Khan, Muhammad Ismail (Oral history)

Indian officer served with 2/10th Bn Baluch Regt as liaison officer to Headquarters, 8th Indian Bde in Malaya, 1941-1942; POW in Singapore, 1942-1945; Pakistani officer served with Gilgat Scouts during Kashmir War, 1948-1949

REEL 1 Background in Peshawar, 1918-1939: family; education. Aspects of period of training with Indian Army Military Academy at Dehra Dun, 1939-1940: reaction to declaration of Second World War, 9/1939; fate of first batch of short service commission cadets to pass out of academy, 1940; attitude to British rule in India; opinion of training at Dehra Dun; question of Indianisation of Indian Army; second hand story of friction between British officer and Indian officer with 1/1st Bn Punjab Regt on North West Frontier, 1937-1938; story of reasons for mutiny of 4/19th Bn Hyderabad Regt in Malaya, 1940. REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of operations as officer with 2/10th Bn Baluch Regt attached to Headquarters, 8th Indian Bde in Malaya, 1941-1942: move to Malaya, 11/1941; order of battle for 3rd Indian Corps for defence of Malaya, 1941; stories of illustrating sense of humour of commander of 3rd Indian Corps; concept behind defence of Malaya; nature of Japanese attack on Malaya, late 1941; his role as liaison officer with Headquarters, 8th Indian Bde; visit to beach defended by 3/17th Bn, Dogra Regt in Kota Bahru area, 7/12/1941; his capture of Japanese POW; taking Japanese POW on motorbike to brigade headquarters. REEL 3 Continues: caste composition of Indian units; defensive arrangements for beaches on eastern coast of Malaya; orders he had to give to brigade units to withdrawal to 4th Milestone on Kota Bahru-Kuala Krai road, night 8/12/1941; his demand that doctor attend to wounded officer; escape from Japanese encirclement; sight of rulers of Kelantan state heading southwards; need to reorganise brigade; his checking story of Naik Gugna Ram that 2/10th Bn Baluch Regt had been wiped out. REEL 4 Continues: visit to C Coy, 2/10th Bn The Baluch Regt; character of withdrawal to 26th Milestone at Machong; question of his encouraging troops to fire without orders; results of bayonet charge by 2/10th Bn Baluch Regt; withdrawal to Kuala Lipis; replenishing whiskey supply; reaction of news to loss of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse; collecting transport from Kuala Lumpur, 31/12/1941; award of Victoria Cross to Colonel Arthur Cumming commanding officer of 2/12th Bn Frontier Force Regt; withdrawal from Kuala to Gemas, 10/1/1942; amusing story of liasing with Australian troops at Gemas; Australian successes at Gemas. REEL 5 Continues: accidental crossing of British minefield; reaction to first sight of RAF, 15/1/1942; method of conducting fighting withdrawal; Japanese use of firecrackers during attack; loss of battalion stretcher bearers during withdrawal to Layang Layang; loss of divisional commander; failure of Australian troops to liase; use of Australian trucks to withdraw from Johore State into Singapore. Recollections of operations as officer with 2/10th Bn Baluch Regt in Singapore, 1942: condition of unit on arrival in Singapore, 1/2/1945; memories of brother officer who was expelled from Royal Indian Air Force; changes in command of unit; avoiding training in mangrove swamps. REEL 6 Continues: his interrogation by 1st Bn Cambridgeshire Regt for not having identification papers, 2/1942; Japanese artillery barrage on Australians at Tenggah, 7/2/1942-8/2/1942; occupation of Hills 195 and 225, 11/2/1942; fighting during last days before fall of Singapore; elimination of three Japanese tanks by anti-tank guns, 12/2/1942; taking up positions on outskirts of Singapore town, 13/2/1942; merging of unit with 2/18th Bn Royal Garhwhal Rifles, 13/2/1942; abortive evacuation of battalion officers from Singapore; reasons for heavy unit losses on night, 14/2/1942-15/2/1942; memories of Indian commanding officer of 2/18th Bn Royal Garhwhal Rifles; reaction in unit to surrender negotiations, 15/2/1942; last flurry with unit mortars, 15/2/1942. REEL 7 Continues: Recollections of period as POW in Singapore, 1942-1945: morale on surrender; organisation of surrender, 16/2/1942; sight of Indian POWs wearing Fujiwara Kikan armbands; ambiguous