[BITList] The Return of a King

[Ronald Thomas]

This is a book ,written by William Dalrymple,which I have just read and which I would recommend to those ex Bi seagoing staff,who only,on very many occasions during their " spells on the Coast " only scratched the surface of that dynamic, frustrating and enigmatic sub continent once know as Hindustan, but generally  known to us as India.
Offered a but a glimpse of what lay beyond the "hockey tonks" of the Ports that we visited.   
 and bordello areas which,were in general where we spent our shore time. Not all of us of course,but some of our enlightened members. In my years there cannot recall one such designate but suppose that there must have been someone somewhere!
That preamble over,: post BI and cable ship laying around the world ( H M Telegraph Ships) I eventually came ashore and became employed by Decca Navigator to sell their Radio Navigator system to Governments around the World,
Swapped a ship for a plane as I was continuously on the move between areas of past maritime interest such as Brazil ( served my time out in these waters before joining the celebrated British India.) ; India, the very newly formed Bangladesh (Was the very first British businessman  to be to leave the thenWest Benga and the very fist to be back3 months later too  be in the newly formed Banglasdeh, not funny as I witnesses and saw atrocities of all forms.) got the contact though.
During my years in India went as far north as the lower slopes of the Himalayas,just south of Mussouri to the Indian Naval Hydrographic summer retreat and as far as Cape Comorin to try and establish a Chain to cover the Palk Straits with the then Ceylon.
Burma too was my territory and had skewered run ins with the Military there. Decca covered land,sea and Air and was used in Vietnam.hence maybe useful there.A Chain there would have joined up with Bangladesh one and fully covered the Sunderbans 

To return to the Book, this covers the 1st Afghan War  of 1838 to 1842, with passing reference to the 1857 Indian Mutiny. 
In my opinion had our supremely intellectually clever politicians and Generals read and studied this book, we shouldn't have been within light years of going any where near the place. The Russians followed in the 1980's and it became their Vietnam. We and the Yanks haven't apparently learned a thing with similar consequences,as long as you posterior faces South we will,but Never win adopting the policies of the last 2 Centuries. My opinion only.
Forgive the rankings but as an 83 on Monday 5th Jan 2015 and occasionally something wells up inside me and it has to come out somewhere,somehow. Please forgive.

Happy and Safe and Healthy New Year to you all. P.s. Think that the Feltham brothers could well be interested.    Bot Salaams.  RonThomas

Sent from my iPad