September 2020 Chairman’S Column
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THE TIGER His Highness Sajjan Singh Bahadur THE NEWSLETTER OF THE LEICESTERSHIRE & RUTLAND BRANCH OF THE WESTERN FRONT ASSOCIATION ISSUE 106 – SEPTEMBER 2020 CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN Welcome again, Ladies and Gentlemen, to The Tiger. With two well-reported and flagrant breaches of current regulations by local leadership, it was surely no surprise to learn (eventually) that the City of Leicester remains under partial lockdown and yet another of our Branch Meetings is therefore cancelled as a result. Once more the Covidiot minority appear to have triumphed, to the detriment of the law-abiding majority. Unable to meet in person, the importance of communication amongst ourselves, particularly via the pages of The Tiger, cannot be understated and both Valerie and I remain grateful to those who have contributed articles for publication during the last six months. The on-going sharing of information amongst ourselves has always been a cornerstone of our activities and, in the absence of physical presentations to attend, the written word gains additional importance. With that in mind, readers may be interested to know of the recent publication of Endall Street, the story of the military hospital in London featured in Lynn Roffee’s excellent account of the exploits of Flora Murray and Louise Garrett Anderson, recounted in our previous two editions. The book, written by Wendy Moore and illustrated left, runs to 318 pages and is available at a reduced price via the normal internet sources. Readers may also be interested to learn that a statue of Millicent Fawcett was erected in Parliament Square in 2018 to commemorate the role of the suffragists in the enfranchising of women a centenary before. The statue is shown on the right. Other additions to my personal library include Missing, by Richard van Emden and Staring at God by Simon Heffer, the latter a truly substantial volume in excess of 800 pages and an excellent account of British political history during the Great War. An ideal read to fruitfully occupy many hours of our continued incarceration, it’s substantial cast reminds one that it was not only the Generals who faced a steep learning curve, but the politicians too. How ironic that, 100 years later, the same can be said of certain of our leaders in our present plight! Take care, stay safe and remain healthy until we can meet again. D.S.H. 2 HE GALLOPED TO THE AID OF HIS KING by Valerie Jacques Frances Stevenson, mistress, personal secretary, confidante and second wife of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, once described an Indian Maharaja thus: “He is a figure out of the ‘Arabian Nights’ with jewel-studded turban, an exceedingly handsome countenance and upright bearing.” A narrative which, I feel sure you’ll agree, most certainly applies to my subject this month - Major General His Highness Sir Sajjan Singh Bahadur, Maharaja of Ratlam State, India. Born on 13th Jan 1880 in the Princely State of Ratlam (now a district in Madhya Pradesh, Central India), he was the only son of His Highness Maharaja Shrimant Sir Ranjit Singhji Sahib Bahadur and Her Highness Jhaliji Maharani Shrimant Raj Kunverba Sahiba. Following the death of his father in 1893, Sajjan succeeded to the Ratlam throne aged just 13 and reigned His Highness Sajjan Singh under a regency until he came of age in 1898. Bahadur Educated at Daly College, Indore, and at Mayo College, Ajmer (considered to be the Eton of India), he joined the Imperial Cadet Corps at Dehradun and volunteered with the Central India Horse Brigade. Commissioned an honorary Captain in the British Indian Army in 1908, he was promoted to Major in 1911. By the outbreak of the Great War he was a famous polo player on the world circuit and took his team to the Western Front where the nimble polo ponies, accustomed to making rapid turns, proved their worth by, for example, carrying battle orders when the hand- cranked telephones refused to work. The ancient sport of Polo had been discovered by the British in the 1850s when tea planters came across the game in Manipur, North East India, and had founded the first Polo Club. As the British Army in India became more prevalent it was developed considerably. Handicaps were introduced and differing strategies and tactics adopted. By 1910 Clubs were well established in England, Ireland, Argentina, Australia and the USA. On a national and inter-national level, the game become ever more competitive with the requirement of top class polo ponies becoming a leading factor. At the time it was considered to be one of the best assets of the British Army and the prowess of its Cavalry. A young officer named Winston Churchill once declared, whilst serving in India before the turn of the century: “one of the most serious businesses of life in the Army is Polo!” Here