EUROPEAN TEAK WALLAHS: COLORFUL LIVES IN NORTHERN SIAM

This book is a comprehensive study of the colorful lives of European teak foresters, or ‘teak wallahs’, particularly the British, who were active in Lanna, northern Siam, later known as Thailand. These European life stories span from the latter part of the nineteenth century, during the time of Dr Marion A Cheek and Louis T Leonowens, through to the mid-twentieth century, navigating the challenges posed by the two World Wars. The book begins with background information about the Lanna region in the years before Western influence on the teak trade. Next follows a detailed description of the arduous and dangerous work of the teak wallahs in which individual life stories play an integral part. Consequently, there are new stories, maps and photographs that are additional to those included in the previous editions.

For example, this edition covers the personal life of Reginald Campbell, who became a famous author in the mid-twentieth century by drawing inspiration from his experiences as a forester in the Lanna forests to help him craft his books. Also newly included, among others, are the life stories of Gervase Frank Weston Elwes, a skilled hunter with many trophies to his credit, who ultimately met a tragic end; and Jack R Gould, a nephew of the first British Vice-Consul in Chiang Mai, who was accused of causing excessive indignation and humiliation to the ruler of the land.

The book also includes stories about Bombay Burmah Company foresters whose influence remained significant from the time they arrived in Lanna through to the post-World War Two period. Also included in this edition are heart-wrenching testimonies of those Europeans who were arrested early in the Pacific War and sent to an internment camp in Bangkok, as well as the hasty, difficult, and dangerous escape of British foresters and their families overland to Burma and British India.
At the conclusion of the book, Appendix 1 reveals the true identity of the famous character “Orwell” in Teak-Wallah, a novel written by Reginald Campbell and first published in 1935. This identification challenges speculations that have appeared in various previous sources. This appendix also unmasks “Swan”, a character in Teak-Wallah whose identity had previously been a mystery.