Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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A shameful episode in British colonial history
STEVEN WALKER looks back 100 years to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre
The entrance to the Jallianwala Bagh memorial in Amritsar, India
[Bernard Gagnon/Creative Commons]
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THE Peterloo Massacre was recently in the news 200 years after the Establishment used the police and army to attack a peaceful protest to demand workers’ representation in Parliament.
The 15th Hussars were summoned by the magistrate, Mr Hulton, to disperse the crowd. They charged with sabres drawn and in the ensuing confusion 15 people were killed and 400-700 were injured. But another big anniversary this year is likely to receive less attention.
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on April 13 1919 when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer fired rifles into a crowd of Indians, who had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab.
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