The forgotten Indians who fought WWI for the Raj

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Defence
13-November, 2017 18:30 IST
Military Honours to Two WW-I Indian Soldiers of 39th Royal Garhwal Rifles at France

Mortal remains of two Indian soldiers of 39 Garhwal Rifles were laid to rest at Military Cemetery at Laventie, France. A delegation comprising of Commandant and Subedar Major of the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre, two bagpipers from the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Pipe Band and Colonel Nitin Negi, grandson of late Naik Darwan Singh Negi, Victoria Cross, attended the ceremony.

On the occasion, homage was also paid to the soldiers of Indian Meerut Division at Nueve Chapelle War Memorial by laying wreaths on behalf of the Chief of the Army Staff, Indian Army by Brigadier Indrajit Chatterjee, Commandant and Subedar Major Trilok Singh Negi, SM of the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre. The Commandant expressed his gratitude to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for the excellent care and maintenance of the War Memorial dedicated to Indian soldiers in France and Flanders. He also thanked the Government of France for the conduct of the solemn ceremony.

On 20th September 2016, during an excavation work on southern side of the village of Richebourg near Laventie Military Cemetery, approximately 230 Kms away from Paris, two human remains were found and identified to be of soldiers of 39th Royal Garhwal Rifles. The office of Commonwealth War Graves Commission in consultation with the French Government and Indian Embassy in France decided to hold ceremony to rest them along with their comrades at Laventie Military Cemetery, with full military honours during the annual memorial service that is held to commemorate the Indian soldiers who were martyred in action in France and Belgium. In a symbolic gesture, the soil from the graves of these soldiers will be brought back to their homeland.

During World War-I, the Garhwal Brigade comprising of 1st/39th and 2nd/39th Royal Garhwal showed unparalleled bravery in treacherous trenches of France and Flanders. Fighting shoulder to shoulder with British soldiers, the Garhwal Brigade earned six Battle Honours and two Victoria Cross in France and Flanders Theatre.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Defence
14-November, 2017 19:41 IST
Raksha Mantri Receives Sacred Soil of Two Martyred Soldiers of WWI

Delegation of Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre today returned with the sacred soil from the resting place of two soldiers of 39 Garhwal Rifles. The urn was brought from Laventie, France and will be carried to the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre at Landsdowne. Today the two urns containing the sacred soil were handed over to the Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala Sitharaman by the delegation in a simple and solemn ceremony.


On 12 November 2017 mortal remains of the two soldiers were sent on their final journey with full military honours at Military Cemetery, Laventie, France. A delegation comprising of Commandant and Subedar Major, two bagpipers from the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Center and Colonel Nitin Negi, grandson of late Naik Darwan Singh Negi, Victoria Cross, were present on the occasion. On behalf of the Chief of the Army Staff, homage was paid to the soldiers of Indian Meerut Division at Nueve Chapelle War Memorial by laying of wreaths by Brigadier Indrajit Chatterjee, Commandant and Subedar Major Trilok Singh Negi.


On 20th September 2016 during an excavation work on southern side of the village of Richebourg near Laventie Military Cemetery approximately 230 Kms away from Paris two human remains were found and identified to be of soldiers of 39th Royal Garhwal Rifles. The office of Commonwealth War Graves Commission in consultation with the French Government and Indian Embassy in France decided to hold ceremony to rest them along with their comrades at Laventie Military Cemetery, with full military honors during the annual memorial service that is held to commemorate the Indian soldiers who were martyred in action in France and Belgium.


During World War-I, the Garhwal Brigade comprising of 1st/39th and 2nd / 39th Royal Garhwal showed unparalleled bravery in treacherous trenches of France and Flanders. Fighting shoulder to shoulder with British soldiers the Gharwal Brigade earned six Battle Honours and two Victoria Cross in France and Flanders Theatre.

 

[Hindustani78]

The Union Minister for Defence, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman receiving the urn containing the sacred soil of two soldiers of 39 Garhwal Rifles from their resting place at Laventie, France from Brigadier Inderjit Chatterjee, Commandant and Subedar Major Trilok Singh Negi, in New Delhi on November 14, 2017. The Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat is also seen.

The Union Minister for Defence, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman handing over the urn containing the sacred soil of two soldiers of 39 Garhwal Rifles from their resting place at Laventie, France to the Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat, in New Delhi on November 14, 2017.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Defence
18-November, 2017 17:36 IST
Wreath laying ceremony at Teen Murti Memorial

The wreaths were laid at the Teen Murti Memorial by the Cavalry Officers’ Association (COA) on 18 November 2017.

Teen Murti Memorial was instituted in the memory of the Cavalry Officers and Men of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade composed of Cavalry Regiments from the Indian States of Hyderabad, Mysore & Jodhpur and detachments from Bhavnagar, Kashmir and Kathiawar who sacrificed their lives during World War I (1914-1919), in the Sinai, Palestine and Syria. The Armoured Corps has traversed the journey in time since independence, with raising of modernised Tank Regiments.

Speaking on the occasion, Lt Gen Amit Sharma (Retd), President COA highlighted the great contribution of the Indian Armoured Corps in protecting the Nation’s sovereignty. This is aptly reflected by the ‘Gallantry Awards’ earned by the Corps since independence, which includes Two Param Vir Chakras, 16 Mahavir Chakras, Three Kirti Chakras, 57 Vir Chakras and 26 Shaurya Chakras.

*****

Cavalry Officers’ Association (COA) paying homage, on the occasion of Cavalry Weekend 2017, at Teen Murti Memorial, in New Delhi on November 18, 2017.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.frontline.in/the-nation/a-family-finds-its-sepoy-son/article9968315.ece

Srikantaraj Urs, a sepoy in the 1st Mysore Infantry regiment of the princely state of Mysore, died fighting on the side of British India in Singapore, but his family found final closure 72 years later, on February 26, when they traced his final resting place to the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore. By VIKHAR AHMED SAYEED in Singapore

SOMETIME in November 1946, a two-sentence condolence message from George VI, His Imperial Majesty The King, Emperor of India, arrived at 29-30/5, 6th Block, Chamundipuram Mysore (now Mysuru). The message read: “The Queen-Empress and I offer you our heartfelt sympathy in your great sorrow. We pray that the Empire’s gratitude for a life so nobly given in its service may bring you some measure of consolation.”

The life so nobly sacrificed was that of Ramagiri Subramanyaraj Srikantaraj Urs, son of R.N. Subramanyaraj Urs and Devajammanni, a sepoy (Army No.1389) of the 1st Division of the Mysore Infantry. He died on February 27, 1945, while being held captive in a prisoner of war (PoW) camp in Singapore by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during the Second World War. He was 27 years old. It was not immediately clear where he had died or where his remains were, sparking a search that lasted several decades.

The search ended in 2016 following a serendipitous sighting of Srikantaraj’s memorial at the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore. The Urs family finally found closure for their dead son when they performed a “Punya Shanthi” ceremony, an obsequial ritual, on February 26, 72 years after his death.

In the Mysore Infantry

Srikantaraj was born towards the end of the First World War in the princely state of Mysore, one of the better-governed native states in India, and joined the 1st Mysore Infantry regiment sometime in 1940. He must have been 22 or 23 years old when he wore his regimental uniform, scarlet in colour with yellow facings, for the first time. The headquarters of the Mysore Infantry was in Munireddy Palya in Bangalore (now Bengaluru) and his wages at the time would have been Rs.16 a month if he had been paid British Indian Army rates.

***********

Netaji Research Bureau, Kolkata Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose reviewing his INA troops in Singapore, 1943.

http://www.frontline.in/the-nation/bose-in-singapore/article9968319.ece

FOR Subhas Chandra Bose, violent armed struggle was an option unlike the non-violent creed of the Mahatma Gandhi-led Congress in attaining independence from the British. Bose’s arrival in Singapore gave a fillip to the Indian freedom movement in South-East Asia.

