Leave in the Himalayas. Lt Col Peter Bairnsfather’s thoughts on hunting in the Himalayas

Lt Col Peter Bairnsfather, 14th Bengal Lancers: Leave to the Himalayas. An unpublished manuscript by the sport loving colonel who wrote Sport and Nature in the Himalayas Harrison & Sons [London] 1914 [Czech p 18]. Quarto [10 x 8 ins] written in his own hand on 25 pages on the facing sheet only when he had retired to Scotland and was living at Balfour House, St Andrews. This is not an account of a specific hunting trip but rather his reflections on the beneficial nature of sporting trips in the foothills of the Himalayas. At the turn of the 19th/20th centuries stalking, fishing and big game hunting were some of the most favoured activities of army officers on leave from their regiments and Bairnsfather was typical of his era. A copy of a photograph of the colonel in uniform and on horseback which is in our private collection will be included with the sale of this item and some other writings and photographs from the archive will appear on the website in due course.            sep15/1        Reserved

Peter Robert Bairnsfather was Commandant of the 14th Bengal Lancers at the end of the Victorian era and had fought with the regiment in the Jowaki expedition of 1877 and the 2nd Afghan War where he was involved in the battles of Charasia and those around Kabul. Other items connected with Bairnsfather and a few photographs of the 14th Lancers can be found elsewhere on the website by using the SEARCH button and entering Bairnsfather.

Provenance: Family descent until a small archive of his writings and photographs was acquired privately by Bates and Hindmarch from a family member over ten years ago.