Deolali

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Deolali
Presidency: Bombay
Coordinates: 19.951°N, 73.834°E
Altitude: 515 metres (1,690 ft)
Present Day Details
Place Name: Deolali
State/Province: Maharashtra
Country: India
Transport links

Deolali cantonment, situated about 3½ miles to the south west of Nasik , was established in 1869. It was used as a transit camp for nearly all troops proceeding to and from Bombay and Britain.

In addition to the soldiers assembled after finishing their tour of duty, the troops waiting there also included mentally ill soldiers sent from all over India, who were being repatriated to Britain on medical grounds. In the nineteenth century, troopships sailed on a seasonable basis only in winter and spring, and soldiers posted there after March had to wait until October or November before voyages recommenced. The slang words doolally or doolali, or doolali-tap, are used to describe someone who is "out of one's mind" or crazy. The second part is a Hindustani word for fever, although in Sanskrit,‘tapa’ means simply heat or torment. Taken literally, it is best translated as ‘camp fever’. These expressions are derived from Deolali, where some soldiers went mad, waiting for extended periods for ships to take them back to Britain.

Also see

External links

Historical books online

  • "Deolali" Imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume 11, page 246.

References

  1. Great War Forum post by 'KateH' dated 23 January 2014, part of a thread 'Concentration Camp Deolali'