Addressing soldiers of the Indian National Army (INA) on July 5, 1943, Bose said: “Comrades! You have voluntarily accepted a mission that is the noblest that the human mind can conceive of. For the fulfilment of such a mission, no sacrifice is too great—not even the sacrifice of one’s life. You are today the custodians of India’s national honour and the embodiment of India’s hopes and aspirations. So conduct yourselves that your countrymen may bless you and posterity may be proud of you.”

A few months later, on October 21, 1943, Bose would proclaim the formation of the Provisional Government of Free India, in the Cathay Cinema building. He culminated his speech by saying: “In the name of God, in the name of bygone generations who have welded the Indian people into one nation, and in the name of the dead heroes who have bequeathed to us a tradition of heroism and self-sacrifice we call upon the Indian people to rally round our banner and strike for India’s freedom. We call upon them to launch the final struggle against the British and their allies in India and to prosecute that struggle with valour and perseverance and full faith in final victory until the enemy is expelled from Indian soil and the Indian people are once again a Free Nation.”

Bose’s arrival in Singapore made for greater coherence in the INA as well as for better liaisons with the Japanese. His arrival also helped the PoWs as forced recruitment into the INA stopped. John Baptist Crasta, a soldier from Mangalore who sailed for Singapore in 1941, writes that Bose gave instructions that no coercion should be used in recruitment, but when recruitment for the second INA began, “...it was more or less clear that those who did not volunteer would be taken away by the Japanese out of Malaya for fatigue purposes and put to extreme, life-threatening hardship”. Crasta himself was taken away to Kokopo in New Britain, which on the map is the farthest island in South-East Asia beyond which lies only the blue of the Pacific Ocean. Crasta’s is a grim account of how he almost died several times from hunger.

 

[Hindustani78]

Members of an Army band of the Garhwal Rifles pay their last respects to Lt Col Inder Singh Rawat (retd) in Dehradun. Tribune photo

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/ut...i-veteran-lt-col-rawat-is-no-more/598201.html

Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 31

Kirti Chakra awardee and second World War veteran Lt Col Inder Singh Rawat (104) is no more. He breathed his last in Dehradun during morning hours on Thursday. His last rites were performed in Hardwar later in the day. Col Rawat was awarded Kirti Chakra in 1957 for effective tackling insurgency in the northeast.

Hailing from Bageli village in Thalisen block of Pauri Garhwal district, Col Rawat did his primary schooling from the village school. He further went to Khirshu to study middle classes. Later, he went to Pauri town, where he did his high school from a Messmore Missionary school.

Joining the forces in other ranks in Garhwal Rifles, he participated in the World War II and was involved in action in East Africa. Through his sheer hard work and determination, he got commissioned in the then Burma Infantry in his forties in the pre-independence era. He later joined Royal Garhwal Rifles after country’s independence.

The best of Lt Col Rawat was still to come. In the fifties, then as Major posted with Assam Rifles, he was awarded Kirti Chakra for his ability in effectively tacking insurgency in the northeast. Kirti Chakra was bestowed on him on the independence day of 1957. In 1962 Indo-China war, he successfully commanded the 4 Garhwal Rifles in Arunachal sector.

Even after retiring from military service in 1966, Col Rawat was in the forefront working for the welfare of ex-servicemen in the state. He also actively contributed in social causes. Lt Col Rawat was an inspiration for many. That was not due to just his act of bravery as army officer but also because of his physical fitness level. He was active even till his last days. In Feb 2014, he celebrated his 100th birthday with the Garhwal Rifles Officers Association specially felicitating him in grand style.

The late Lt Col Rawat is survived by his son Brig RS Rawat (retd). The Rawat family resides in the Race Course locality of Dehradun. Ex-servicemen fraternity and Pauri Garhwal’s Raath Jan Vikas Samiti has expressed grief over passing away of Lt Col Rawat and expressed their condolences to the bereaved family.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Defence
06-September, 2018 18:49 IST
Centenary of the Battle of Haifa Celebrated

The Embassy of India held a ceremony in Haifa to mark the Centenary of the Battle of Haifa when on 23 Sep 1918, Indian soldiers from the Jodhpur, Mysore and Hyderabad Lancers liberated the city of Haifa. The ceremony was attended by a delegation from India led by Maj Gen VD Dogra and included personnel from the 61st Cavalry. The honour guard was drawn from the Indian contingent deployed as part of UN mission. The ceremony was also attended by the Mayor of Haifa, Ambassadors, Military Attaches, representatives from IDF and members of the Indian community.

