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Coll 5/39 ‘Flights of RAF aeroplanes to Gilgit; flights of foreign aircraft over Gilgit and Chitral’ [80r] (159/409)
The record is made up of 1 file (204 folios). It was created in 28 Dec 1932-9 Jun 1938. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
4.
that he was so surprised that he called ail the witnesses into
iis Baltit and cross examined tnem and is satisfied that
aircraft were seen. He thinks they must have come from
Murghahi (Pamirski Post).
3. The accounts of the Governors of Ishkoman and Yasin do
not reveal any glaring discrepancies but such is not the case
with the Hunza report. On the first occasion aircraft were
seen just before sunset. Prom whatever place they might have
come it was late to be in so inhospitable a spot as Gulmit
at that hour. Moreover it would appear that they were seen,
twice in three consecutive days near Gulmit which is also
unlikely. Nor is it really clear that they were seen in the
second week in August. The reports were ma.de with a
rapidity which is unusual among Wakhis, the inhabitants of
Gulmit.
Another remarkable feature of the Hunza report is that
although I had careful enquiries made nobody saw any aircraft
further north particularly at Misgar where not only is there
a considerable population but a Telegraph Office with two
Hindu opera,.tors. Whether the aircraft came from Murghabi
of Kizil Habat or Khorog they would have to fly at a great
height to reach Gulmit and the most obvious route, if Misgar
is excluded, would be f rom G a khan down the Chapursan Nullah
to Gulmit or over the most formidable country from the north
west to Mayun. Despite these discrepancies we must give
considerable weight to the Mir's opinion and to that of the
two men of Mayun who twice before have seen aircraft. Opinion
becomes further hardened when it is remembered that in the
course of a fortnight reports of aerial activity came from
three different sources; namely Hunza, Yasin and Ishkoman.
The things said to have been dropped are curious. I
enclose them with this letter for further examination. The
article wrapped in a sort of oiled silk might be anything from
a yak's tail to a v/rapper for a letter. I have secret
information from a source usually considered reliable that
these articles formed only part of a larger parcel and that
most of the contents have been retained by a the Mir or the
villagers and only these bits surrendered to create the proper
impression. The only defect in this source is that it is
inclined to be inimical to the Mir of Hunza.
About this item
- Content
The file is concerned with aviation in Gilgit, Hunza, Mir, and the surrounding area. It primarily covers three topics.
The first topic is the matter of annual Royal Air Force (RAF) flights to Gilgit over the Himalayas in 1932, 1934, 1935, and 1936. It includes a report on the 1934 flight (see folios 132-141), a report on the 1935 flight (see folios 114-129), and a memorandum on proposals for the 1936 flight (see folios 106-107). A couple of sketch maps have been included to accompany these reports: see folios 104 and 117. Forty-five aerial photographic prints from the flight in November 1934 have also been included: see folios 159-203. Press excerpts of coverage of the first flight over the Himalayas in November 1932 can be found towards the back of the file: cuttings from The Times, 28 December 1932 (folios 151-154); The Times of India Mail Edition, 1932 (folio 146); The Near East and India, 19 January 1932 (folio 145); and the Birmingham Post, 18 January 1933 (folio 144). It also includes a report of the visit by Air Marshall Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt to Gilgit between 21 and 24 October 1936: see folios 98-99.
The second topic is reports of violations of the northern frontier of British India by foreign – mainly German and Russian – aircraft. Correspondence in the file documents investigations into these reports and subsequent action taken.
The third topic is a reconnaissance of the Hunza Valley in 1937 to identify a site for a landing ground, the selection of Pasu, and the postponement of the project by the Government of India.
The main correspondents are as follows: officials of the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India (External Affairs Department from 1937), the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. at Kashmir, the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Gilgit, HM Consul General at Kashgar, and HM Minister at Kabul. Only occasional reference is made to the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. in London.
The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (204 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file. An envelope containing photographic prints has been filed at the rear of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 205; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Folio 158 was a conservation box, which was removed when the photographic prints (ff 159-203) were rehoused in polyester sheets. Folio number 158 is therefore no longer used.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 5/39 ‘Flights of RAF aeroplanes to Gilgit; flights of foreign aircraft over Gilgit and Chitral’ [80r] (159/409), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/1993, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036540747.0x0000a2> [accessed 24 April 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/1993
- Title
- Coll 5/39 ‘Flights of RAF aeroplanes to Gilgit; flights of foreign aircraft over Gilgit and Chitral’
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:103v, 105r:116v, 118r:143v, 147r:150v, 155r:157v, 204r:205v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence