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Price
- Heysham - Stone Family Website
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 Early
Days Sunday school was first attended when we were living at 'Ambleside'
in Kaithu. The two of us boys at about the ages of five to seven would,
on a Sunday morning wend our way up the steep hill roads of Kaithu till
we reached St Marks Free Church, about a mile from home; near the start
of the Mall in Simla. Here we were introduced to quite a new experience;
that is to say a religious service for children, taken by the Minister
Reverend Revenal, a Scot with a very pronounced accent, particularly when
holding forth to a congregation. His delivery was given in quite an affected
manner, which we thought was most humorous. ........ |
 Colonial
Boy Picture
this, to borrow a phrase: Kaithu a suburb of Simla in the Himalaya, elevation
about five thousand feet. The time, mid December 1923 and about three
feet under snow.
Mother, who had hardly recovered from the cultural shock of India, as a new experience, after the first seventeen years of her life in England. Having given birth to a boy in November 1921 in Delhi, which had an equable climate at this time of the year, was now on her way; wheeled along in a Dooli (a canvas covered stretcher on two wheels) handled by four coolies, who pushed and pulled the conveyance (ambulance) up a steep winding road to reach the start of the Mall in Simla, near Gorton Castle to be exact........ |
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 Forests
Let's start in the Simla hills where I was born and where I wandered
about a bit. In the twenties and thirties the general flora in the immediate
surroundings were Pine, Deodar and the Indian Silver Oak; the Horse Chestnut
and several varieties of Larch, wild Pear and other deciduous trees. The
hillsides in a few areas were covered with Rhododendrons - some quite
tall, perhaps twenty feet or more - Holly, Bracken and Ferns of many types.
The valleys, in Spring brought forth sheets of Lily of the Valley (an
Indian variety) Narcissi, Primulas, Violets and other plants, too numerous
to mention here. ....... |
 Railways
When quite a child in India I had gathered, from the odd word I happened
to overhear, or the odd attitude one observed when the subject of Railways
was mentioned there seemed to be an antipathy towards 'those Railway people'.
I found this somewhat mysterious and puzzling : however, not being in
contact with any of the Railway Colony; they lived in the extreme north
of Delhi and we were housed in the south or 'Posh' area as some saw it.
I also remember being told to stay clear of the area where they lived.
This rather upset me and I thought the attitude was somewhat curious,
not to say unfair. ......... |
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 Imphal
It was a clear frosty morning in the early winter of '45. I walked
down to a shallow fast flowing stream for an early dip and ablutions.
The grassy bank and pebbles crunched under my Plimsoles and taking a deep
breath I plunged into an icy cold pool scooped out of the sandy bottom
of this tributary of the Manas river which had its source in the high
hills of Bhutan. There was a pale blue grey mist covering the tiger grass
on the west bank. However, in about a half-hour the scene cleared, by
the early sun and revealed a crystal clear atmosphere and presented a
magical sight. The tiger grass was a soft golden colour as far as the
eye could see from this low elevation. Above this, to the north and west
was a massive wall, the lower areas of which were a smoky purple, changing
gradually upwards to violet and blue, and at an unbelievable height the
colossal mass was covered with snow and ice. This high elevation looked
pale yellow, gold, orange and peach to a cold ice blue at the very peaks.
I was, of course, looking in wonder at the great massive range of Mount
Kanchanjunga, in the direction of Bhutan and Darjeeling. I understand
the distance of the peaks (as the Crow flies) was about one hundred and
fifty miles from where I stood. The very clear air foreshortening the
distance somewhat. The whole area in this direction was covered with grass,
on the Plains, and the far off tree covered hills finally rising to the
high Himalaya. ......... |
 DEVONSHIRE
REGIMENT 2nd
Battalion 23rd Brigade 8th Division. Attack at Ovillers spur 1 July 1916
advancing along Mash Valley towards PoziÀres soon came under heavy
fire. In the Regimental history of the Devonshire Regiment - C T Atkinson
records how onlookers from the British trenches were at first to think
that the leading waves were lying in No Man’s Land awaiting another chance
to move forward. It was soon realised, however, that the men were almost
entirely casualties. Withdrew to Millencourt. Casualties 431...... |
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