Sahib: The British Soldier in India 1750-1914

2005's "Sahib" is the third volume of British military historian Richard Holmes' remarkable narrative of the British soldier, along with "Redcoat" and "Tommy." This volume is the story of the British soldier in India, 1750-1914.The British conquest of its Eastern Empire of India, Burma, and Ceylon would not have been possible without the British Army, which performed remarkable feats of arms in defeating a variety of numerically superior native armies across a huge subcontinent. The long British domination of that subcontinent also would not have been possible without the adaptation of the British soldier to a variety of military and political tasks and to a complex mixture of cultures very different from the British Isles. The British Army in India in fact took on its own unique existance there, the story here celebrated in Richard Holmes' extensive narrative.British infantry, cavalry, and artillery units of the era generally did well in combat, especially under commanders who understood its unique opponents in India, whether the mass armies of various rajas or the wild and tough tribesmen of the Northwest Frontier. The British Army interacted, usually successfully, with the hired soldiers of the East India Company who were first on the ground, and with the Sepoys, the Indian units seconded to the Army who actually made up the bulk of British forces. The company soldiers were eventually absorbed into the regular forces. The Indian contingents, despite the painful exception of the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny which forms a key part of Holmes's narrative, generally performed well under British leadership and training."Sahib" is less a chronological history of battle than a series of vignettes in which Holmes examines how the British soldier adapted to local circumstances. British regiments were often stationed in India for years to decades, following a six month deployment by sea. The individual soldiers and officers often went native to one degree or another during their long stays. Holmes explores the resulting customs in marriage, recreation, living arrangements, promotions, discipline and indiscipline. Holmes quotes extensively from letter, diaries and memoirs to provide individual perspective on various customs.India was a land of opportunity for the British Army. For the average soldier, increased pay and the chance for prize money meant a opportunity for personal betterment. Officers who might have been overlooked in Britain found opportunities to shine in the tough, unforgiving military climate. Those who mastered India's unique logistical, combat, and political challenges, such as Arthur Wellesley, Fred Roberts, and Garnet Wolesley, often went on to greater things. India was also a dangerous place. Tens of thousands of British soliders did not survive, killed by native warriors, wild animals, strange diseases, and extremes of climate.Holmes highlights the experience of the families who went out with their soldiers to a strange land. Of these, some came to be at home, some never found a home, and many never went home. British families learned to live with different languages, food, servants, marriage customs and religions, traces of which are still visible in British regiments today.The British regulars went home at Indian independence in 1947, and as Holmes notes, the whole subject has become politically incorrect in this post-colonial era. Again as Holmes notes, this lack of attention is unfortunate in that it fails to do justice to the long and remarkable service of the British soldier in India. American readers may find echoes of the United States Army's long overseas tenure in places such as Germany and South Korea."Sahib" is an exhaustive (and exhausting) read at over 500 pages. As with other books in his trilogy of the British soldier, the time span covered in "Sahib" is a challenge for a single volume. The cross-cutting topics produce some duplication of material. On the other hand, Holmes' extremely accessible writing style will entertain both the general reader and the specialized militay student. "Sahib" is therefore highly recommended to both.

It's relatively easy to write an account of the life of a prominent general or other wartime leader, especially if one comes late to the composition party after sufficient time has passed to allow the accumulation of encomiums, accounts of battles, maybe even the subject having written an autobiography or other reminiscence. Not so with the common soldier, you know, the poor devil who served as the pawn to the hero's chess master. But Richard Holmes has found the way, to our delight and edification.`Sahib' is the final work in Holmes' trilogy describing the life of the British soldier in three periods: `Redcoat' during the `age of horse and musket,' `Tommy,' his life on the Western Front in the First World War, and `Sahib' in India during the ascendancy of the East India Company and the Raj. Having read the first two, I can happily report that `Sahib' is every bit their equal.There's no particular secret to Holmes' methods. For each volume, he collected innumerable first-person accounts of the actors' lives and experiences in their respective periods, that alone being quite an accomplishment. Then he merely interweaves them into a masterfully crafted narrative recounting, in the case of `Sahib,' a comprehensive and unfailingly entertaining history of the principal events in which these actors played their parts. Pretty simple, it seems to me, though I wouldn't try it at home.Given the other very thoughtful reviews of `Sahib,' let me add my two cents in the form of recommended reading on the British Raj in India and related subjects. First, Holmes specifically disavows presenting a comprehensive history of the variously denominated Mutiny of 1857, though of course it plays a pivotal role in the story of both `his' soldiers and the Raj. For those interested in learning more about the Mutiny, I suggest Christopher Hibbert's relatively brief but entirely satisfying `The Great Mutiny: India 1857.' For a more expansive view of the British experience in India, check out David Gilmour's `The Ruling Caste: Imperial Lives in the Victorian Raj,' an excellent account of both the military and political components of the period. Finally, and in the same general time frame, but with a wider scope, try Byron Farwell's `Queen Victoria's Little Wars,' which includes absolutely fascinating, and frequently hilarious, depictions of the unique eccentricities of many of the principal military players who nonetheless largely succeeded in `getting the job done.'If you don't have the luxury of time for these related works, then at least resolve to take on the `Redcoat,' `Tommy,' `Sahib' threesome, if only to understand what we Holmes fans relentlessly rave about. You won't regret it for a reading minute.

