Work at McLeod & Co
The Company
McLeod & Co was one of the major Calcutta trading companies. Founded in 1886 by Sir Charles Campbell McLeod Bt. and run in 1924 by his son, Murdoch Campbell McLeod, later to inherit the title on the death of his father in 1936. McLeod & Co had an impressive gleaming white head office along the south-west side of what is still popularly known as Dalhousie Square (now officially called B.B.D. Bagh), near the former Post Office – the grey dome next to the red-roofed building.
Dalhousie Square (Google Earth)
McLeod Building today (Google Earth)
McLeod & Co had large interests in coal mines, tea estates and jute factories and many other enterprises. In later years, McLeod & Co declined after World War Two, the decline coinciding with the Independence of India in 1947 and changed financial regulations. This decline was common to many other once successful companies. The McLeod name lingers on in connection with some modern-day tea businesses in Kenya and elsewhere.
How did John come to work at McLeod & Co?
John Anton, when he started at McLeods, resolved to work hard and look after his family financially. Every letter breathes love and care for his two sisters and his parents.
It is not known how John came to be employed by McLeods but there is no doubt he was favoured because he was a Scot. He probably had a good recommendation from his father’s brother, also John Anton, who was Assistant Manager of the Assam Oil Company, Digboi. This John Anton had no children of his own, but took an interest in his brother William’s family, leaving the two daughters a legacy in his will. (See Appendix for John’s Uncle John)
It is also possible that he gave a recommendation to another nephew, Alec (Alexander) Anton, a younger son of his older brother, who stayed on to manage the family farm – Redhill, Rothiemay. In a letter home, John Anton says he is going to meet Alec on December 16th 1925, when his ship docks and spend an evening or so with him. Alex was in India, running tea estates in Assam, ending up at Deamoolie Tea Estate, Doom-Dooma, leaving in 1948. (See Appendix for Alec Anton)
This photo shows four tea planters. The man on the left is John’s cousin Alexander Anton. The man third from the left is Mr Grant, a tea garden manager.
The photo was found in John’s collection, but Alexander was only identified nearly 100 years later by his daughter Alison.
Early photographs of John at McLeods show him as a slight, eager young man becoming in the four years that he was there (1925-1928) a substantial, confident man with a pipe in his mouth and both hands on his hips.
Perhaps John is having a photograph taken at the desk, nearest to the light of the window. It is worth noting how much space John and Hain had to work in compared to the view of the General Office below. John’s note on the back of the photo says, My dept is on the extreme right were [sic] the railings are seen. Over time, of course, John possibly worked in more than one office.
The next four photos taken on the roof of the McLeod building are perhaps the most intriguing of all. In the first one, John is looking very young, and this is the photo where his nephew sees a likeness to himself in the profile view of his uncle.
When I first saw these photos when I was young (in the late 1940s), I had little knowledge of India and always assumed that these were John’s work colleagues and that they had light-heartedly come onto McLeods roof in their lunch hour to have their photographs taken – the conservatively dressed girls being secretaries or telephonists. The slight older diffident man is assumed to be the office senior [possibly Hain – see photo above] and the large awkward lounging man with the bow tie was a junior clerk, like John. He is identified in the margin of one of the photos as Meek.
Viewing these photographs over 60 years later, it now seems more likely that the girls were not work colleagues. Perhaps they were visitors to McLeods and were invited onto the roof to see the city from there (?). Whoever they are, John seems very relaxed in their company.
Two senior members of McLeods staff in their office – M C McLeod (standing) and A E Fox.
Identified people, starting sixth from left on back row:
A E Fox
Standish
Jacques
Bennett
A C Colvin, son of Major General Sir William Colvin
H H Burn, Chartered Accountant, Partner – later to be elected President of Bengal Chamber of Commerce (1939)
M C McLeod, Partner
Mrs K O McLeod
R B Lagden, son of Sir Reginald Lagden CBE (See Appendix)
Mrs M C McLeod, camera in hand. One wonders if any of her photographs have survived
Thomas – John stayed with him when he first arrived in India
The next group photo without any names shows John standing top left. They all look very assured and confident. Are they staff members of McLeods? The distinctive domes in the background do not seem to match anything in Calcutta. Attempts have been made to match faces with those in the cricket team, mostly without success. Only A C Colvin, the tall man in the back row, and H H Burn, fourth from the right in the front row, are readily identifiable.
John’s handwriting on back of photo: “McLeod House, Calcutta. There are two lifts, only one may be seen [inside on the right]. List of companies” [owned by McLeods or for whom McLeods acted as agents].
The final photo from McLeods lists a moment in time to the exact hour – the arrival of a garry at McLeods to take John to the station before his trip to… who knows where.
John’s note on the back of the photo