John Masters, who served in the Indian Army in the 1930s prior to Indian independence, wrote of several ghost sightings in his book Bugles and a Tiger, published in 1956. A friend of his who was serving in the Indian Cavalry was living in the old sturdily built bungalows that had been erected before the Mutiny of 1857. Many such bungalows still existed in places such as Meerut, Delhi and Bareilly.
One June night the friend awoke, finding his room hot and airless; outside it was silent. On the wall above his bed he could see a flickering light which suggested a bonfire burning on the lawn outside; when he got up to look he could see no fire. Despite this he could still see the reflected flames flickering on the wall before they died away. This occurred for four nights running, getting stronger and brighter each time. On the fourth night he left his bungalow and went out on to the veranda. On the lawn he could see two ‘strangely dressed figures’ moving around; he thought they were armed and decided to approach them, but as he did so he discovered there was nothing there.
A historical check of the area found that another bungalow had once stood near his, in the same grounds. On a June night in 1857 two soldiers from the Bengal Native Cavalry had murdered their adjutant and destroyed the other bungalow, burning the bodies of the adjutant, his wife and children. This act had triggered the Mutiny in the area. It appears that the flames he saw reflected on his wall were ghosts of the destruction of the neighbouring bungalow
One June night the friend awoke, finding his room hot and airless; outside it was silent. On the wall above his bed he could see a flickering light which suggested a bonfire burning on the lawn outside; when he got up to look he could see no fire. Despite this he could still see the reflected flames flickering on the wall before they died away. This occurred for four nights running, getting stronger and brighter each time. On the fourth night he left his bungalow and went out on to the veranda. On the lawn he could see two ‘strangely dressed figures’ moving around; he thought they were armed and decided to approach them, but as he did so he discovered there was nothing there.
A historical check of the area found that another bungalow had once stood near his, in the same grounds. On a June night in 1857 two soldiers from the Bengal Native Cavalry had murdered their adjutant and destroyed the other bungalow, burning the bodies of the adjutant, his wife and children. This act had triggered the Mutiny in the area. It appears that the flames he saw reflected on his wall were ghosts of the destruction of the neighbouring bungalow
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