Partition: The Story of Indian Independence and the Creation of Pakistan in 1947

A talk by Lieutenant General Sir Barnabas White-Spunner KCB CBE

 for the Tennant Lecture Series

Thursday 29 February 2024

Big School at 8pm

Drinks in the Lowry Dining Room from 7.15pm

Barney White-Spunner will talk about his book Partition: The Story of Indian Independence and the Creation of Pakistan, to be followed by a discussion on how those tragic events have shaped the contemporary world.

Between January and August 1947 the conflicting tensions in India culminated in the creation of two independent states: India and Pakistan. This was the end of 90 years of the British Raj. However, Partition resulted in terrible bloodshed and bitterness. Ten million people became refugees and one million died, many of them in horrific circumstances. Gandhi, Churchill and Mountbatten were all involved, their contribution praised and damned in equal measure. What happened in India in 1947 created a cycle of violence and revenge which has shaped the region and much of the contemporary world.

Lieutenant General Sir Barney White-Spunner is a senior army officer, who commanded the UK land forces, as well as a distinguished writer and author. After retiring from the British Army he became chairman of the Countryside Alliance.

This event is fully accessible.