John Beames

A very readable memoir of a civilian member of the Indian Civil Service, in the years immediately following the Mutiny. John Beames never rose to the highest ranks and that is part of the memoir's charm, as he is in close, direct contact with the people in his district. The work was hard, sometimes monstrously so, often with scant reward and, in his case, great unfairness and arbitrary treatment. Overall, it reveals the dedication to 'duty' and loyalty of one individual, a microcosm of how Britain was able to rule india and indeed much of the world, a few short generations ago.… (más)

John Beames was a civil servant in the British Raj. As a middle to upper ranking officer of the Crown he was responsible for administration and the exercise of British government in various parts of the jewel of the Empire. Bengal Civilian is his story, it tracks from an introduction to his own family background in the middle classes of Britain through to his senior administrative roles across India. Along the way, Bengal Civilian covers a fascinating range of day to day activities that no doubt are extremely useful for a historian and add a little colour to the facts of British India. It is only a little colour though as this is a stern and literal account from what was clearly a very determined and difficult man.

The preface to the book asks that readers wade through the tough opening chapters that detail the Beames family history before getting onto the more entertaining elements of the narrative. It is true that the Beames background is not given the same affection as a modern tv series treats genealogy but it is not quite as true to say that things get much easier going. I try to leave out the I in my reviews but this book took me months to get through and at times it was a chore, delving through descriptions of magistrate functions and the like but there are two real positives - the insight into the relationship between the administrator and the people, and the gems that pop up occasionally about Indian sub-continent culture.

Beames was not a man of romance. The idealistic people who sought spiritual enlightenment in the East are a world away from the practical and no-nonsense Bengal Civilian. His relationship with the Indian people is in this light and he provides frank and honest accounts of those he met, showing disdain quite frequently for his own out of touch superiors and also the exploitative Maharaja caste. At the time of the Raj, Indian power was severely waning. The great Empires were long of the past and the huge sub-continent was united only in name by the British. Beames provides a great insight into the differences between the various peoples, tribes, and cultures as he travels to new postings. Some posts Beames holds in mighty affection but others (especially those with tropical conditions) he has a significant aversion to. The recent history to Beames of the Sepoy mutiny colours a lot of the relationships but Beames is astute enough to recognise the differences between the types of peoples he meets and the reader should be able to pick out details still recognisable now.

Some of the gems are sparkling - the religious festival worshipping a spoilt Brahmin and the exploitation that many were subjected to by landholders is a first hand account that shows real life and the harsh conditions most had to endure. The relationship between the British and the mountainous kingdoms of Bhutan and Nepal they left independent are evident between the lines but what Beames brings is the practiality of supporting a British army regiment marching through his district in a time of food shortages.

Bengal Civilian is the detail behind the Raj. It is the everyday story of the British, the various Indians, and the closing generations of an Empire that controlled most of the world. It is not an overtly fun account but this is some of the appeal in that it is gritty and real. As a snapshot in time it is a useful addition to the historical account though I suspect most who have held administrative or representative roles may also have had an equal or more entertaining life story to retell. Memoirs are by necessity as interesting as the person who wrote them and the evidence of the Bengal Civilian's pen is that he was not a very interesting man living in an interesting place and time.… (más)