in
Aix-en-Provence.
Address:
Ministère des Affaires étrangères
Sous direction
de l'état civil.
11, rue de la Maison
Blanche
44941 NANTES CEDEX 09.
Tél: +33 (0)2 51 77 30 30
Fax :+33 (0)2 51 77 36 99
French Army Archives.
Postal Address:
BP
107
F-00481 ARMEES
Visiting Address:
Pavillon des armes
Château de Vincennes
94300 VINCENNES
France
French Navy Archives.
Postal Address:
BP numéro 2
00300 ARMEES
Visiting Address:
Pavillon de la Reine
Château de Vincennes
94300 VINCENNES
France
Documents concerning the
French East India Company.
Postal Address:
Archives du port de Lorient
BP numéro 4
56998 LORIENT Naval
France
http://www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/chan/
This is the visitors centre
of the French national archives.
Note: that due to building work
the centre is closed from summer 2001 to the beginning 2005. A temporary
reading room is set up at:
58, rue de Richelieu, PARIS, France
(basically the “Bibliothèque nationale
de France”’s reading room)
from Monday to Friday 09.00 to
17.45.
for further details consult:
http://www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/chan/chan/notices/Labrouste.html
Official Address:
CARAN
60, rue des Francs-Bourgeois
75141
PARIS Cedex 03
France
Tel. : +33-(0)1.40.27.64.19
Fax : +33-(0)1.40.27.66.28
The LDS have microfilmed records of civil
registration of births, marriages, deaths as well as many church records.
A list of LDS Family History centres can be found at
http://www.genhomepage.com/FHC/fhc.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARCH is working towards the conservation and
awareness of heritage buildings and places.
They campaign for reconciling conservation with development through
initiating community planning and assisting in managing change of urban
environment.
We also have the expertise in the following:
Documentation and Research, Heritage Walks, Restoration and Training Workshops.
Contact:
AA-171A, Salt Lake, Kolkata
700 064, India
Tel.: +91-(0)33-23.37.57.57
Fax: +91-(0)33-23.58.50.85
E-mail: ashmon@cal2.vsnl.net.in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chowringhee
A new list for those interested in memories of old
Calcutta and especially its food is “chowringhee@yahoogroups.com”.
The group home page location is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chowringhee
To subscribe send a message to:
chowringhee-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Do not enter anything in the subject line but in the
body of the message write: subscribe
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
chowringhee-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~clday/bacsa.htm
This is the largest and oldest
organisation related to British India. Whilst its focus is the cemeteries in
India and the rest of South Asia, it often provides useful information for
genealogists in its magazine Chowkidar.
B A C S A is a charity set up in 1976 to
protect European cemeteries in South Asia. There is no statutory body or government
agency with funds to look after these old cemeteries. The Commonwealth War
Graves Commission confines its responsibility to the armed services in the
periods of World War I and II. Therefore, without the support of individuals,
many cemeteries - witness to centuries of European residence in the East -
would quickly disappear. Over the years BACSA has done much towards their
restoration, maintenance and the recording of inscriptions in different parts
of South Asia.
Cemeteries in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and further East have benefited
from BACSA's efforts. Support is given both
financially and practically. Members spend weeks - sometimes months - overseas,
meticulously recording and photographing inscriptions on gravestones and
monuments. This mass of information is housed in a separate archive within the
Oriental and India Office Collections of the British Library and forms the
basis of booklets of cemetery records in particular towns including details of
names, inscriptions and biographical notes - which are published from time to
time for the benefit of members and family historians at large (click here to
see list of publications and cemetery records). There is also an on-going
project to record monumental inscriptions in the UK which have a bearing on the
British connection with South Asia: a note on churches already researched is
available on request.
General meetings open to all members are
held twice a year in London when members receive reports on cemeteries visited
and the progress on various projects. Talks are given on the theme of the
British and the East.
A house journal, 'Chowkidar',
is circulated to members every six months - free of charge - and contains a
section for queries on any matter relating to family history, the whereabouts
or condition of a relative's grave etc, which nearly always brings an answer.
BACSA publishes memoirs and biographies
written by its members, offering fresh insight into the social, military,
business and administrative life of Europeans in the East. They are priced at
approx. £9 each and a book list is available. There is also a twice-yearly list
of second-hand books on oriental subjects donated by members for sale to other
members.
Every summer an outing is arranged to a
place with special oriental connections in different parts of the country, to
give members who would find it difficult to come to London an opportunity to
meet.
Anyone may apply to join the
Association. BACSA has already attracted a large membership of nearly 2,000
which reflects the continuing and wide variety of interest in the
sub-continent. Many current members served out East, while others have family
connections or are drawn by links historical, literary, genealogical,
architectural etc.
They have a list of some very
interesting books for sale at:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~clday/bacsabooks.htm
(with and order form at: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~clday/bookordr.htm
)
Genealogical and History
Magazine in the World about the British in India from 1600 to the 20th century.
Paul Rowland
Editor, The Indiaman
Magazine.
2 South Farm Avenue, Harthill, Sheffield S26 7WY, England.
Tel: +44 (0) 1909 774416.
email: editorial@indiaman.com
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~poyntz/India/FIBIS.html/
This is an association of people who are
interested in tracing their British, European and Anglo-Indian ancestry in
India, and is not just confined to the Raj period.
FIBIS publishes a quarterly newsletter and members’ interest list.
The society was formed in November 1998
to provide a resource for people researching families and their social history
in India from 1600 until the present day.
'India' includes: the Republic of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma
as well as any area including, Persia and the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, the
Philippines, Malaya, etc., that was covered by the
East India Company or was ruled by the India Department.
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~clday/mailing.htm
If you are interested in researching
your British or European ancestors in India, then you might like to join the
INDIA mailing list. You can exchange ideas, suggestions, queries, questions and
family details with a group of people who are interested in the same subject.
The list currently has over 700 members and grows at the rate of about one or
two members a day.
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~clday/imhs.htm
A UK-based
organisation, interested in military history of the Indian Armies and the
British Army in India.
Formed 13 years ago and with a worldwide
membership of 200 people, the principal aim of the society is to act as a forum
for the dissemination of knowledge of uniforms, medals, badges, buttons and
other militaria, as well as the history of Service
units both before and after Independence. These include: Royal Navy, British
Army, RAF units which served in India, units of the HEIC's
Army and Marine prior to 1861, the Indian Army subsequent to 1861, including
the European Volunteer Corps, The Royal Indian Marine and the Royal Indian
Navy, the Army of Nepal and those of the Princely States, the present-day Armed
Services of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, including Frontier Corps, Para
Military and Police units.
The Society produces a quarterly journal
called 'Durbar'. It can be contacted at :
Indian Military Historical Society
Secretary/Editor
Mr A.N. McClenaghan
33 High Street, Tilbrook,
Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE18 0JP, ENGLAND
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~clday/telgraph.htm
A UK-based
magazine for people researching Anglo-Indian ancestry.
Ms Geraldine Charles of the National
Maritime Museum http://www.nmm.ac.uk/ publishes a newsletter related to
Anglo-Indian genealogy. She is also preparing a book for the (British) Society
of Genealogists with the working title My Ancestors went to India.
Persons interested in Anglo-Indian
genealogy may wish to contact Ms Charles :
The East Indies Telegraph
Secretary, Ms G. Charles
57 Poplar Grove, Friern
Barnet, London N11 3NJ, ENGLAND
A
Netherlands-based organisation for people tracing their Dutch family history in
India, Indonesia and the West Indies. If you had Dutch ancestors who lived in
India, a useful association is the Dutch Indies Genealogical Association.
Although their main focus is what is now called Indonesia, the Dutch Indies
Genealogical Association can also help with Dutch genealogy in India.
Indische Genealogische Vereniging
(Dutch Indies Genealogical Association)
c/o Volendamlaan 1030, 2547 CS The Hague, HOLLAND
The IGV's
quarterly magazine is called 'De Indische Navorscher' and it publishes genealogies of families that
originate from the former Dutch East-Indies as well as genealogical sources for
research of both East and West-Indies families.
De Indische Navorscher (The Indies Researcher)
c/o Mr P.A. Christiaans
Loosduinse Hoofdstraat 342, 2552 AP The
Hague, HOLLAND
You can also e-mail the editor : Leo Janssen leojnssn@euronet.nl
http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/nevillet/eig.htm
A forum for NZSG (New Zealand Society of
Genealogists) members to pursue their interest in "East India"
genealogy covering India, Ceylon, Burma, Malaysia.
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~clday/koihai.htm
The Koi Hai Directory is a small association of former tea planters
and their wives who served in North and South India. The Directory is a list of
the present addresses of its members. As most of the members were in India
after the 1930's, there would be few who would be able to tell one much about
British Ancestry there. However, if you are seeking a relative who was a tea
planter in India in the twentieth century, then it would be worthwhile writing
to the secretary:
Mrs C. Campbell
1b Stonefield
Place, Hawick, Roxburghshire
TD9 0EY, SCOTLAND
Please enclose a stamped, self-addressed
envelope if possible, as this is a non-profit organisation.
Several people have set up webpages dedicated to Anglo-Indian culture worldwide, and
assisting Anglo-Indians to make contact with each other.
The Anglo-Indian Oral History Project is a part of the Anglo- Indian
Association of the USA. Cheryl Perreira and Claire
Clarke want fellow Anglo-Indians to tape their oral histories for inclusion in
the Anglo-Indian Oral History Project and they need volunteers to help with
this Project. Please contact Cheryl Perreira at
+1-(0)714974 3227 in California. You may also contact Rex D'Costa
at +1-(0)301-540-5828 aivoice96@aol.com in the Washington, D.C. area.
http://www.alphalink.com.au/~agilbert/index.html
This comprehensive website is devoted to
many aspects of Anglo-Indian culture, including The International Journal of
Anglo- Indian Studies, and Dr Gilbert's own Ph.D. thesis on Anglo-Indians in
Australia.
