William Hall in India and In Scotland

Secunderabad

July 24, 2012 at 4:12 pm Leave a comment

James Street, circa 1880, was an important shopping district in Secunderabad.

William and Lydia’s second son James was born in Secunderabad on July 3, 1868. There is no mention in William’s military or medical records that William was ever stationed in Secunderabad, but James’ birth record on Family Search says he was born there. I’ll have to investigate this discrepancy further. It’s another puzzle.

Secunderabad was founded as a British cantonment by the British East India Company in 1806.  The twin cities of Secunderabad and Hyderabad are separated by a man-made lake. Unlike Hyderabad, the official language of Secunderabad was English. Secunderabad was exempted from customs duty on imported good thus making trade very profitable. Various new markets such as Regimental Bazaar and General Bazaar were created. After the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the construction of a seven metre high wall was started at Trimulgherry and completed in 1867.Secunderabad Railway Station one of the largest in India which is also the zonal headquarters of South Central Railway was established in 1874. The King Edward Memorial Hospital, now known as Gandhi Hospital was established in 1851. A Civil Jail (now a heritage building known as Old Jail complex near Monda Market) was also established. Originally constructed in 1860 as the country house of the British Resident at Hyderabad, the Residency House is now known as the Rashtrapati Nilayam, the official retreat of the President of India.

Army grounds at Secunderabad

Sir Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II, was posted in Secunderabad during the 1880s as a subaltern in the British Army. Sir Ronald Ross conducted his initial research on the cause of malaria in the city of Secunderabad.The original building is today called the Sir Ronald Ross Institute and is located on Minister Road. Secunderabad Municipality was formed in 1945 and in 1950 this was upgraded to Secunderabad Corporation along with Hyderabad Corporation. In 1964 both these corporations were merged to form a single Municipal Corporation.Today Secunderabad is part of the Hyderabad district. Secunderabad celebrated two hundred years of its formation in 2006.Post-Independence, the Secunderabad Cantonment Board came under the jurisdiction of the Indian Armed forces. Consequently large military units were established.

Entry filed under: Halls. Tags: Cantonment, Hyderabad, Winstn Churchill.