11 JANUARY

BRITISH MAJOR IN INDIA RECOUNTS WITH PRIDE HIS EXTRA-JUDICIAL HANGINGS. 10 September 1857 – The Globe newspaper carries a report by Major MacDonald commanding the third irregular cavalry, in which he proudly recounts how he carried out executions of Indian suspects to a murder without any legal authorization. As he put it “I took on…

TOP CIVIL SERVANT – END OF EMPIRE MEANS ‘WE SHALL STARVE’ [ 7 January 1953 ] On 7 January 1953, Evelyn Shuckburgh, the Principal Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, noted gloomily in his diary: Please feel welcome to post comments below.  If you have any questions please email alisdare@gmail.com © 2019 Alisdare Hickson All…

MILITARY COURTS ALLOWED TO ORDER THE FLOGGING OF CHILDREN [ 17 February 1939 ] On 17 February 1939, the British run mandate government in Palestine introduced a law allowing military courts to order the whipping of children ‘with a light rod or cane or birch,’ of up to twenty four strokes. CALLAGHAN – ‘I WON’T…

SCOTTISH REBEL WILLIAM WALLACE STRANGLED, CASTRATED AND DISEMBOWLED. On this day in 1305, William Wallace, the legendary Scottish rebel, was found guilty of refusing to recognise English rule. He was drawn behind horses for five miles, then strangled, castrated, disembowled while still, although barely, alive before being finally beheaded and quartered. His severed head was…

BRITISH ATTEMPT TO BUY HEGEMONY OVER PERSIA FAILS [ 9 August 1919 ] On 9 August 1919, after six months of secret negotiations between Sir Percy Cox, the acting British Minister in Tehran, and three leading Persian politicians, Prime Minister Vusuq ul-Dawleh, Foreign Minister Prince Farooz and Finance Minister, Sarem ul-Dawleh, the Anglo-Persian Agreement was…

BRITAIN SIGNS TREATY WITH MAORIS ONLY TO RENEGE ON IT [ 6 February 1840 ] On this day in 1840, a treaty was signed between representatives of the crown and five hundred Maoris chiefs, which while recognising ultimate British sovereignty over New Zealand, promised in return that “Her Majesty confirmed and guaranteed to the chiefs…