Colonel Herbert Henderson James (1827-1914), later General H.H. James, was commander of the Deesa Brigade from 1882 to 1885. He is in the centre of the front row. His wife Gertrude (née Place) is at the left-hand end of the front row. Herbert Henderson was the son of General Charles Butler James EIC (1784-1870). His brothers Charles Mardon Wallace, Edmund Marcus Viret and Lionel Henry Septimus were all in the military in India. His son Charles Streatfeild James was in the Indian Telegraph Service from 1879 to 1914 and his son Eric Cardew Streatfeild-James was in the Royal Indian Navy from 1924 to 1947. Herbert Henderson took part in the Abyssinia Expedition of 1867-8 and the 2nd Afghan War of 1879-81, with the 10th Bombay Native Infantry. See also Photo 1 in the Morgan Collection, 10th Bombay Light Infantry Poona Sept 1867.

Adam - Friday 14 October 2022 12:50
Colonel Herbert Henderson James (1827-1914), later General H.H. James, was commander of the Deesa Brigade from 1882 to 1885. He is in the centre of the front row. His wife Gertrude (née Place) is at the left-hand end of the front row. Herbert Henderson was the son of General Charles Butler James EIC (1784-1870). His brothers Charles Mardon Wallace, Edmund Marcus Viret and Lionel Henry Septimus were all in the military in India. His son Charles Streatfeild James was in the Indian Telegraph Service from 1879 to 1914 and his son Eric Cardew Streatfeild-James was in the Royal Indian Navy from 1924 to 1947. Herbert Henderson took part in the Abyssinia Expedition of 1867-8 and the 2nd Afghan War of 1879-81, with the 10th Bombay Native Infantry. See also Photo 1 in the Morgan Collection, 10th Bombay Light Infantry Poona Sept 1867.

This photograph was taken at Ratlam Palace (the Ranjit Vlias Palace, Ratlam), which still stands today but is much dilapidated. The Indian Prince in the front row is H.H. Raja Shrimant Sir Ranjit Singhji Sahib Bahadur (1864-1893) who acceded to the title of Maharajah of Ratlam on the 27th January 1884. This may be a picture of that event. The officer on the left hand end of the back row, standing, is Colonel Herbert Henderson James, at this point commander of the Deesa Brigade. His wife Gertrude (née Place) seated in the front row to the right of the Maharajah.

There are no names supplied in Charles' album for this photograph but I am fairly sure it shows the extended Mackenzie family of Calcutta. Charles is on the extreme left (wearing a cricket cap) and his first wife Elizabeth Ellen Mackenzie is in the centre with their first child Ralph on her knee. Ralph Streatfeild-James joined the East Surrey Regiment in 1910 and died of wounds received in the battle for Morval on the Somme in October 1916. I believe that the father of the family, Nicholas William Mackenzie, is the gentleman in the while suit. He was a senior executive of the Bank of Bengal. The photo must date from about 1892, since Ralph was born in 1890 and Charles was on furlough in England by 1893.

This photograph and the next 3 (all of railway bridges) were taken by Charles Streatfeild-James during his first year as a telegraph engineer. The telegraph lines usually ran beside railway lines, and a new railway always required a new telegraph facility.