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Stage/1259/anglos.htm
Russel is an Anglo-Indian who lives in India. He is trying to establish a
webpage which lists details of Anglo-Indians still remaining in that country
today.
An Anglo-Indian
website with links to other pages of interest to Anglo-Indians.
Address:
c/o The Jewish Club
Jerro Bldg., 2nd floor
137 Mahatma Gandhi Road
MUMBAY (BOMBAY) 400 023
India
Tel. +91-(0)22-270.461
Fax.
+91-(0)91-22-274.129
The objectives of this group are 1) to contribute to
the knowledge and documentation regarding the past of the French settlements in
India as well as regional Indian cultures;
2) promote French language and culture in the former settlements; 3) promote the town of Chandernagore
and the State of Pondichéry in France and the
francophone world; 4) bring together
French people from the old settlements, friends of India and Indian friends of
France and offering opportunities to come together by organising trips,
dinner-debates, conferences etc.; 5)
support restauration projects and safeguard French
heritage in and relating to the town of Chandernagor
and the state of Pondichéry.
Address:
60, rue des Vignoles
75020 PARIS
France
Tel. / Fax: +33-(0)1.46.59.02.12
E-mail : comptoirs-inde@wanadoo.fr
Presence of members: Monday, Wednesday and Friday
from 15h to 18h.
Address:
50 rue Vaneau
75007 PARIS
France
Tel.: +33-(0)1.45.48.04.64
http://www.xaviers.org/alsoc/index.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/9352/lmc.html
http://members.tripod.com/~La_Martiniere/
http://www.geocities.com/thetropics/cabana/3861/gmspage1.html
http://www.orbonline.net/~auballan/vicdow.htm
http://www.zubin.com/paulites/
http://success.co.th/mthermon/
http://www.comradesandcolleagues.com
A site dedicated to the reuniting of servicemen and
women from the UK, Australia and New Zealand. A percentage of each months turnover is presented to armed forces charities.
http://www.liberationchildren.org
Renders assistance to the
descendants of soldiers from the Second World War in the search for their
fathers and/or relatives.
http://www.forgottensoldier.com
A site for veterans to share their
experiences, and to help build a living war memorial for students, teachers
& historians. Includes media reviews.
The Association's aim is to relieve need, hardship
or distress among men and women who served in HM and Allied Forces or the
Nursing Services in the Burma Campaign of the 1939-45 war or are otherwise
entitled to be holders of the Burma Star or Pacific Star with Burma Clasp and
for their widows, widowers or dependents.
4 Lower Belgrave Street
LONDON SW1W
0LA
United Kingdom
Tel.: +44-(0)20-7823- 4273
Fax: +44-(0)20-7730-7882
The Commission was established by Royal Charter in
1917. Its duties are to mark and maintain the graves of the members of the
forces of the Commonwealth who were killed in the two World Wars, to build
memorials to those who have no known grave and to keep records and registers,
including, after the Second World War, a record of the Civilian War Dead. It
was the energy of Sir Fabian Ware, the Commission's
founder, which established the principles upon which the work of the Commission
was built. Those principles, which have remained unaltered, were:
each of the dead should be
commemorated individually by name on headstone or memorial;
headstones and memorials should be
permanent;
headstones should be uniform;
there should be no distinction
made on account of military or civil rank, race or creed.
Address:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
2 Marlow Road
MAIDENHEAD
Berkshire SL6 7DX
United Kingdom
Tel: (01628) 634221
Fax: (01628) 771208
Telex: 847526 Comgra G
E-mail:
casualty.enq@cwgc.org
Interesting
site with a lot of photos, memories etc., concerning the 40th Bomb
Group which for a while operated out of Assam/Bengal against the Japanese in
China.
The CBI Veterans Association is
an organization of Veterans of World War II who served their country in either China, Burma or India for at least 30 days. If you
are interested in finding a group (called BASHA) near you, please contact:
Albert O. Wilkat,
7520 N.W. 7th Street,
Plantation, Florida,
33317
USA
or
email: Papaalcbi@juno.com
http://www.angelfire.com/retro2/lisanostalgia1/40s.html
A very good website reviving many memories of life in 1940s USA.
Pages
include: Entertainers, Musicians, performers, actors & comedians; Music,
Radio & TV, Popular songs, old-time radio, & the birth of television;
Lifestyles, Consumer products, fads & fun, activities, trends &
technology; At Home, Home decor & typical, household items; Around Town,
Shopping, dining, travel & nightlife; Retro Links, Lots of links that don't
fit, into any one category; Advertising, Classic commercials, & print ads;
Movies & Theatre, Popular films, movie music, & stage productions;
Fashion, Clothing & hairstyles, from the war years and beyond; In The News,
Current events, & newsmaker.
Well worth a visit just
to compare lifestyles between India and America.
http://www.swinhope.myby.co.uk/NE-Diary/index.html
A very good
website telling you what the war years were like in The North-East of England.
Lots of detail. Well worth a
visit, even if you are not a ‘Geordie’.
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If there
are any technical problems, factual inaccuracies or things you have to add,
then please
contact the group under info@calcutta1940s.org