Indian Military Historical Society

Update, January 2021. The Indian Military Historical Society has now closed.

Archived website: durbaronline.co.uk.

The Indian Military Historical Society was formed in 1983 to bring together those interested in the military history of the Indian Subcontinent and to encourage research and the exchange of information. This covers a broad spectrum ranging from aspects of general military history, to specific battles or campaigns, to the history of Service units engaged in India, including details of uniforms, medals, badges, buttons and other militaria.

These Service units included : Royal Navy, British Army, RAF units which served in India, units of the HEIC Army and Marine prior to 1861, the Indian Army subsequent to 1861, including the European Volunteer Corps, the Royal Indian Marine, Royal Indian Navy, and Royal Indian Air Force, the Army of Nepal and those of the Princely States, and to a more limited extent, the present-day Armed Services of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, including Frontier Corps, Para Military and Police units.

Journal

The Society produced a quarterly journal called Durbar.

The archived website includes a Page with links to Durbar Index 1984-2018 and three sample editions. The Index was classified according to subjects such as Badges, Battles, Biographical, Medals, Regiments etc. Journals were dated from Volume 6, No.4 (Winter 1989), but these dates were excluded from the Index

There are three Durbars in the Archive Sample, the latest being Volume 30, No. 1, Spring 2013.

The British Library appears to hold issues from Volume 1, No. 4.

Oxford University Library (England) holds copies from Volume 16 No. 3 (Autumn 1999), catalogued as Durbar : journal of the Indian Military Historical Society.

From January 2021, with the closure of the Indian Military Historical Society, the archive of Durbar became available through the The Military Historical Society. The entire 37-year run of Durbar is now available to search on the MHS website and Members of the MH Society will be able to view and download the text of all issues of both The Bulletin, Journal of the MHS and Durbar. Non-Members will also be able to search the text and contents lists to see a list of relevant articles, but they will not be able to view the full text unless they join the Society. Back numbers of Durbar can also be ordered from the MHS shop.