George Cross & GC

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Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.

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Use this image under Non-Commercial licence.

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Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.

Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.

Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.

Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.

Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Media Sales & Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
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description

Physical description

medal, ribbon, brooch bar and fitted case of issue plain Greek cross (arms of equal length) in silver (46mm wide by 50mm height). On the obverse, St George (on horseback) and the dragon within a central raised roundel surrounded by a band bearing the text 'FOR GALLANTRY' , having at its base a small Tudor rose. The whole superimposed upon an edged cross. In each angle formed by the arms of the cross a small 'GVI' cypher. The suspender is a straight laurelled bar and the ribbon is described as 'Garter' blue. This George Cross is inscribed on the reverse with the recipient's details (in three lines) as follows: 'CAPT.MAHMOOD KHAN DURRANI. / INDIAN STATE FORCES / 23 May. 1946'

Label

George Cross awarded to Mahmood Khan for supreme bravery while a prisoner of war. Durrani joined the 1st Bahawalpur Infantry as a Second Lieutenant on 5 May 1935. After attending the British Indian Army School at Poona, where he specialised as a Signals Officer, he was promoted Captain. In March 1941, Durrani's battalion was sent to Malaya, assigned to defend the peninsula's northern airfields. When the Japanese invaded Malaya in December, the northern airfields were quickly overrun. Durrani was ordered south to Singapore and, with a small party of men, evaded capture for several months before being arrested in May 1942 by a unit of Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army (INA) who handed him over to the Japanese. Durrani was imprisoned with 7000 other Indian troops in appalling conditions in a camp at Seletar. Here the INA attempted to recruit a force to fight on the Japanese side against the British. Durrani not only refused to join the INA but, despite the obvious dangers, took active steps to try and undermine Japanese attempts to infiltrate its members into India. He conceived the idea of founding a school where Muslim agents were trained with intention of infiltrating them in to India. The Japanese believed the agents were being trained to undermine British rule; in fact, under Durrani's influence, the opposite proved to be the case. A number of agents did valuable work once back in India by warning the British authorities of Japanese plans and by countering INA propaganda amongst the general population. By May 1944 the Japanese had become suspicious about Durrani's activities and he was arrested and brutally tortured in an effort to get him to betray his accomplices. When this failed he was handed over to the INA where, despite further torture and the threat of execution, he still refused to give any information. When the war ended, Durrani was liberated but his health was permanently affected. The award of his George Cross, for 'outstanding courage, loyalty and fortitude while a prisoner of war', was announced on 23 May 1946. The following year he received the medal from the Viceroy, Lord Wavell, at an investiture in Delhi. A poet of considerable repute, Durrani continued his military career after partition with the Pakistan army from which he retired in 1971. A frequent visitor to Britain, Lieutenant Colonel M K Durrani died at his home in Pakistan in 1995.

History note

George Cross awarded to Captain Mahmood Durrani, 1st Bahawalpur Infantry. He was imprisoned with 7000 other Indian troops in a camp at Seletar. Here the Indian National Army (INA) attempted to recruit a force to fight with the Japanese. Durrani not only refused to join the INA but, despite the obvious dangers, took active steps to try and undermine Japanese attempts to infiltrate its members into India. He conceived the idea of founding a school where Muslim agents were trained with the intention of infiltrating them into India. The Japanese believed the agents were being trained to undermine British rule; in fact, under Durrani's influence, the opposite proved to be the case. A number of agents did valuable work once back in India by warning the British authorities of Japanese plans and by countering the INA propaganda amongst the general population. By May 1944, the Japanese had become suspicious about Durrani's activities and he was arrested and brutally tortured in an effort to betray his accomplices. When this failed he was handed over to the INA where, despite further torture and the threat of execution, he still refused to give any information. When the war ended, Durrani was liberated but his health was permanently affected. The award of his George Cross, for 'outstanding courage, loyalty and fortitude while a prisoner of war', was announced on 23 May 1946.

Inscribed in three lines on reverse

CAPT.MAHMOOD KHAN DURRANI. INDIAN STATE FORCES 23 May. 1946

Object details

Category

Decorations and awards

Creator

Royal Mint

Production date

1946

Materials

Case: wood

Medal: metal

Ribbon: cloth

whole: leather

Dimensions

whole: Height 50 mm, Width 46 mm

Catalogue number

OMD 5297.1

On display at

IWM London

Object associations

Related objects

Decorations and awards

George Cross & GC