Photo 469/1

Cloth-covered album, 230x290mm, containing mounted prints with handwritten captions. The front free endpaper has the note: 'E. H. Colebrook, A.S.P.. 7th April 1923'.

Prints 1-4: Groups of officers and men of No 1 Coy Malabar Special Police in Vizagapatam District. Prints 5-8: Snapshot portraits of European officers. Print 9: The 30th Mule Corps Detachment. Print 10: An elephant race. Prints 11-12: Camp scenes including an elephant and barber at work. Prints 13-20: Various landscape views in South India. Prints 21-23: Views at the Hitchcock Police School, Malappuram. Print 24: Bungalow at Tirur. Prints 25-27: Camp scenes, Malabar? Prints 28-37: Portraits and views in Vellore including a man on a motor bike, the temple in the Fort and views at a picnic. Prints 38-45: Views of a festival, labelled: 'Malappuram Nercha', March 1924. Prints 46-47: View of a Kachin grave and a river scene. Prints 48-50: Malabar Special Police on parade, Palghat. Prints 51-56: Portraits including the Rubber Planter, Robin Lescher. Print 57: Indian Police ceremony at the memorial to Richard Howard Hitchcock.

Edward Hilder Colebrook M.C. was born 16th October 1898 and joined the Indian Police on 16 October 1921. He served in various probationary posts in South India before being confirmed as Assistant Superintendent of Police in 1925. Between 1927 and 1930 he served at Vellore, Malappuram, St Thomas' Mount and Trichinopoly, and in November 1930 his promotion to District Superintendent of Police was confirmed. After attending the first summer course of instruction at Scotland Yard in 1932, he joined the Special Branch of the CID in Madras and from 1939, in addition to his substantive appointment, held the officiating appointment of Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Railways and CID, Madras. From the evidence of this collection, Colebrook was a keen amateur photographer and many of the prints, although only printed at snapshop size, display evidence of considerable skill and visual sensitivity.