Day 2 (Saturday 2nd December 2017)
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| Two hands are required to pull a Christmas cracker. Tom Smith of London invented crackers in 1847, they were a development of his bon-bon sweets sold in twists of paper and for quite a while what we call crackers were called "Bangs of Expectation", bon-bons or cosaques, but the name cracker stuck because of t he noise they make. Crackers usually contain a small gift a joke and a paper crown or hat - the wearing of festive hats dates back to Roman Saturnalia celebrations. |
Today's piece is written by David Head. David combines sound commercial nouse with an empathy for his fellow men and is a highly respected executive coach and mentor. Many years ago, longer than either of us probably want to acknowledge, we were colleagues and I learned much from David. For a long time before the sector became the lynchpin of most organisations, David was a leading name in Technology recruitment. Many a CIO owes their career success to David's advice and judgement, even now he specialises in supporting people through periods of change and career transition. About five years ago David decided to move down a slightly different branch in his own career and qualified as a coach. Since 2013 he has worked for the award winning, London-based business performance and leadership consultancy, Accelerating Experience, as an executive coach and mentor. David for many years has been a keen sportsman (tennis and golf) and is also well read and an erudite writer - you would probably enjoy his articles posted on LinkedIn. You can follow him on Twitter - his handle is @DavidAHead2 - and, as you might surmise from his piece below, he is a loving family man.
David's piece is an amazing snapshot into history and we are privileged that he has chosen to share it here.
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I am, and always have been curious about people’s lives, the choices they make and how these come to shape them. This year I decided to research and write a family history. As a father of three children I would like to do my best to preserve what is known of my family, before it slips into the sands of time.
I have learned of some very interesting and colourful
characters, including a Great Aunt, Margaret, who led an extraordinary life. We
have much of Margaret’s correspondence in letter form from these years and
therefore know quite a lot about it. My sister is currently putting it into
publishable format and I would like to share some of it with you today, both
because it is interesting social history, and because it has resonance with the
theme of Darkness and light.
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| Indian postage stamp from 1938 |
Margaret’s parents (my great Grandparents) were
philanthropic sorts whose lives were shaped by the First World War. After fighting on the western Front in WW1 my
great grandfather Edward became a vegetarian pacifist,
utterly opposed to violence and war.
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| Early PPU poster prompted by the horrors of WWI |
The influence of her parents would
certainly have shaped Margaret and in 1938 she travelled alone to India to join
her future husband George, to work with the poor for the Peace Pledge Union
(PPU). It was an experience which was to
shape and define both of their lives.
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| PPU Youth Section in 1920s |
Margaret headed off to India in 1938 just as the dark clouds
of war were becoming ever more ominous.
On her journey she wrote;
‘The news sounds disturbing from Europe and I feel that the powers that be are precipitating a disaster. There is trouble everywhere…neither side will get anything but disaster’
Elsewhere her tone is lighter and rather like a backpacker
today she describes the scenery on her journey in vivid detail.
‘It was marvellous going down the Suez Canal. There was desert each side and Arabia was quite lifeless looking. There were several interesting sights on the Egyptian side and the Suez Canal hospital was very Eastern looking, with Palm trees all around and people in weird black robes and men in Night gowns.’
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| Painting by Heribert Schroepfer of a ship travelling along the Suez Canal in the 1930s |
In the 1950’s my Dad would fight in the Suez ‘war’ which in
truth was a complete farce. I sometimes reflect that he would have seen similar
scenery to Margaret back in 1938.
When she arrived in India she spent some time staying on a
Swedish missionary hospital, although her cause was more about saving lives
than saving souls. Her reflection on the missionaries and their work was quite
telling.
‘The Swedish missionaries with whom I am staying are very sweet people but place too much stress on ‘converting souls to Christ’. I must say that the Christians they’ve ‘converted’ look more miserable than the others, which shouldn’t be.'
Elsewhere again the tone is lighter.
‘We visited a little village..the birds and flowers are beautiful . The people, or Gonds (original Indians I am told) are childlike and simple, but also very charming. They gave Barbara and I 12 baby tomatoes as a gift, which we peeled and ate before them to show our appreciation.’
But Margaret was there to help the poor and the sick and
other entries give an insight into some of the suffering she encountered during
these years. In one village she reports;
‘One baby was almost blind, others had sores, fever and other dreadful things. One girl had blackwater fever. Her urine was black and she was in an awful state. They (the adults I presume) spend their money on toddy and opium.’
Margaret later went on to work with Gandhi and lived on his
Ashram during the 1940’s. He said that he regarded her as a daughter and had a
nickname for her which was Kamala Bai, Sanskrit for Lotus Flower. In Hindi the lotus is a symbol of beauty,
fertility and all that is good in life.
