A personal perspective on "The Great Game"

Our personal interest in the Great Game.

For the background and sentiment behind this rally, go to either of the following links,  

http://www.roarrallies.com/future_rallies/background.html?rallyId=6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Game

Phil’s ggg-grandfather, Dr John Macwhirter went out to India in 1799 as a marine surgeon.  He married Harriet Anne Reid and took over his father-in-law’s medical practice in Calcutta, becoming the personal physician to the Governor General of India.

In 1808, Mountstuart Elphinstone was sent on a so called “Embassy” to Kabul to gain the favour of the ruler as a measure of shoring support for British India in the event of attack or invasion by Russian or French forces.  Dr Macwhirter was appointed as the chief medical officer for the expedition.

This was one of the earliest moves in “The Great Game”. The expedition was away for almost a full year and Dr Macwhirter maintained a longstanding friendship with Elphinstone, even when back in Edinburgh many years later.

Dr John Macwhirter resided in Calcutta until his return to Scotland in 1822.  Whilst in Calcutta, he resided at “

Tank Square

”, now known as

Dalhousie Square

.  His residence was next door to the East India Company dispensary which we believe to have been located at

4 Wellersley Place

, being the street which ran between Tank Square & Government House.  That street is now called

Red Cross Place

and we hope to identify where his residence actually was.

When Dr John Macwhirter returned to Scotland, he purchased a house at

4 Ainslie Place Edinburgh

, for the sum of 3,600 Pounds, a huge amount in the early 1820’s.

We are going to officially start our journey at

Ainslie Place Edinburgh

and finish at

Tank Square

in Calcutta, a reverse pilgrimage to the memory of Dr John Macwhirter.

Whilst in Calcutta, we will tend to the grave in the South Park Street Cemetery, which contains the relics of three of Dr John’s children who died at an early age

Dr John’s only surviving son ( out of 15 children ), John Peach Macwhirter was killed in the Indian Mutiny on 11 May 1857 and his son, ( Phil’s great grandfather ) who was a young child, was smuggled to safety by the family servants and brought up back in Scotland.