Emden Attack, 1914

Madras has always been a important city/ landmark for the british administration since early times. As a result we also had to face the burnt of being the only Indian city to be attacked by the German cruiser ship Emden during the First World War. 🌎
On September 22 1914, German cruiser SMS Emden advanced close to the Madras shore and opened fire at storage tanks of the British-owned Burmah Oil Company. The Emden’s captain, Karl von Muller directed the ship into the Madras harbour managing to elude the British navy that had a huge fleet in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. At 9.30pm, the port was completely illuminated despite a blackout order, when Muller gave the order to engage. An attack by a German warship was the last thing that overconfident British navy officers in Madras expected.

The German ship fired at least 125 shells within 10 minutes. The shells targeted and destroyed four tanks containing 350,000 gallons of oil. Some historians say Fort St George was the main target of the German warship but the sailors proved to be poor marksmen.

By the time the British responded, Emden had left the area after destroying the oil tanks and merchant ships inside the harbour.

SOURCE: THE HINDU | TOI

Stanley Hospital, 1938

Madras may have gotten its first general hospital in the year 1772 but it wasn’t as general as it claimed to be. The hospital functioned only for the Europeans of Madras untill 1842 when it was opened for all indians. The tale of how the people of Madras got access to medical facilities is an interesting one. In 1781-1782,, when Hyder Ali’s troops ravaged madras there was also another issue burning. Madras was facing one of its worst-ever famines. The city’ first ever formal charity was setup and the Famine relief committee rented a house to feed gruel to the poor people. In due course of time it began to be addressed as the Monegar Choultry or Kanji Thottam as it was run by the “maniakarar”- the local village headman. Even after the conditions improved in 1784 the house was used as a refuge for poor and sick. It was here that Dr. John Underwood established the ” Native Infirmary” for indians in 1799. In 1809, a native hospital in Purasawalkam merged with the infirmary and formed the Monegar Choultry hospital. Almost a century later, the hospital was renamed the Royapuram hospital and many of the old buildings were replaced. Adjacently the Auxiliary Royapuram Medical school had been established in 1877 to provide medical education. The Royapuram school merged with another medical school in 1933 and eventually became The Stanley medical College and Hospital in 1938. The institution was fondly named after then Governor of Madras George Stanley. The rest as we know is history. The institution over the years has become one of the foremost medical colleges and hospitals in the state.