Dalhousie Barracks Fort William Calcutta, 1900 Postcard

A 1900 postcard that shows the Dalhousie Barracks in Calcutta (Kolkata). Once the British East India Company set foot on Calcutta in 1690, it was quite natural to build a fort. They built Fort William in 1696, and in 1856 they built the Dalhousie Barracks inside the Fort quarters. Named after Lord Dalhousie the Governor-General of Calcutta from 1848 to 1856.

The purpose was to accommodate soldiers of an army garrison. It has a dormitory-like accommodation with lavatories usually at the end of each floor. As the British spread their footprints across India barracks became an inevitable part of the army. Many of them were set up across India mostly at cantonments. The Dalhousie Barrack is still in use, but now by the Indian Army. However, even today the building looks imposingly large.

This postcard has a handwritten message (see image) probably from a soldier that reads- “This is an exceptionally high barrack, most of them being one or two stories high. It is lit with electric light & fitted with electric punkahs. In other barracks, oil lamps & punkah coolies have to suffice.”  

Vintage Postcard Colaba Barracks Bombay., and Vintage Postcard Wellington Barrack Nilgiris 1905. Also, see- Antique Photo Belgaum Royal Field Artillery 1870. Also read also about- ‘Netaji Cell’. 

Did you know- it is believed that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was confined in the Dalhousie Barrack before he escaped to Japan, although there is no documentary evidence on this. 

From the collection- 1971 Raja Ravi Varma Commemorative First Day Cover.,  Old Photo- British Military Regiment At Bangalore 1915.,  Antique Print The Royal Visit To India Bombay.