Recently whilst doing some research on the barracks at Wellington Hill Station, India, I found a website which indicated that the barracks there was known as - Hastings Barracks. Further searching on the internet has provided no further confirmation and I wonder therefore if I might ask if anyone has anything in printed form which confirms that these barracks were indeed known by that name. I know that such large facilities sometimes have a variety of named barracks so maybe it was just one part of the whole complex.? If we also have any members on the forum who actually went there (usually for R & R), I`d really love to hear more about the place and their experiences there. Regards, John
Could that be from Warren Hastings, who I believe was the first Governor General of India? Alternatively, if there is a strong link with the Somerset Light Infantry or its antecedants in the area, then it could be derived from Theosophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon - but that seems a weaker connection... or did someone get an arrow in their eye there!!!
John, There is a brief mention of the "Hastings Holiday Home" as well as a bit of history on Wellington and area in this online PDF publication of The Hoot. The Hoot - DSSC Monthly Magazine
Gents, Thanks for the input. I did see that reference in "The Hoot" but couldn`t make any sense of it. For the record here is the only thing I`ve come across so far on the web which mentions Hastings Barracks at Wellington. King's Own Royal Regiment Museum You would think a lot more would be out there but I struggle to find much detail on any of the camps in India. I suspect that they`ll all be detailed somewhere in a book so I`m probably just looking in the wrong place. Regards, John
Gents, Thanks for the input. I did see that reference in "The Hoot" but couldn`t make any sense of it. For the record here is the only thing I`ve come across so far on the web which mentions Hastings Barracks at Wellington. King's Own Royal Regiment Museum You would think a lot more would be out there but I struggle to find much detail on any of the camps in India. I suspect that they`ll all be detailed somewhere in a book so I`m probably just looking in the wrong place. Regards, John I have been trying in vain to find information on Napier Barracks Sind Karachi.
"When Col Verma decided to locate the Staff College in the Hastings Holiday Home, a leave centre for British troops, ...." That's the only mention of a building named Hastings I could find located in Wellington. In this case the reference was sometime after the war when the Hill Station was under the control of an independent India. You can see some of the buildings that made up the Wellington Cantonment at the following links: Wellington of Yesteryears - PDF The Lancashire Fusiliers -Wellington India
"When Col Verma decided to locate the Staff College in the Hastings Holiday Home, a leave centre for British troops, ...." That's the only mention of a building named Hastings I could find located in Wellington. In this case the reference was sometime after the war when the Hill Station was under the control of an independent India. You can see some of the buildings that made up the Wellington Cantonment at the following links: Wellington of Yesteryears - PDF The Lancashire Fusiliers -Wellington India Thanks for that. I had seen the PDF but not the link. There are some great photo`s under that link. Also dug a bit further on the URL I noted earlier and found some other shots of Wellington. Seems to me that the name "Wellington Barracks" would have been enough of a name itself. Unless, as I mentioned before, it was a seperate area. It certainly was a massive complex, much of which you can still see today on Google Earth. King's Own Royal Regiment Museum
I have been trying in vain to find information on Napier Barracks Sind Karachi. There`s quite a lot of background on the web but I`m guessing you`re looking for detailed information? It`s still in use with Pakastan Navy as Liaquat Barracks, but I`m sure you`ll already know that as well?
John, That's a great find John! Wellington Barracks is certainly an impressive series of structures. It makes you wonder if the different wings had their own names. My "Hastings Holiday Home" conjecture is probably a dead end as you suspect. I'm not sure if this will help, but I'll add a map that names some of the modern features of the area. If you hit the little red symbol on the upper right you can see it in full. Wikimapia - Wellington India Regards ...
Wikimapia - Wellington India Regards ... That`s a nice map. Quite a bit more info than just Google Earth. Thanks very much.
A couple more snippets that may be of interest ... ? The Glorious Glosters - Wellington 1933 - 1936 A modern day view of the four coach "Toy Train" as it enters Wellington India. Ooty Mettupalayam passenger entering Wellington Cheers
This is very late in the day following your post, but I am just off for a holiday in India, part of which is to explore where my father was billeted during the war (he was in the RAF, a radio operator, and was sent out to India to train recruits about radios). They were based at Sambra but every few months were sent up to the Nilgari Hills for 10 days leave. I have just gone through his photos and discovered one taken in Wellington dated 10th May 1945. On the back in reads "outside billet. Hastings Holiday Home, Wellington". I will see if I can find it when I am there.
Hi klewalsh, That would be great. It sounds like you have an interesting trip ahead of you ... Regards ...