Col Aman Anand

PRO (Army)

 

[Tshering22]

One and a half million soldiers fought in freezing trenches dressed only in khaki cotton gear on the western frontier.

These slaves are not our soldiers.

These people including their non-white field level seniors were slaves to the colonists. If they had the guts to invade other countries on the orders of the Raj, They were strong and decisive enough to fight back and re-take the country much earlier than our independence.

Gandhi's incompetence & treachery, coupled with the infighting mentality of Indians then, resulted in a waste of our massive resources which could have been used to gain independence much earlier.

 

[LASER1]

These slaves are not our soldiers.

These people including their non-white field level seniors were slaves to the colonists. If they had the guts to invade other countries on the orders of the Raj, They were strong and decisive enough to fight back and re-take the country much earlier than our independence.

They are not slaves, stop degrading them and start honoring them. Slaves are not paid nor had any rights. This wasn't compulsory service they were average people looking for jobs. Not out of nationalism may be.

Also, at those times, these soldiers were from different regions or princely states. They had no problem with the British yet. They were divided and had no need to cut the hand that feeds them.

hese people including their non-white field level seniors were slaves to the colonists.

Don't forget Sam Manekshaw was a Captain during the WW2.

 

[Tshering22]

They are not slaves, stop degrading them and start honoring them. Slaves are not paid nor had any rights. This wasn't compulsory service they were average people looking for jobs. Not out of nationalism may be.

Why should I honour them? They were ready to accept the pay of an occupier who insulted them, degraded them and ordered them to die for him. As a part of the British Army, they were well aware of the people joining the Raj from different provinces who looked similar, had similar habits barring a slight difference, were of similar cultural and/or faith background and knew that they too were oppressed by the empire.

Sure a job is important; but so is the conquest and freedom of your country.

Read about the Spanish Reconquista from the Ottoman Empire. Taking back the country needs grit and willpower which these Indians just kept aside. Their honour was limited to infighting within their stupid view of 'caste'.

They don't deserve the respect of modern Indians.

Also, at those times, these soldiers were from different regions or princely states. They had no problem with the British yet. They were divided and had no need to cut the hand that feeds them.

For example: a band of soldiers from the United Provinces (Uttar Pradesh today) and a band of soldiers from today's MP/Bihar area shared similar names, habits, lifestyle, beliefs in faith, looked similar. It doesn't need an Einstein to figure out that they were being manipulated by the Brits, especially after the 1857 rebellion. FYI these same soldiers also killed their own blood brothers on the orders of the colonists to crush the 1857 rebellion.

1857 war for independence, if you read about it, was the eye opener for many so-called princely states then that there was a common enemy. Between 1858 and 1914, there was ample time to reconsider their allegiance and unite for a common fight. 10 lac soldiers versus one-odd lac Brits out of a population of 25 crore people. Just do the math and see.

These soldiers were just puppets and slaves of the orders. They were doing nothing for India and instead did for the colonists.

Don't forget Sam Manekshaw was a Captain during the WW2.

At a time when Nazi Germany had broken the back of the British Empire. Fine enough, Gen. Manekshaw emerged as a great Indian hero. Had it not been for the Nazis, he'd have also remains a Brit slave.

 

[Pindi Boy]

Rot in hell schmucks

 

[Tshering22]

Rot in hell schmucks

Wow.. What is your grouse with them? Many of your variety actually were executed for not willing to fight against the Ottoman Empire. You should be proud of that dedication of theirs at least.

 

[Pindi Boy]

Wow.. What is your grouse with them? Many of your variety actually were executed for not willing to fight against the Ottoman Empire. You should be proud of that dedication of theirs at least.

they are disgrace i would never fight for those who occupied my land
why should i die for fat *** queen who dosnt gives a single shit about me or my people?

