Changes

'''Dum Dum''' was a British cantonment town north of [[Calcutta]] that now constitutes a suburb of that city. It was the headquarters of the [[Bengal Artillery]] until this transferred to [[Meerut]] in 1853.There were only artillery troops stationed at Dum Dum until the end of the end of the [[2nd Sikh War|second Sikh War]] (c 1849)<ref>

[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Fos3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA355 Page 355] "The British Soldier in India" by Dr Mouat Surgeon-Major HM Bengal Artillery Army. ''Journal of the Royal United Service Institution Volume X 1867''</ref>, when other regimental troops were at Dum Dum from 1775additionally garrisoned there.

The Factory had an establishment for making small arms cartridges, and it was here that trouble over greased cartridges first started==Churches==*St Stephen (Anglican). However, ‘Dum Dum bullets’ made since British Army’s Afghan campaign, remained This church is now the most well-known product location of the factorySt Stephen's School.*St Patrick's Church (Roman Catholic). By 1858Built in 1823, partly with the various workshops help of Irish Fusiliers, partly by contribution from Kolkata Catholics led by Mr. Joseph Baretto; initially intended for Irish soldiers stationed at Dum Dum had merged into the Cartridge and Precision Cap factorywith resident military chaplain.<ref> Reply by 'Be-hive Baaaby' c 2008 to [http://inwww.answersarchdioceseofcalcutta.yahooin/deaneries-24.com/question/index?qid=20071113134559AA5Gaif Can anyone give me information on Dum Dum?] Yahoo Answers, quoting ''History of Gun and Shell Factory, Cossiporehtml Calcutta Archdiocese : Two Hundred Years of Ordnance Factories Production in India'' by Professor Arun Bandopadhyay 24 Parganas (New Delhi, 2002) (Department of History, University of CalcuttaN)Deanery]. Retrieved 25 August 2014.</ref> I S Kanwar in his ''Memories of Dum Dum'' throws further light in the matter of ‘greased cartridges’. He writes, ‘In 1853, the headquarters of the Artillery was moved to Meerut as being Central because Dum Dum was considered unsuitable for the purpose any longer. With this change, the cantonment became a store house for Small Arms Ammunition. A new musketry school was opened for providing training in the use of the newly introduced Enfield Rifle. By 1856, greased cartridge gained notoriety. How far these were responsible for lighting the spark of the 1857 revolt is given in more than one version. Before 1856, Indian units were armed with double grooved rifle, the Brown Bess, the cartridges for which were greased and covered with a paper, regarding which there was no suspicion. These weapons were later replaced by the Enfield Rifle, the ammunition for which had been sent from England. When this arrangement ceased, it was replenished with cartridges made in the Ordinance Factory at Meerut, Calcutta and Dum Dum. Apart from preservation, grease was necessary for the lubrication of the cartridges’.

Kanwar further writes, ‘It seems that the Ordinance authorities ordered for supply of tallow, without taking the precaution of specifying the fat composition of it’. Malleson, whose record of the 1857 revolt was first published in 1864, when memories ==The Bengal Artillery and ammunition factory==The Bengal Artillery were still fresh, admits the use of the cow-fat as an oversight, for it would have been easy to enter into a contract for a supply of sheep or goat’s fat, to which there would not have been the objections. He also states that no pig-fat was then used in the tallow. Incidentally, this tallow was supplied by Gangadhar Banerjee & Co. to the Fort William Arsenal under a contract for two years with effect at Dum Dum from the August 15, 1856. The contract described as ‘Greased Tallow’ at two annas per pound. Colonel Abott, then Inspector General of Ordinance with headquarters at Ichhapore records that ‘quite often, grease 1775 and tallow were supplied as separate items. For instance, an indent on the above mentioned contract includes ‘Grease … for Ammunition purpose, Tallow of the purest kind …(for greasing composition for Minie Rifle ammunition)’. However, later indents show these items as just ‘Grease’ or less often as ‘Tallow’ with the added remark ‘Required for Arsenal purpose’factory was established in 1846.

In mid-January 1857Bandopadhyay's ''History of Gun and Shell Factory, an incident Cossipore: Two Hundred Years of far-reaching consequence occurred Ordnance Factories Production in India'' explains that the small arms cartridges known as 'Dum Dum' bullets were made at the Dum Dum factory and that the pre-Indian Mutiny trouble regarding greased cartridges started in the vicinity of the Ammunition Factorythis area. Kanwar writes By 1858, ‘…a low caste Laskar or Magazine man meeting a high caste Sipahi in the cantonment asked him for a drink of water from his lotah. The Brahmin workshops at once replied with an objection on Dum Dum had merged to become the score Cartridge and Precision Cap factory.<ref> Professor Arun Bandopadhyay ''History of casteGun and Shell Factory, and was tauntingly told Cossipore: Two Hundred Years of Ordnance Factories Production in India'' (by the LaskarNew Delhi, 2002) that caste was nothing. Also see [https://web.archive.org/web/20170210105734/https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071113134559AA5Gaif Can anyone give me information on Dum Dum?] in.answers.yahoo, archived. </ref> <br>Also see HIS Kanwar's ''Memories of Dum Dum'', that high caste and low caste would soon be all the same refer Historical books online, as cartridges smeared with beef fat and pig’s lard were being made for the Sipahis at the Depots and would soon be in general use throughout the army!’ below.

