[An archive of letters written to Dr. C.W. Owen]

[Various places, 1920. Approx. 50 handwritten letters, 12 typed letters, 32 printed documents, 5 handwritten documents, 1 architectural plan, 6 photographs. A fascinating archive of letters and documents related to Dr. C.W. Owen, medical adviser to the Maharaja of Patiala and the Commander-in-Chief of India.

Dr. C.W. Owen served in the Afghan War from 1879-80 and established a Charitable Dispensary in Kabul City before continuing his career as a surgeon and medical adviser to government officials in colonial India. Beginning in 1893, he was the surgeon to the Commander-in-Chief in India, Frederick Roberts, one of the most successful British military commanders of his time and medical adviser to the Maharaja of Patiala, Rajinder Singh, who was awarded the Grand Cross of the Star of India in 1897 and was known for being very active in polo, field hockey, and cricket. Owen was appointed to the Order of St. Michael and St. George for his services in the military and in India. The archive includes correspondences addressed to Owen from a number of government and military-affiliated individuals in India as well as close friends and acquaintances in England. It includes a miscellany of documents related to Dr. Owen, including 18 copies of his records of service over time, professional certificates (including from the British Red Cross Society and Naval and Military Club), and letters of professional recommendations. These correspondences mostly follow C.W. Owen's professional life as a surgeon and medical adviser in colonial India and details of his furlough beginning in 1900. Some more personal letters discuss his interest in polo and details of his friends' lives. There are letters in English and Urdu.