ABSTRACT
The First World War had important and significant implications for one of the key administrative divisions of British India, namely Bombay Presidency. Donations to war and other charities rose between 1914 and 1918 as fundraising became incorporated into daily life for much of the population. The chapter identifies the 'connectivities' at work that generated local implications, or meanings, of the war in India. By exploring how the First World War made its mark on people and places in war-time Bombay-in particular developments relating to ports, hospitals, prisoner-of-war camps, and the civilian war effort-it offers a case for interpreting the war along more spatial lines. Through identifying the spatial 'contours' of Bombay Presidency's 'home front' better, people might gain a more rounded picture of what the conflict signified for colonial India.