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/marigold-is-the-colour-of-sacrifice/article25280400.ece

It will be the symbol of remembrance for Indian soldiers martyred in World War I
The ubiquitous marigold will be the symbol of India’s sacrifices when the world marks the centenary of the end of the First World War on November 11.

“It was felt that there was a strong need for India to have a uniquely Indian symbol that could allow citizens in India, as well as the international diaspora, to acknowledge the valour and sacrifice of the Indian armed forces in the service of the nation, including those who fell in the two world wars,” said Sqn. Ldr. Rana T.S. Chhina (retd.), Secretary, Centre For Armed Forces Historical Research at the United Service Institution of India (USI).

In line with this, the ‘India Remembers’ project initiated by the USI proposed that the marigold flower join the poppy as a uniquely Indian symbol of remembrance.

Why was it chosen?
“The marigold was chosen because it is easily and widely available and also because saffron is often seen as a colour of sacrifice,” Sqn. Ldr. Chhina added.

The India Remembers project is a joint endeavour of the USI and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and a part of the ‘India and the Great War’ Centenary Commemoration project initiated by the USI in 2014 with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs and in close association with the British High Commission.

Widely promoted
The proposal was put up in 2016 and since then, the marigold has been widely promoted in all India-related commemorative events around the world. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge laid a marigold wreath at India Gate during their India visit in April 2016.

Since then, the marigold has also been used across the UK, along with the poppy, as part of community engagement projects that seek to highlight India’s contribution in the First World War, a diplomatic source said. Similarly, the Great War Indian War Memorial to be inaugurated at Villers-Guislain in France has a bronze marigold wreath as an integral part of its design.

The First World War ended with the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918. Since then, poppy was adopted as the symbol of remembrance as it grew widely in the Flanders fields in Europe where some of the major battles were fought. In India, the India Gate was built as the focal point to the Remembrance with the names of over 72,000 soldiers inscribed over it.

The government and the Army have to formally adopt the marigold to make it an official effort.

 

[ohmrlobalobayeh]

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/marigold-is-the-colour-of-sacrifice/article25280400.ece

It will be the symbol of remembrance for Indian soldiers martyred in World War I
The ubiquitous marigold will be the symbol of India’s sacrifices when the world marks the centenary of the end of the First World War on November 11.

“It was felt that there was a strong need for India to have a uniquely Indian symbol that could allow citizens in India, as well as the international diaspora, to acknowledge the valour and sacrifice of the Indian armed forces in the service of the nation, including those who fell in the two world wars,” said Sqn. Ldr. Rana T.S. Chhina (retd.), Secretary, Centre For Armed Forces Historical Research at the United Service Institution of India (USI).

In line with this, the ‘India Remembers’ project initiated by the USI proposed that the marigold flower join the poppy as a uniquely Indian symbol of remembrance.

Why was it chosen?
“The marigold was chosen because it is easily and widely available and also because saffron is often seen as a colour of sacrifice,” Sqn. Ldr. Chhina added.

The India Remembers project is a joint endeavour of the USI and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and a part of the ‘India and the Great War’ Centenary Commemoration project initiated by the USI in 2014 with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs and in close association with the British High Commission.

Widely promoted
The proposal was put up in 2016 and since then, the marigold has been widely promoted in all India-related commemorative events around the world. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge laid a marigold wreath at India Gate during their India visit in April 2016.

Since then, the marigold has also been used across the UK, along with the poppy, as part of community engagement projects that seek to highlight India’s contribution in the First World War, a diplomatic source said. Similarly, the Great War Indian War Memorial to be inaugurated at Villers-Guislain in France has a bronze marigold wreath as an integral part of its design.

The First World War ended with the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918. Since then, poppy was adopted as the symbol of remembrance as it grew widely in the Flanders fields in Europe where some of the major battles were fought. In India, the India Gate was built as the focal point to the Remembrance with the names of over 72,000 soldiers inscribed over it.

The government and the Army have to formally adopt the marigold to make it an official effort.

Proud of yourself in fighting for another's war?