The Shan to Yunnan – The travels of Henry R. Davies and his journeys through Burma (Myanmar) and China. - Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service

The Shan to Yunnan – The travels of Henry R. Davies and his journeys through Burma (Myanmar) and China.

29th October 2026

BA4625/1 – H.R. Davies c.1910

Worcestershire Archives is currently engaged in a project to convert our old paper catalogues into digital copies. During this project, we have come across many fascinating deposits held by the archives.

One such collection is a number of deposits relating to the Davies family of Elmley Castle. These deposits focus primarily upon Maj-Gen. Henry Rodolph Davies (1865-1950) and his service in the British Army and with the Foreign Office.

For most of the period between the 1880s and 1909, bar a year in South Africa during the Boer War, Davies was stationed in Southeast Asia, specifically Burma (Myanmar) and China. The Davies family collection gives a wonderful insight into these countries at the turn of the 20^th century as Davies was a prolific diary keeper and recorded his journeys and experiences.

Of particular interest is 705:385 BA4351 which contains a photograph album of Burma and Western China, 1893 to 1900, diaries of his time as a military attaché in China and financial accounts of the expeditions he undertook.

BA4351 – Photographic album of China/Burma railways survey.

The photographs were taken during a number of surveying expeditions between the Shan region of what is now Myanmar and the Western Chinese province of Yunnan to establish a railway link between the two countries.

The album, which offers a glimpse into the sights and scenes of this region during a transitionary period, were taken by the then Maj. H.R. Davies, Capt. C.H. D. Ryder and Capt. W.A. Watts-Jones, the latter two being notable ethnographic photographers of the time.

In 1906, Davies would be awarded the Murchison Award, an award given for contributions to geographical science by The Royal Geographical Society. This was for his explorations of the Kachin Hills, the Shan States, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Siam (Thailand). His experiences in China and Burma were published in 1909 as Yün-nan: The Link Between India and The Yangtze.

Davies’ diaries cover a fascinating period of Chinese history. Seconded by the Foreign Office and stationed as a military attaché at Shanghai, he witnessed the ‘Boxer Rebellion’ of 1899-1901 as he was charged with preparing the defences of Shanghai. His diaries also cover the period after his return from South Africa as an attaché based in Peking (Beijing) and Tianjin.

BA4238/1 – Diary entry whilst at Shanghai.

Other photographs, diaries and letters to family highlight his career in the army with the 52^nd (Oxfordshire) Light Infantry (later Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry) during service at the Khyber Pass, Second Boer War (1899-1902) and as a brigade and divisional commander during the First World War.

More deposits found under the reference 705:385 deal with other members of the Davies family, such as the service of his father, Lt-Gen. Henry Fanshaw Davies (1837-1914), during the Crimean War (1853-1856) and Anglo-Zulu War (1879).

BA4625/1 – Maj. Gen. Davies c.1918 with a young Bernard Montgomery.

If you are interested in viewing these or other collections, visit Worcestershire Archives and Archaeology Service and keep up to date with our exciting new discoveries on explorethepast.com.