The English quickly took up the matter. On hearing the story, Lieutenant Wright, Commander of the 70th Sipahis detachment at ==Dum Dum fever=='''Dum Dum, brought fever''' is the incident to the notice of the Commandant of the Musketry Depot on January 22disease visceral Leishmaniasis, 1857. On the following dayalso known as Kala-azar, another officeror Black fever, Major Bontein, reported it to the commanding officer of Dum Dumspread by sandflies, who which has many features in turn informed the General commanding of the Presidency Division. After satisfying himself regarding the incidentcommon with chronic malaria, and obtaining the Governor General’s approval, the General gave instructions to all officers to calm the minds of the Indian soldiers at one time was prevalent at Dum Dum and elsewhere. The Adjutant General of the Army at Meerut disease was also directed ‘to issue all cartridges free from greasesubsequently named after William Leishman, and to allow a doctor in the Sepahis to apply with their own hands suitable mixture they might prefer’. Kanwar again writes Royal Army Medical Corps who published his findings in 1903, ‘Meanwhile, the Inspector General based on post mortem pathology of Ordinance immediately contacted Major Bonteinn, instructor of the Dum Dum Musketry School, a British soldier who confirmed that until then the suspected cartridges had not been issued to Indian soldiers, either at Dum Dum or other stations in the Presidency Division. It is on record, however, that although the laboratory work on the greased cartridges was done at Dum Dum, they were sent to the Fort William Arsenal, whence they were distributed to units, including those died while stationed at Dum Dum. Feeling relieved, Colonel Augustus Abbott issued a circular on January 29, 1857, laying down that only tallow of sheep or goats’ fat was to be issued to Indian soldiers’.<ref> Reply by 'Be-hive Baaaby' c 2008 to [httphttps://inweb.stanford.edu/group/parasites/ParaSites2006/Leishmaniasis/history.htm Leishmaniasis : History] web.stanford.edu.answers[https://www.yahoodeduveinstitute.combe/question~opperd/index?qid=20071113134559AA5Gaif Can anyone give me information on Dum Dum?parasites/leish4.htm Leishmaniases: the Diseases] Yahoo Answers, quoting ''Memories of Dum Dum'' by Hari Inder Singh Kanwardeduveinstitute.be</ref>

*[http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V11_382.gif Dum-Dum] Imperial Gazetteer*[https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:240115/ Image: Cabul Monument and Mass House, Head Quarters, Bengal Artillery, Dum Dum]. 1845. Edmund Walker, artist. With memorial wording at the foot of the image. Possibly title should read Mess House. Brown University Library Digital Repository.*[https://www.metmuseum.org/Collectionsart/collection/search-the-collections/287854 287848 Photograph: Dum Dum Church] [St Stephen's] by Captain R. B. Hill 1850s. Metropolitan Museum of Art New York. Probably Richard Barton Hill 1835-1873, who joined the Bengal Army in 1853.*[https://web.archive.org/web/20161023104556/http://www.panoramio.com/photo/64028580 Photograph: St. Patrick's Church, Dumdum Cantonment, Kolkata] panoramio.com, now archived.

===Historical bools books online===*[https://books.google.com.au/books?id=zQ8oAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA17 "Mofussil Stations: No IX Barrackpore and Dum Dum"] page 17 ''The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany'', Volume 13, New Series January-April 1834. Google Books.:[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=6d5PAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA166 "East India Stations No. IX: Dum Dum"], page 166 ''‪The Saturday Magazine‬, Volume 8'' 1836 . ‪Google Books.Taken from the ''Asiatic Journal'' and Bishop Heber’s ''Journal''.‬‬*[https://archive.org/stream/firstimpressions01baco#page/150/mode/2up "Dum Dum"] page 151, ''Volume I'', ''First impressions and studies from nature in Hindostan; embracing an outline of the voyage to Calcutta, and five years residence in Bengal and the Doab, from MDCCCXXXI to MDCCCXXXVI'' by Thomas Bacon, Lieut. Of the Bengal Horse Artillery 1837 Archive.org*[https://archive.org/stream/b21452404#page/350/mode/2up "Dum Dum"], page 350 ''Report of the Commissioners Appointed to Inquire into the Sanitary State of the Army in India : with Abstract of Evidence, and of Reports Received from Indian Military Stations'' 1864 Archive.org*[https://archive.org/stream/thackersguidetoc00firm#page/156/mode/2up "Dum Dum"] page 156 ''Thacker's Guide to Calcutta'' (1906) by Rev W.K. Firminger. a noted historian. Archive.org*[https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.55773/2015.55773.Bengal-District--Gazetteers---24-Parganas#page/n245/mode/2up "Dum-Dum"] page 231 ''Bengal District Gazetteers - 24 Parganas'' by L S S O'Malley. Indian Civil Service. 1914 Archive.org, Digital Library of India Collection.*[https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.501554/2015.501554.Bengal-Past#page/n45/mode/2up "Memories of Dum-Dum"] page 35, ''Bengal, Past and Present Volume 26'', 1923 Archive.org, Digital Library of India Collection.*[https://archive.org/details/bengal-past-present-vol46-julydec1933/page/33/mode/2up "A forgotten Graveyard at Dum Dum"] by J G Brooker pages 34-36 ''Bengal, Past and Present Vol. 46'' 1933 July-Dec. Archive.org. List of names on ruinous tombstones in 1904, subsequently demolished.*[https://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.04053/page/92/mode/2up "Memories of Dum Dum"] by HIS Kanwar pages 93-109 ''Bengal Past and Present, Vol. 80 January-June 1961''. Archive.org