FOR ALL WITH AN INTEREST IN THE HISTORY
OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY AND THE BRITISH RAJ
The British in India Historical Trust presents live and online lectures by authors of recently published books of interest to descendants of the British in South Asia between 1600 and 1947 and all who want to know more about the East India Company and the British Raj. The proceeds from lectures fund annual book prizes for excellence in non-fiction historical writing on British India.
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Online lectures run from November to April and this year's programme is here. They are broadcast via Zoom and are available UK-wide and to an international audience. Lectures from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 series have been uploaded to YouTube as a free resource for all who are interested in the history of the British in South Asia. The playlist is available here.​​​
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The British in India's fourth live event for 2025 will be a lunchtime lecture, 'Britain's Man on the Spot' on Tuesday 25 November at the University Women's Club. A two-course meal will be available afterwards for those who would like to stay. Further details are available here.
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If you would like to be informed when booking opens for live and online lectures, and are not already on our mailing list, please sign up for news of lectures at the foot of this page.
FEATURED LECTURE
TUESDAY 25 NOVEMBER 2025 11.30pm -1.00pm (LIVE)
Britain's Man on the Spot
Ann Wilks CBE
University Women's Club, 2 Audley Square, Mayfair, London W1K 1DB
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In his 40-year career with the Indian Civil Service Sir Henry Dobbs served in India, Balochistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. He was a prolific letter-writer, his correspondence and papers filling seven trunks that rested undisturbed for over 80 years in his home in Ireland. Ann Wilks was offered access and her biography draws on Dobbs’s writings to portray the daily work of an Indian Civil Servant and show how the man on the spot could shape events. In Afghanistan Dobbs negotiated a lasting treaty alone in Persian with the Amir. As High Commissioner for Iraq he ensured that it was not abandoned by a cash-strapped Britain, kept its northern third and advanced to early independence. An early advocate of self-determination Dobbs would use his own, often unauthorised, methods to benefit those he governed and to satisfy British objectives.​
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Ann Wilks CBE was a senior civil servant in the Department of Trade and Industry and then ran a regulatory body in the financial services sector. An Oxford MA and BPhil in modern history, Ann was offered on retirement the use of the recently discovered papers of Sir Henry Dobbs, her husband’s grandfather. She will discuss how she went about turning her material into a book as well as Dobbs's remarkable career.​
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This lecture is presented in association with the Indian Civil Service Society. ​
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Tea and coffee (self-serve and included in the ticket price) will be available on arrival. At 11.30 am there will be a short meeting in the Library for members of the Indian Civil Service Society (and anyone interested in joining).​
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The lecture will be presented in the Library at 12 noon. For those who would like to stay, an optional two-course meal (main course, dessert and coffee) from 1pm to 2.30pm will follow in the Drawing Room, offering an opportunity to mix and meet. Drinks can be purchased separately from the pay bar in the Drawing Room after the lecture. Dietary requirements accommodated where notified. Dress code: smart casual. All welcome.
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Tickets for the lecture cost £15. Tickets for the lecture and meal cost £62.50. ​
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Bookings for the meal close on 20 November.
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Bookings for the lecture close on 24 November.​
BOOK PRIZES
Proceeds from lectures fund annual prizes for non-fiction historical writing on British India: The British in India Book Prize and The British in India Military History Book Prize. The result of The British in India Book Prize 2025 is given here and the shortlist here.
