Danny
I'm now at my mother's and have read through with her our various posts concerning her and the Womens' Auxiliary Corps India (WACI). She confirms that they were epaulet sleeves in the photo, with 'WACI' embroidered on them. She points out that she was in fact a Sergeant, not a Corporal, at the time (her upper sleeve must have been folded, in the photo). So this dates the picture to when she had just joined the organisation. She was commissioned soon after, and finished as a Captain by the end of the War. Again, she doesn't recognise your claim that the WACI were full of Anglo Indians... She knew only one such person. Apparently I, myself, was wrong to write that they ran canteens. She said they either did clerical/office work or they ran shops, or sometimes drove transport. Also all of the work was Forces-related, having nothing to do with private businesses.
Now you have to brace yourself for a dressing-down! She didn't like your reference to her as a 'Miss-Sahib' and points out that she was not Anglo Indian! (I pointed out to her that this was a simple mistake, based on her good looks and the assumption that she had two tapes on her arm. But, alas, this wasn't accepted!) Further, that she has no knowledge of the scandal concerning your female friend and has no interest, whatsoever, in learning about it! Nor does she concur with your assumption that she would have been
'keenly aware of all the major scandals that were going on'.
Are you feeling suitably contrite?!! I am also 'in the dog house' for mentioning matters concerning her marriage, reasonably enough perhaps, as it's a personal matter. (But what is a chap to do, when striving to write entertaining posts?) However, on the upside, she was amused by your little saga with the Indian tailor who made a hash of your greatcoat, and its eventual fate when you left India. Also she was amused by the bit about you being in Quetta too late to have encountered her, and how others have all the luck!
Anyway, I think you might agree, that you hit the nail on the head, when making reference to my father's 'Memsahib'! But then, she was born and bred in India and is a product of the, so called, 'Raj'. I rather think I was imprudent to have shown her what we wrote! But there we are. Head above the parapet, and all that.
