88 years later, battalion honoured

The Times of India ^ | THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2005 10:05:45 AM | The Times of India

[CarrotAndStick]

NEW DELHI: Gallantry awards are the ultimate badge of honour for any Army regiment or battalion. It’s a matter of the paltan’s izzat (battalion’s honour), as they say in Army parlance.

But this particular medal has made its way to a battalion after a good 88 years.

The battalion, 7th Light Cavalry (earlier called 28th Light Cavalry), is popping the bubbly these days after getting the medal, a Victoria Cross no less, even if it’s a replica of the original.

The original Victoria Cross will, however, remain with the battalion which has had it all this time, the 2nd Lancers or Gardner’s Horse.

This engrossing story begins during World War I in November 1917. Lance-Dafadar Govind Singh, who belonged to British Indian Army’s 28th Light Cavalry, was at that time attached to 2nd Lancers which was fighting on the western front in France, east of Pozieres.

Govind Singh, in a daredevil manner, volunteered to carry "crucial operational messages’’ between 2nd Lancers and the brigade headquarters, almost two miles apart, over "open ground" under "heavy enemy fire".

Despite a "nightmarish experience", he undertook the important mission two more times. "He succeeded all the three times but lost his horse on each occasion," said an officer.

"Govind Singh, who hailed from Jodhpur district, became the first Indian cavalryman to be awarded the Victoria Cross for this most conspicuous bravery," he added.

Govind Singh’s son, Brig Ganga Singh, later joined 2nd Lancers and the coveted Victoria Cross till this day hangs in its officers’ mess. But the 7th Light Cavalry always wanted to be part of the glory since, as per tradition, the medal belonged to both the awardee’s parent regiment as well as the one he was attached to when it was won.

Finally last month, Colonel of 2nd Lancers, Major General M P Singh, handed over a specially crafted replica of Govind Singh’s Victoria Cross to 7th Light Cavalry commandant Colonel Atamjeet Singh Sandhu at a special sainik sammelan. And now, though it was a long-long wait, 7th Light Cavalry can finally brandish a Victoria Cross of its own.

[tet68]

Izzat bump.