BOB WRIGHT (1924 - 2005)

Robert Hamilton (Bob) Wright was born in 1924 in Calcutta, where his father was the Commissioner of Police. His childhood was spent in Britain. After attending Cheltenham College he went on to King's College, Cambridge and achieved a first class Engineering Degree. Bob was a Rugby Blue who played for 1st XV Wasps and England.

Between 1943 and 1947, Bob went on Wartime Service to Normandy and Sudan as a Temporary Major. After the war, he decided to return to his roots in India. He moved back to Calcutta and worked for Andrew Yule & Co Ltd where he became Director, and the Indian Mining Association, where he was Chairman for several years. From 1971 to 1996, he was on the Committee, and later Managing Member, of Calcutta's famous Tollygunge Club.

The "days of the Raj" lingered on in Calcutta and the Wright family were keen riders and polo players. Although Bob and Anne, like most other 'sahibs' of their time, spent their leisure time in legal hunting and elaborate jungle camps, they stopped in the 1960s when they realised that animal numbers were significantly decreasing.

In 1988, Bob received the "Officer of the Order of the British Empire" (OBE) for his dedicated service to British citizens in India. For decades he headed the British Citizens' Association and was Chairman of the Board of Dr. Graham's Homes for poor children in Kalimpong in North Bengal. He also headed the East India Charitable Trust, which runs old people's homes, and several charity schools and hostels. For many years he was a Steward of the Royal Calcutta Turf Club, President of the Calcutta Polo Club and Chairman of the Historical Cemeteries Association.

Since the early 1980s, Bob's love for the wild was nurtured by the setting-up and management of Kipling Camp. He spent time every month at his Camp, accompanied by his constant companion, 'Becky' the Labrador. Bob Wright passed away on 19th April 2005.