Dagshai – The beautiful grave of Capt. Mary Rebecca Weston, RAMC (‘Mem Ki Qabar’)

We are delighted to announce that Anand Kumar Sethi has agreed to act as the BACSA AR (Area Representative) for Himachal Pradesh. Since retiring to Dagshai some years ago, Anand and his wife have initiated, and worked on, several important local history projects. Here he describes the conservation and restoration of a very special grave at Dagshai:

‘Dagshai, one of the oldest army Cantonments in North India, was founded in 1847 by the East India Company (EIC), after they managed to persuade the late Maharaja of Patiala to hand over land comprising five villages (Dagshai being one) on a hill.

Under Governor General Lord Dalhousie, many great engineering works were undertaken in the territories controlled by the EIC. Most of these were done under the supervision of a Sappers Officer, Major Robert Napier. In 1848 he selected the site for Dagshai Cantonment and supervised its construction. Napier would go on to become the Commander in Chief of the Army in India and subsequently Lord Robert Napier of Magdala.

Dagshai has other history associated with it, including some famous names that stayed here. Nobel Prize winner, Rudyard Kipling used to catch butterflies here (Read about it in ‘Plain Tales from the Hills’ – “The taking of Lungtungpen”); Edward Douglas Brown born here in the Military Hospital received the Victoria Cross in the Boer War, and Piper George Findlater, from the then Dagshai-based Gordon Highlanders Regiment, received a Victoria Cross for playing the Regimental tune ‘Dagshai Hills’, whilst gravely injured, in action at Dargai during the Afghan War.

Dagshai has multiple cemeteries with Cemetery No. 1 dating back to 1850, and the old Roman Catholic Cemetery No. 6 dating back to 1868. All, except the ‘New European Cemetery’ (N. E. C.) are now tidied and closed. We have cleaned and restored the NEC, including its main gate (Photo # 1) with our limited resources. The most famous grave (arguably, at one time, India’s most beautiful) here is that of the late Captain Mary Rebecca Weston, Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), the wife of Major George Weston, who was also with the RAMC. In 1907, both were posted at the then famous Dagshai Military Hospital, she as a Nursing Officer and he as a Surgeon.

The legend of the grave known locally as ‘Mem Ki Qabar’ (English Lady’s Grave) is extraordinary! In 1908, whilst walking to the Military Hospital, Mary Rebecca met a ‘Peer Baba’ (local Holy Man) at ‘Charing Cross’, Dagshai’s sole crossroads. The ‘Peer Baba’ told Mary that she looked unhappy due to being childless despite many years of marriage. However, she was promised that if she wore an amulet that he gave her, she would certainly conceive.

In December 1909 Mary Rebecca did conceive, but tragically both mother and child died during delivery. The distraught Major George Weston brought in from England a lovely marble Altar for Dagshai’s St. Patrick’s R. C. Church, and a beautifully sculptured marble grave tomb (Photo # 2). George Weston, now by himself, had to return to Mary Rebecca’s brother’s family, little Maude, whom the Westons had adopted, not having a child of their own.

This extraordinary story of Mary Rebecca giving birth after wearing the amulet spread far and wide. For years many women of the area who were unable to conceive would come and break bits of the grave to turn into amulets. As a consequence, over the years, the grave suffered major desecration with nothing but a ‘shell’ remaining. (Photo # 3). My wife and I decided that the grave needed to be restored. We put together a ‘multi faith’ group of friends willing to co-finance the restoration.

The Pastor at St. Patrick’s Church advised us that permission of the ‘family’ was required before restoration. Despite best efforts over two years we (self and the RAMC) were unable to locate a next of kin.

At this stage the RAMC gave us permission in writing to proceed with the restoration of the grave. The Pastor conducted a ceremony signalling commencement of the work undertaken by a specialist team from Calcutta. The restoration work, principally using Marble and Plaster of Paris, was finished in two weeks. A protective cage was constructed to prevent further depredation (Photo # 4). Another ceremony was conducted by the Pastor at the conclusion of the work.

Perhaps by Divine intervention, our efforts at finding a next of kin suddenly met with success! We were able to locate and get in touch with Maude’s daughter, Elizabeth James, an author residing in London. We manged to get Elizabeth all the way up to Dagshai. Prayer ceremonies were held, at the restored grave as also at the restored Altar at St. Patrick’s Church. But that is another story!’

Anand Sethi

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