During India's long tenure as the "Jewel in the Crown" of the British Empire its soldiers lived, fought, loved, played and died in that distant land. Holmes' book is an excellent study of the British soldier in India, written along the same lines as Wiley's Civil War books the Life of Billy Yank and the Life of Johnny Reb... only Sahib looks not just at the soldier's life in a single war but in a series of them, as well as the periods of peace in between.Written from the personal experiences of many of Britain's soldiers, from generals to privates, Sahib gives us a feeling for the courage, the bigotry, the kindness, the boredom, the leadership, the incompetence and the adventure experienced in India. It looks at the role of political officers, the East India Company, the various tiny native armies, the troopships, the campaigns... in all, definitely a fine read for anyone interested in military history. Well illustrated with three photo sections.

Richard Holmes account is, as in all his books, lucid, original, authoritative and very detailed.The paperback book production itself is, however, second rate. The typography is blurred, and the reproduction of photos direct to ordinary paper rather than using photographic (glossy) paper makes the photos look like poor photocopies. This edition is 'Harper Press 2006' so it is not a recent photographic reproduction of the original.I have just finished another of Holmes' books - 'Tommy' - in paperback, and the print quality and plates are fine. So what went wrong with the production process of 'Sahib' I cannot tell; too much cost cutting?

I chose this book by chance, having searched for anything concerning the Anglo-Indian/Eurasian community in India under British rule. The author lays the blame for less tolerant attitudes towards the "natives" and people of mixed race firmly on Victorian European women who arrived (some in search of husbands). The Georgians were more respectful, claims Holmes, and were trained to speak Hindustanee and to respect the local customs.The book was more enjoyable to read than I'd expected, although some of the detail about the weaponry did not interest me . That said, I shared the information about shrapnel being the named after its inventor with anyone who would listen. I was simultaneously fascinated and repulsed by the descriptions of the injuries soldiers inflicted on each other. While I would have preferred the print edition in order to see the maps more clearly, the Kindle price was hard to resist (the exchange rate plus postage to Ireland can be costly).

As usual, Richard Holmes does not fail us. Must be the definitive book on the British soldier in India up the beginning of 20th century. I wonder how the British survived there, let alone 'conquered' India. Everything was against them; caste, customs, weather, disease, wars, being in the minority in everything. To all this they behaved incredibly badly to the native population. If you are in the vast minority, you don't insult the majority especially if they tend to be over sensitive on some issues. But they did and most times got away with it. All the time, though, there was time simmering resentment against the occupiers. It boiled over on many occasions, the Mutiny of 1857 being the most famous. Mind you, there was also a 'caste' system in British society and the underclass were treated no better that the Indians. After 'Redcoat' and 'Tommy' this a fitting part of the trilogy. Regrets that the death of Richard Holmes prevents us from being informed, educated and entertained by his new books in the future

Superb book, truly an incomparable history of this period, and an indispensible guide for anyone looking to learn more about the British empire. (Especially for those who, like me, have a family connection with the sub-continent that remains undiscovered).I bought this book for the second time, having misplaced it at an airport on the way to my grandmother's (the Raj connection!) funeral. As always, the buying process was smooth, and delivery was much faster than expected (four days, instead of the ten - fourteen given as a guide...)Highly recommended, and a perfect seller!

I found the book hard to get into at first but I’m glad I persevered it’s a great read. One thing the quality of the book isn’t great, I think a problem is the paper, this makes the pictures dark and the small type isn’t sharp. But don’t let me put you off it’s a great read.