Armies of the Raj: From the Great Indian Mutiny to Independence, 1858-1947 from the Great Indian Mutiny to Independence, 1858-1947

The British adventure in India and Pakistan was a long and strange one. It began the way a man might commence his descent down a winter hillside when he loses his footing. The ending came with Mahatma Ghandi and Indian independence after WWII. The Sepoy Mutiny came as a point delineating two facets of that experience. Prior to the mutiny John Company (The East India Company) enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with the British Army. The mutiny dramatised the serious need to make some major changes in the administration. Queen Victoria took control of India as ruler. Thus began the Raj.This fine work follows the Raj from beginning until the end. The British administration of the Far East didn't get a lot easier when John Company lost power. The saga is a long one and a necessary one for the historian who simply loves historic enigma. Creation of the Raj shares a similarity to the US from Reconstruction onward in an obscure way. I recommend this book for the reader who enjoys the futile attempt to understand the threads of the human experience.

This is an elegant and informative book on the old Indian army and the Raj in India. Like the author's previous works on the British Victorian army of the period and its social and military characteristics this book covers some of the same ground, but expands greatly on the history of the Raj's army.Spanning the post Mutiny years from 1857 until the choatic formation of India in 1947, the author presents many fascinating details about army life in India. What becomes apparent is how overall beneficial the British Raj was to India's social development and growth. A hopeless patch-work of petty Mogul Princes and backward religions before the establishment of the Raj in the 18th century, the British were able to transform this mass into something resembling a wokable nation. What is apparent also is that despite their arrogance, British officers really made the Indian army work. Without them the Seapoy was never really as effective. The Indian army was basically intended for service within the Empire. When employed in conventional warfare outside of India in the First and Second World Wars its performance often varied. Requiring specialized foods as well as officers who could speak the myraid languages, sustained heavy casualties limited its use. The sections of the book about the so-called martial races of India is interesting. After the Mutiny the British preferred to employ Northern Indians who were mostly moslem, as opposed to the Hindu's in the South of Madras and Bombay who were deemed untrustworthy and too smart by half for soldiering! The Rasjputs, Pathans and Sikhs would all become the martial races upon which the British drew for manpower in India. The Sikhs in particualr, with their bizarre religion, have much to thank the British for. Without them it is doubtful that they would have survived as a religion in India. They flourished as merchants, urban dwellers and soldiers, the latter always considered an honorable profession for the warlike Sikhs. We might have fewer taxi cab drivers today if the British had not sustained their existence. The last part of the book talks about the nightmare of Independence in India where Ghandi, Jinneh and Nehru were totally uncaring of the amount of trouble they caused as the British tried to dis-engage from the sub-continent without a religeous blood-bath. ... This book helps us to see a more accurate view of [Ghandi] and and his followers. ... I urge people from both of those countries [India and Pakistan] to read this book and learn about their past as part of the Raj, which helped to make them what they are today. All in all, a most excellent and revealing book on the subject.

The book is good introduction source to the subject. The author has written several reputable books. Gurkhas by the same author is also highly recommended.

A nice introduction to the subject.

A highly readable, balanced view of the British in India and the development of the Indian Army. Fascinating insights into military life, politics and behind the scenes intrigues. Interesting stories of British society in India. A very well written, colorful and "unputdownable" book for any history buff and, dare I say, for any reader.