𝐃𝐫. 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝟏𝟖𝟓𝟗-𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟗

 

ARTHUR NEVE was born on 24th December I 859, at Brighton. His parents were definitely devoted to religious work and keenly interested in the work, overseas, of the Church of England, died in 5 September 1919 Kashmir.

 

 

In 1901 the Kaisar-i-Hind gold medal of the First Class, for public service in India, was conferred upon Dr Neve.

 

The following tribute was paid to his work by Lord Curzon, at a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, in 1911 : " He did not suppose that there was any Englishman who had been better known in Kashmir, or who had rendered greater services to the people of that country, during a space of thirty years, than Dr Neve. . . . It was one of his own happiest reminiscences that, a special order having been provided by Queen Victoria, while he was in India, for the reward of unostentatious beneficent services to the people, one of the first recipients of the medal, whom he had the good fortune to select, was Dr Nev

 

ARTHUR NEVE was born on 24th December I 859, at Brighton. His parents were definitely devoted to religious work and keenly interested in the work, overseas, of the Church of England.

 

In 1876 Arthur Neve went to Edinburgh to study medicine, with a view to going out as a medical missionary. Arthur Neve had many interests. Without   working very hard he managed to secure high place in his medical classes, gaining medals and prizes. After acting as house-physician in the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, he was appointed Resident Medical Officer  to the Livingstone Memorial Dispensary and Training Institution, under the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society.

 Just then, however, Dr Downes, in Kashmir, had almost reached the limit of his power, and had sent home an urgent request for a helper and successor. So, unexpectedly, Arthur Neve, instead of going to Africa to work amongst pagan tribes and share in the great spiritual harvest which was soon to be reaped in Central Africa, received the call to go to Asia.Arthur Neve, in loyally accepting the call to Kashmir- 

In 1882 Arthur Neve started on his first journey into Kashmir. Seventeen years had elapsed since Dr Elmslie had made his first entry. Arthur Neve when he arrived in Srinagar, A two days later, was much impressed with the state of efficiency to which Dr Downes had brought and maintained the hospital work, especially the surgical department. 

Kashmir has always been a land of tragedies and great disasters. The year 1885 will ever be remembered as that of the appalling earthquake. Arthur Neve was in the midst of it, and under his leadership the Medical Mission was able to render much service.At that time, however, any age above fifty was a serious bar, and such offers were not accepted, so I returned to Kashmir. 

In 1915 the position had changed, and it was realized that all available power must be utilized. Arthur Neve, whose furlough was almost due, now offered for war service, and obtained the support of influential friends. 

In the spring of 1919 Arthur Neve came back to his beloved work. We had been eagerly looking forward to his return. During that summer there was a severe epidemic  of cholera, the recurring curse of Kashmir. Arthur Neve had attended him devotedly, and had given his own blood, by transfusion, in his unsparing efforts to save his beloved fellow-worker, but, alas, without avail.At the end of August 1919 Arthur Neve was suddenly struck down by fever. The nature of this was obscure, but it appeared to be related to a severe attack of influenza, from which he had suffered when in France. his condition became critical, and he passed to his rest, after many hours of unconsciousness, on 5th September. It is not too much to say that the news came as a sudden and unexpected shock to the - people of Srinagar. Congregations of Moslems, to whom, in their mosques, the intelligence was imparted, were moved to tears.The funeral was like a triumphal march. For once there surged up to the surface some indication of a widespread appreciation of his long life of service rendered to the people. Both the Moslem and Hindu community placed on record their deep sense of loss in the death of Arthur Neve. At a special meeting of the Anjuman-i-Nasratul - Islam the following resolution was passed :In recognition of the innumerable favours which the Kashmiris in general, and Moslems in particular, enjoyed at his hands, the Anjurnan, on behalf of the Mussulmans of Kashmir, places on record the deep sorrow and extreme regret felt by the latter on the lamented and untimely demise of the late Dr Arthur NeveA special meeting of the Hindu Sanatan Dharm Saba, - Similar resolutions were passed by the Srinagar Municipality, the Young Men's Own Service League, and the Theosophical Society.Maharajah of Kashmir wrote : " He has been my very old friend, and his loss is irreparable to my country and the Valley of Kashmir. He used to do great medical  work ; he was so popular, and kind to the public.

His death is really a great loss."