President’s Letter
It is seldom wise to be self-congratulatory because self-congratulation can easily lead to complacency, and BACSA can never afford to be complacent. Nevertheless, I think our charity can look back on 2025 as a year of sound achievement overseas and positive developments at home.
In South Asia, we saw the completion of the restoration of the Narinda tomb in Dacca (which we previously referred to as the tomb of Colombo Sahib), and the completion of Phase 2 of the restoration of the Malakand Cemetery in Pakistan. Neither would have been possible without the drive and determination of local actors, in the case of the Narinda tomb, Waqar Khan and, more recently, Professor Dr Abu Sayeed M. Ahmed, BACSA’s former and current Area Representatives in Bangladesh respectively, and in the case of Malakand, retired Major-General Syed Ali Hamid, who is now BACSA’s Area Representative for the Punjab and North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It is gratifying to see BACSA’s funds accomplishing projects in Bangladesh and Pakistan, and we hope to do more in both those countries in the coming year.
That does not of course mean that we are neglecting projects in India where there remains, as always, more to be done than we have the resources and manpower to tackle. In 2025, we have planned Phase 3 of the project to conserve graves and reinstate pathways in the cemetery of St Mary’s on the Island in Chennai and expect to see the work undertaken in 2026. This project is being implemented by Jeernodhar Conservators with the oversight of conservation architect Ravi Gundu Rao, our consultant and also Area Representative for South Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. We have also agreed to support restoration projects at the Lansdowne Cemetery No.2 in Uttarakhand and the Old Anglican Cemetery in Salem (Tamil Nadu).
On the home front we have seen some important changes in the composition of our Executive Committee. Foremost of these was the retirement of Peter Boon as Honorary Secretary. Peter had held this crucial post with great skill and tireless dedication for more than a decade. We welcome as his successor, Stephen Schaw Miller, who took over the role after the General Meeting last October. Fortunately, Peter has agreed to remain a member of the Executive Committee, without portfolio. So, we will continue to benefit from his deep understanding of BACSA’s activities.
Two other recruits to Executive Committee posts during 2025 are Christina Macfarlane, who is taking the lead on Events, and Jason Beckett, who has succeeded Brigadier Ian Rees as Cemetery Records Officer. They are already making their presence felt and will be a great asset to BACSA for some time to come.
Finally, I should record BACSA’s grateful thanks to Dr Richard Bingle, who has relinquished responsibility on the Executive Committee for BACSA’s archives at the British Library. He and David Blake have been managing the archives for over 20 years. I have volunteered to take over from them and am beginning to appreciate what an undertaking this is.
In 2027 BACSA celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding by Theon Wilkinson in 1977. A good deal of the Executive’s time in 2026 will be spent on planning events with which to celebrate this milestone.
When he founded BACSA in 1977, I wonder whether Theon Wilkinson expected it to be in rude health and as active as ever 50 years later? Of one thing I am certain: he would be delighted to see the work we are currently doing in recording graves and conserving cemeteries in and around the Indian sub-Continent.
But the future of BACSA depends on its membership. It is encouraging that the number of members is holding steady. However, the key to BACSA’s future lies in recruiting the next generation to its membership. I make no apology for returning to this theme. May I urge all members to sponsor someone under the age of 60 to join BACSA in 2026.
I wish all of BACSA’s members a successful and, above all, peaceful 2026.
Mark Havelock-Allan
January 2026