Tibetan Prayer Wheel

This is the kind of object that Arthur Hadow and other officers collected as souvenirs whilst on the 'Political Mission' or invasion into Tibet with Col Younghusband. Looting was strictly forbidden, however it did happen. In July 1904 Hadow wrote to his mother 'The next day an armistice was declared which lasted for a couple of days so I took the opportunity to ride over to the monastery to do a little looting! I know by this time the best places to search so we had brought some lanterns with us and I at once made for the cellars where we found some things hidden away. We only had time to visit a few of the buildings so did not get very much and we then had to divide the things between the three of us. I got rather a nice gong which no doubt you will find useful when I am able to get it home'.