By now Margaret was a trained midwife and worked with the
Gond people to help them to understand the importance of hygiene in childbirth,
as well as supporting Gandhi and his people in other work with the poor. She later helped them during the painful
process of partition - specifically helping women and children who got caught up
in the chaos of the time.
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| "Muria Gond girls of Bastar wearing solid silver necklaces and many strings of glass beads; their saris are invariably white." 1940 Photo from Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf book Tribes of India: The Struggle for Survival. |
Her letters refer to Gandhi as a friend and spiritual leader
although much of their correspondence was matter of fact, perhaps reflecting
the pared back, simple life they chose to live. In one telling passage she did
however praise Gandhi for his religious tolerance;
‘Gandhi has qualities Christians should possess themselves. They (Gandhians) use the best of all religions to base their lives upon. Gandhi is a Hindu, but the “Sermon on the Mount” and the commandments to love god with all one’s self and ones neighbour as oneself are all wrapped up in his philosophy of life together with the best of the Koran and ideas from famous thinkers.’
If Margaret was quite matter of fact in her correspondence
about Gandhi (who was known for being distant from his own wife and family),
the reverse was true when she describes her husband George, who was a fellow
philanthropist in India.
‘All I ask is that I may prove to be a worthy wife… things and people who don’t demand much of one, one easily forgets..one must love the highest when one sees it’
It is interesting that the language becomes more formal,
almost deferential when she describes her admiration for him. My best guess is
that this is a reflection of the times, as well as her great love.
George worked himself to exhaustion looking after the poor,
building them sanitation and farming with them. Margaret describes his decline
in great detail in her correspondence. This, from a trip to the Friends' Mission in
Pashmari, gives a lasting sense of her kindness and spirit.
‘George isn’t well so he’s come up here too. He is sleeping and resting most of the time. I am glad he is able to sleep now. This is a simply lovely spot in the hills of central provinces. Caves, great high, huge rocks, trees bursting into fresh green leaves. Pools of crystal clear water right away down in the depths away from anybody..’
Sadly he became very ill and eventually died of fever.
Margaret was heavily pregnant by now and you can feel the pain in her
correspondence.
‘I feel like a bird without a wing..he was a great inspiration and although the responsibility is tremendous, it will be a great comfort to have our baby as a life companion and try to see how well I can serve India and bring up George’s baby to be the best he can be.’
In a letter to her Mother (my Great Grandmother) she wrote;
‘I’m trying to be calm now. I was fairly calm until he died and then I gave way for 3 or 4 hours. But it’s hard. Death is so final in one sense of the word never another chance. He was a grand man – he knew no limits – his generosity, courage and love all selfless, were beyond compare – I’m proud of him; proud of being his wife and shall be just as proud to be the mother of his child and the carrier on of his work. He was a darling but didn’t know it. He was true as steel and clear as crystal “He being dead, yet speaketh”.
P.S. He wants no mourning. He once said, so I wore my prettiest sari to say goodbye for the present to him who I loved best of all, and am wearing it now. Please write and comfort me.’
Four months after George died, Margaret caught Pneumonia and
her baby daughter was stillborn. She recovered but I can only imagine how
painful this double blow would have been, in a land torn apart by sorrow and
division.
Against all expectations, Margaret stayed in India and
continued her vocation, working with Gandhi and later Lady Mountbatten during
the partition. She set up a training school, at Gandhi’s behest, for pupil
Midwifes for the lower casts of ‘Wadia’ people.
She eventually returned back to her home in Dorset in the UK and we know
little of her life there, save for the fact that she died at the age of 48 as a
result of Liver cancer. She never drank alcohol or smoked, was a strict
vegetarian like her father and appeared to live a faultless, altruistic life.
I find the fortitude and sheer goodness she showed through
her life’s work to be inspirational. Molly Tandy, a friend from her time in
India, quoted Margaret in her epitaph speech thus;
‘My own belief is there is an inner light in us all and that people are given hands and hearts and minds to express the love of God in the world around’
Margaret certainly lived her life that way and she leaves me
with a sense of light and hope rather than its opposite.
What stands out most from her letters is the
love she had for the Indian people, her own family, and particularly for
George.
I have attached two photographs of Margaret, who appears on the left hand side of both pictures, the first taken before her departure to India,
I have attached two photographs of Margaret, who appears on the left hand side of both pictures, the first taken before her departure to India,
the 2nd at Itarsi Hospital in 1939.
There is also a picture
of George playing Cricket in happier times.
Dr Bill Tandy, who worked with Margaret in India and looked
after her when she was dying, described her as
‘one of the finest and most courageous women that I have known’
I cannot imagine a more fitting epitaph.
What a wonderful and inspirational story!
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