Pune in the 1900s

Pune in the 1900s

Poona Cantonment, also known as Pune Cantonment, is a military cantonment located in Pune, Maharashtra, India. It was established in 1817 and has a rich history associated with the British Indian Army. The cantonment is spread over a significant area and includes various military establishments, residential areas for military personnel, and administrative buildings.

Several of these pictures must have been taken in 1917 to celebrate my father’s first birthday. Sitting next to my American-born grandmother, he is surrounded by the local people who helped them run the household.

The house is in the Right Flank Lines, Pune – or Poona as it was known then.

A few years ago, I was able to visit this house and was invited for tea with the wife of the Indian Army Medical Corps Lt Colonel who lived there at the time. She was delighted to discover that my grandfather had also been an officer in the Indian Army Medical Corps. The house was mostly unchanged – with stone walls and floors. The garden was still beautiful.

My brother visited the house in 2023 and found it empty and in a state is disrepair