Information on Loughborough

Partition

Posted on 31/01/2008
P. Klein

map of india and pakistan Could you help the Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland with an exciting new project, gathering the memories of local people who lived through the traumatic days of Partition?

We want to make contact with people who remember what life in India was like before Partition in 1948, and how it changed after the withdrawal of the British and the new states of East and West Pakistan came into existence.

The Partition of India led to the formation on August 14, 1947 and August 15, 1947, respectively, of two sovereign states, upon the granting of independence to British India by the United Kingdom: the Dominion of Pakistan (later becoming the Islamic Republic of Pakistan); and the Union of India (later becoming the Republic of India). It also refers to the division of the Bengal province of British India into the Pakistani state of East Bengal (later known as East Pakistan and subsequently Bangladesh) and the Indian state of West Bengal, as well as the similar partition of the Punjab region of British India into the Punjab province of West Pakistan and the Indian state of Punjab, in addition to the division of the British Indian Army, the Indian Civil Service and other administrative services, the railways, and the central treasury, and other assets.

It was a time of extreme violence and upheaval for families. Thousands fled for their lives, leaving everything behind them. We know that some migrated not just across the Indian sub-continent seeking safety, but came thousands of miles to England – and some settled in Leicestershire.

If you remember Partition, or you know of people who lived through it, we would very much like to hear from you. We want to collect and record your stories for permanent preservation at the Record Office and as a legacy for future generations.

Please contact Margaret Bonney at the Record Office if you can help, on (0116) 257 1080 or email mbonney@leics.gov.uk.

The Legacy of Partition is one of 28 projects nationwide to bid successfully for funding from Their Past Your Future 2 grant programme, administered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA).