Key Information

Photographer

H. Staunton ?

Collection

Harry Staunton

Date of Photo

January - June 1940

Named Person

Sir Basil Gould, Hugh Richardson?, Innes-Keys?

Region

Gyantse

Accession number

1999.23.1.33.1

Image Dimensions

119 x 89 mm

Review of the military escort at Gyantse comprising mounted and infantry contingents of the 1/15th Punjabis. The two figures in topees on the far left could be Basil Gould and either the Escort Commander, Major J.G Innes-Keys in command of the 1/15th Punjabis or the British Trade Agent, Gyantse who was, at that time, Hugh Richardson.

Further Information

Activity

Administration

Photographic Process

Print gelatin silver

Date Acquired

Donated 1999

Donated by

Diana Hughes

Expedition

H. Staunton

Photo also owned by

Diana Hughes

Other Information

Notes on print/mount - "Guard of Honour. 1/15 Punjab Reg. Gyantse" is written in blue ink on the reverse of the image. Also, the number: 468V is written in pencil in the top right hand corner. [KC 11/1/2006]

Notes on album mount - "Gyantse" is written in pencil and in capital letters in the centre of the page as a joint caption for the four photographs on this page of the album. [KC 11/1/2006]

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - "The Escort is aligned" [Hugh Richardson in conversation with Roger Croston, detailed in H. Staunton undated Related Documents File, PRM Manuscript Collections]

Other Information - Setting

Other Information - Setting: Alex McKay writes about the Gyantse Trade Agency in Tibet and the British Raj , 1997, Richmond: Curzon Press, "On 1 October 1904, with no formalities beyond raising the flag, the Gyantse Trade Agency began operations in Chang Lo ('Willow Garden'), a country house which the younghusband mission had used as its Gyantse base. In addition to local employees, O'Connor [the British Trade Agent] had a number of European staff. There was a British officer of the India Medical Service ... and a military escort consisting of 50 India soldiers, which was normally under the command of a British officer. There was also a European Head Clerk to oversee clerical staff recruited from the Darjeeling area, two Indian Army telegraph sergeants responsible for communications and a third in charge of supply and transport.'(p. 17) The structure of the administration remained very much the same until the demise of the Agency in 1948 [?]. Gyantse was selected because it was seen to be a commercially important meeting point of trade routes from India, Shigatse and Lhasa. [KC 11/1/2006]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Review of troops at Gyantse, 1940" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_1999.23.1.33.1.html>.

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Review of troops at Gyantse, 1940