IMPERIAL KHAKI

A carved mahogany crest, circa 1945, of No.110 Squadron RAF, depicting a demi-tiger, a symbol extracted from the Asaf Jahi dynasty's heraldry. In 1917 the Nizam paid for a squadron of DH9As for the Royal Flying Corps. They flew and fought in the skies over the grim battlefields of France. Little did he, or anyone else at the time, realise that 27 years later 110 Squadron would be flying and fighting over the forbidding green jungles of Burma. And, more importantly, like so ma

A pre-1947 teak plaque carved with the unique emblem the 15th Punjab Regiment. The emblem of 15th Punjab depicted a crescent moon intertwined with a chakra, for the faiths that composed the unified regiment. The crescent moon represented the Muslims, and the chakra – a traditional Sikh throwing weapon – represented the Sikhs. Together these men fought alongside each other and helped beat the Imperial Japanese Army in Burma in 1945 to oblivion, winning two Victoria Crosses and

A battered and crudely repaired East India Company cavalry pattern flintlock pistol, built by Reynolds of London, stamped 1806, found in an Afghan bazaar. Subduing and ruling India wasn't easy. It needed the force of arms on a scale never seen before. British gun makers stepped in and between 1804 and 1817 alone produced 1,800,000 firearms to help make this happen. But then, they made a mistake: They decided to introduce the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle. It required biting cart

A copy of 'Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society' published in February 1885, with a map that wouldn't exist without the courage, skill and perseverance of one of history's greatest explorers. The British in India knew nothing of Tibet, it was forbidden to foreigners. If they entered and were discovered, they'd be executed. So, they had to find someone who would blend in, would master navigation, would meticulously record terrain. They finally found their man in Nain