Peter Ward Fay (December 3, 1924 – January 18, 2004) was an American historian and authority onIndia andChina. He was a professor at theCalifornia Institute of Technology from 1955 until his retirement in 1997.
Professor Fay received his bachelor's degree fromHarvard in 1947, where his studies were interrupted to serve inItaly duringWorld War II. Afterwards, he attendedOxford University as aRhodes Scholar and then returned to Harvard for his PhD, which he received in 1954. After a brief period teaching at Williams College, he came to Caltech, where he remained for the rest of his career. At Caltech, Fay taught a variety of courses in European history and also developed an interest in Asia, especially India and China.
Among his books were the award-winningThe Opium War, 1840-1842 (1975) andThe Forgotten Army: India's Armed Struggle for Independence, 1942-1945 (1993) written on theIndian National Army. His two years spent at theIndian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, during the 1960s, in its humanities department. Also, during his days atIndian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, he came in contact withLakshmi Sahgal(Captain Laxmi Sehgal) and her husband,Prem Sahgal(Colonel Prem Kumar Sehgal), both former high-ranking officers inSubhash Chandra Bose-led INA, who gave him deeper insights intoIndian National Army's history and helped him form his interest in Indian history.
