On 13 April 1919, a fateful event took place which was to define the last decades of the British Raj in India. At 5:10pm on that day, Brigadier-General 'Rex' Dyer led a small party of soldiers through the centre of Amritsar into a walled garden known as the Jallianwala Bagh. He had been informed that an illegal political meeting was taking place and had come to disperse it. On entering the garden, Dyer's men immediately lined up in formation. Dyer then gave the order to open fire on the huge crowd that had gathered there. 379 people were killed and at least 1,000 more were wounded in what has became known as the Amritsar Massacre. Nick Lloyd here provides a highly readable, but detailed account of the most infamous British atrocity in the entire history of the Raj. He considers the massacre in its historical context, but also describes its impact in uniting the people of the sub-continent against their colonial rulers. The book dispels common myths and misconceptions surrounding the massacre and offers a new explanation of the decisions taken in 1919. Ultimately, it seeks to examine whether the massacre was an unfortunate and tragic mistake or a case of cold-blooded murder, and one which would fatally weaken the British position in India.
In this dramatic account, Kim A. Wagner details the perspectives of ordinary people and argues that General Dyer’s order to open fire at Jallianwalla Bagh was an act of fear.
Eyewitness at Amritsar offers an attractive and accessible resource that allows readers to engage directly with this defining historical event.
The story of the action taken by Brigadier-General Dyer at Amritsar in the Punjab in 1919. Faced with insurrection in support of Mahatma Gandhi, the British Army declared martial law....
The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, 1919 is an objective study of the events surrounding the massacre and its aftermath. It looks at how the massacre has been depicted by both Indian and British historian, and by writers of other nationalities.
In this dramatic account, Kim A. Wagner details the perspectives of ordinary people and argues that General Dyer's order to open fire at Jallianwalla Bagh was an act of fear.
The dramatic true story of a celebrated young survivor of a 1919 British massacre in India, and his ferocious twenty-year campaign of revenge that made him a hero to hundreds of millions—and spawned a classic legend.
Harrop , F. Beresford , Thacker's New Guide to Simla ( Simla : Thacker , Spinks & Co. , 1925 ) . Harvey , Godfrey Eric , Outline of Burmese History ( Calcutta : Longmans , Green , 1947 ) . Harvey , G.E. , British Rule in Burma ...
Situating the massacre within the 'deep' context of British colonial mentality and the local dynamics of Indian nationalism, Wagner provides a genuinely nuanced approach to the bloody history of the British Empire.
Based On Unpublished Material, It Tells The Fascinating Story Of Political Intrigue And Expediency, Deception And Deliberate Concealment Of The Truth, It Tells The Story Of Jalianwala Bagh Massacre.
This highly readable work in its revised edition is of tremendous historical and contemporary value.