Friday 22 March 2013

A letter from India


Tezpur Station Club, Tezpur, 30/5/17

Dear Mr Gordon [my Great Uncle, Stewart, an officer in the Indian Army, see here], many thanks for your letter of 25/5/17. I enclose a Registrars certificate of your Fathers [my Great Grandfather, see here] death. I have not been able to write you, as I did not know your address. Mr Jackson was to have sent me it, but evidently you have not been able to give him a permanent address. Your Father & I were very old friends. I was with your Father from the


day he was struck on the 23/1/17 until he died on the 3/2/17. Colonel Levantine & Major McCoy were there also & everything it was possible to do was done. The most of the time your Father was quite conscious and understood what I said to him but - could not speak. He passed away quite peacefully about 3.a.m on the 3/2/17 and we buried him in a pretty little cemetery at Kalaigaon. Colonel Levantine, Major McCoy, Captain ?, George Bridge (a Tea Planter) & I attended the funeral. When Mr Jackson left here he handed over the file of your Fathers estate to me & asked


me to wind everything up. This I am doing, and when finished will send all the papers to Mr Gill who is the only surviving ? of your Fathers. I have had a letter from Miss Gordon your sister [my Grandmother, see here] & one from Miss Blewitt Browne your Aunt. I have ? both of these Ladies. Your Father was a very popular officer to ? here & he had many friends both here & in Nowgong, & I request your permission to allow me to arrange to allow his many friends to erect a stone over his


grave at Kalaigaon. I hope you will grant me this request, as I am sure his many friends here will be greatly pleased if you do. Should you decide to grant me this request I will be pleased if you let me know what inscription you would like put on the stone & if you don't care to give any inscription, I will be pleased to send you a copy of the inscription I think should be put on the stone, for your approval & sanction. Should you at any time get leave, I hope you will come & see me. I will be delighted if you can so this, & I am sure your Father would be glad could he know that you had come to see me. As far so I know from your Father you have no relations in India now & I hope you will always look

upon my Bungalow as you looked upon your Fathers, open to you at all times. You have my sincere sympathy in your sudden and sad loss. Hoping you will find time to come and see me. 

Yours sincerely.


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