Interview with Coralie Taylor [sound recording]

Summary: Family and educational background. Husband's recruitment of Bengalis as soldiers for First World War. Memories of Sir Douglas Stewart. Husband's, police work against subversion: use of Indian agents; loyalty of Indian police; police recruitment and promotion; method of dealing with complaints against police; husband's knowledge of Indian languages; attempts to corrupt officials.

Assassination of officials; Mrs Taylor's carrying of gun; murder of police officer at Comilla. Expressions of support for Raj from Indians. Feeling that Govt, of India out of touch with Bengal's danger in Second World War. Contact with US service personnel in 1939-45 War. Mrs Taylor's WAC1 work in War; WAC1 ranks. Attitude of Indians to Japanese advance. Bombing raid on Calcutta.

Better living standard of Americans in Bengal. Direct Action Day in Calcutta: confinement of WACls to barracks. Bengal famine: hoarding of rice by Ministers. Artificial creation of cloth famine. Husband's role in advising Army during War. Memories of Lady Mountbatten. Opinion of Nehru and Gandhi as well as Jinnah. Husband's handling of communal riot in Barasore. Lack of proper uniforms for police.

Shortage of funds for police. Recruitment of police. Degree of social contact with Indians. Mrs Taylor's lack of knowledge of Bengali. Servants: Bengali and non-Bengali; their qualities. Leisure pursuits. Admission to Club. Ideas about possibility of British rule ending. Estimate of British rule in India. Contact with UK. Health of Europeans in India; homeopathic doctor; precautions against intestinal complaints.

Coralie Taylor - Daughter of R.E. Bradley (Indian Police, Bengal 1984-1925). In 1919 she married Stanley Grisewood Taylor (Indian Police, Bengal 1913-47). A 'memsahib' whose interview largely reflects her husband's career as an Indian Police Officer. He became Deputy Inspector of Police, Bengal 1939-45 and Inspector General 1945-47. Mrs Taylor served in the Women's Army Corps of India (WACI) during the war.

Sound recording currently unavailable at SOAS Library due to preservation reasons. Researchers can access a copy of this audio recording at the British Library Listening & Viewing Service. For more details see www.bl.uk/listening or contact listening@bl.uk / 020 7412 7418.

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Copyright held by British Library

Recorded as part of the ’Memories of the British in India’ project by India Office Library & Records [subsequently the Oriental and India Office Collection, British Library]. This recording was previously held at SOAS Library as part of the 'British in India Oral Archive Project' collection [Reference OA2], removed from this collection in August 2014 to reflect the recording’s alternative provenance as part of the ‘Memories of the British in India’ project.

Original sound recording of interview available at British Library Listening & Viewing Service [Reference: C63/37-40]