is an extract from The Polo Monthly magazine dated September 1914: “It has long been admitted that the polo pony is a most useful type of horse for military purposes. In Indian warfare he has long been ‘facile princeps’ when compared with his larger brother. Though too small, of course, for artillery or ordinary cavalry, he makes an excellent mount for Territorials, mounted orderlies, senior officers of infantry regiments etc. He is handy, fast and easily accustomed to military service and, for his size, can carry a considerable 3 amount of weight. His constitution is, as a rule, excellent and he can stand any amount of fatigue. Small wonder, therefore, that the military authorities on the issue of mobilisation orders, were particularly keen on polo ponies, and we are pleased to note that several prominent players, including the Prince of Wales, handed over their entire studs for Army purposes”. When the British Empire declared war on Germany, on 4th August 1914, the Maharajas of the then united sub-continent saw it as a glorious opportunity to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors. Many wrote personal letters to His Majesty, King George V, imploring him to give them the opportunity to become involved - they were ready to go anywhere for the privilege of serving their King-Emperor! That very month, the Times of India, stated: “The swords of the martial Princes leapt from their scabbards”. If only they’d known what was to come . India, of course, had worries of her own as, if Great Britain had decided to remain neutral, Russia may have renewed her disputes in Persia and Central Asia and when the Ottoman Empire united with the Central Powers at the end of October 1914, the War became ever nearer as Mesopotamia, India’s then neighbour, was now her enemy. There were also major concerns that Germany would exploit her alliance with the Turks and move troops and armaments through the Balkans and Turkey to Aleppo, Baghdad and Basra before turning towards Afghanistan and Baluchistan, all of which would threaten the already precarious North-West Frontier. India did not wish to exchange British rule for German! Gandhi, who happened to be in London at the outbreak of War, rallied his fellow countrymen from afar imploring them to “offer all humble assistance as we may be considered capable of performing as an earnest of our desire to share the responsibilities of Empire.” (Gandhi most likely saw an ideal opportunity for India to show that she was worthy of self-government.) However, the ordinary Indian volunteered in his thousands, not just to fight for his King-Emperor, or the British Empire, but also for the honour of his Regiment. Each man took part in a ceremony where he “ate the Salt of the Sarkar” and swore an oath on his religious book binding him to the ruling authority through the obligations of protection and loyalty. Regimental traditions were taught in Hindu and Sikh temples and in mosques and each young soldier knew that if he did not do well he would face the shame of his village. There was little mutiny or dissent and, although kept on a tight regime by their white British Officers, they would all soon be put to the ultimate test and prove their worth. When Indian soldiers first arrived in France their King-Emperor, George V, sent the following message: “You are the descendants of men who have been great rulers and great warriors. You will recall the glories of your race. You will have the honour of showing in Europe that the sons of India have lost none of their ancient martial instincts. In battle you will remember that your religions enjoin on you that to give your life doing your duty is your highest reward. History will record the doings of India’s sons and your children will proudly tell of the deeds of their fathers.” By the end of September 1914 the British Indian Army were demonstrating their vital contribution to the War effort when they were engaged in a desperate defence on the Western Front near Ypres and at Neuve Chapelle where one third of the British sector of the Allied Line was bravely held. The following article appeared in the Frankfurter Zeitung, a German newspaper which advocated for peace both before and throughout the War: “Today for the first time we had to fight against Indians and the devil knows those brown rascals are not to be under-rated. With a fearful 4 shouting, thousands of them rushed upon us. At a hundred metres we opened a destructive fire that mowed down hundreds but in spite of that the others advanced. In no time they were in our trenches. With butt ends, bayonets, swords and daggers we fought each other and we had hard, bitter, work.” Just one month later, 31st October 1914, 26 year old Sepoy 4050 Khudadad Khan, 129th Duke of Connaught’s Own Baluchis, became the first Indian soldier of the British Indian Army to receive the Victoria Cross for his conspicuous bravery at Hollebeke, Belgium.