Deolali
Deolali cantonment, situated about 3½ miles to the south west of Nasik was used as a transit camp for nearly all troops proceeding to and from Bombay and Britain
The slang words doolally or doolali, or doolali-tap, are used to describe someone who is "out of one's mind" or crazy. These expressions are derived from Deolali, where some soldiers went mad, waiting for extended periods for ships to take them back to Britain.
External links
- 1870 Photograph: A view of the Deolali cantonment near Nasik
- "The madness at Deolali" by N A Martin Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps. 2006 Jun; 152 (2):94-5 html version original pdf
- Who Do You Think You Are? - Alan Cumming. Alan’s grandfather was treated during World War 2 at Deolali - well known for housing psychiatric patients. However, this section was removed from his Army service record, perhaps because of the stigma attached to mental illness at the time. ancestry.co.uk
- Reminiscences of Professor R H Girdwood, Royal Army Medical Corps, WW2. He served at Deolali for a short period of time. scotsatwar.org.uk