Charles was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. Rejected by the army,
because he was not tall enough. He joined the Indian
Civil Service in 1898 and rose from Assistant Commissioner to Deputy
Commissioner of Hissar. He had responsibilities as a peripatetic district
judge and
was much involved in recruiting for the first world war. (click
for more)
He was a
keen sportsman (Tennis, Cricket, Shooting) a lover of poetry and an
erudite scholar with a good working knowledge of the Punjabi dialect. He
published "Punjabi Lyrics and Proverbs" in 1905. His
translation of Waris Shah's "Hir and Ranjha" (of
1766) has become a
classic. (Peter Owen
1973) (full
text)
Janet (niece of the Bishop of Lahore) was an imposing figure of six foot
three inches ("Gawd, aint she 'igh"), towering above her husband. Janet and Charlie performed songs together. They
stopped when they realised the audience often came to gawp at the
incongruous couple rather than listen to their singing. Janet maintained
her faith throughout her life while Charlie was an agnostic.
He suffered severe bouts of depression. In 1919, the effects of
over-work and the influenza pandemic caused a major breakdown in his
health. He was invalided home but committed suicide shortly after his
return.
Janet then lived with her five children (Tom, Dick, Harry, John and
Margaret) in Battle, Sussex. They all grew up normal in stature, no
doubt the intended by-product of the alliance.
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