statement to Indian troops by Brigadier Paddy Hunt of 3rd Indian Corps; demand of Major General Mohun Singh of Indian National Army for POWs must enlist in Indian National Army; insanitiary conditions in camp and outbreak of dysentery; abuse of POWs from Indian National Army defectors; removal of loyal Indian POWs to Karanje Camp; role building air strips; discovery of British Army rations dump; defection of company commander from his unit to Indian National Army; pressure on POWs to join Indian National Army; how he thwarted abuse from Sikh Indian National Army; threat of execution from Indian National Army. REEL 8 Continues: how threat of execution turned into party hosted by Mohun Singh; POW rations; his chore bargain with Chiraga Ram; effect of confinement and pressure from Indian National Army on POWs will to remain loyal; aid from his former Eurasian girl friend; further pressure on POWs to join Indian National Army; shooting of POWs by Indian National Army at Karanje camp; question of rumour that British officers wanted POWs to enlist in Indian National Army, 10/1942; story of exiling of Mohun Singh by Japanese; character of allegiance of Colonel Bonsle to Indian National Army, 11/1942; arrival of Subhas Chandra Bose in Singapore, 7/1943. REEL 9 Continues: aid received from civilian relative in Singapore; effect on morale of resisters to Indian National Army of Jinnah's speech; reaction to Subhas Chandra Bose's speech; contact with his relative in Singapore; attempt to look for his relative who had disappeared; his interrogation by Kempetai; problem of escaping; accusations during second appearance before Kempetai, 31/5/1944. REEL 10 Continues: character of beating by Korean guards; question of how his anger proved a psychological boast during beating; return to his comrades after beating; segregation of officers and other ranks, 7/1945; POW rations, 1945; hearing news of Japanese defeat, 8/1945; arrival of British officers in camp, 8/1945; news that his relative was safe; sight of air fighting over Singapore; US aircrew captured in Singapore; further details of visit from British officers and news of Japanese defeat. REEL 11 Continues: confirmation of end of Second World War; reaction to arrival of British parachute officer; contact with other liberators; revenge taken on column of Japanese POWs; seeking friend in female internment camp; stocking up on alcohol for voyage back to India; segregation of POWs who had taken Indian National Army pay; Indian officer who was trained as fifth columnist by Japanese. REEL 12 Continues: second hand story of surrender of infiltrated fifth columnists in Baluchistan, 4/1943; arrest of second group of fifth columnists by Japanese; embarkation aboard HMS Devonshire and voyage from Singapore to Calcutta; Congress Party boycott on returning POWs at Calcutta; relaxation on return to Calcutta; reasons for asking for camp transfer, 10/1942; story of brother in law's transfer to New Britain; question of why Indian POWs survived captivity better than British POWs; incident of stealing Japanese soldier's shirt; stealing of cloth being exported to Japan. REEL 13 Continues: stealing of Japanese carburettor; scale of pilfering from Japanese; losses of POWs through malnutrition; question of belief in who would win the war; story of his citing as witness at Indian National Army trials in India, 1946; his opinion why different categories of Indian Army responded to Indian Army blandishments differently; motives of Indian National Army defectors; question of fear of physical punishment and execution by Japanese. REEL 14 Continues: Indian Army officers who escaped to India; Muslim opinion of Subhas Chandra Bose. Memories of support for Ghaffar Khan's Redshirt movement in North West Frontier in 1930s. Aspects of period as army officer during Partition of India, 1947: meeting with Nehru at Malakhand, 1946; his protection of Nehru from stone throwing Pathan crowd; departure of Hindus from Razmak during Partition of India, 1947; pressure put on him to opt for India; division of Indian Army between India and Pakistan; question of failure to get fair share of assets. Recollections of operations as second in command of Gilgat Scouts during Kashmir War, 1948-1949: his volunteering to fight in Gilgat area. REEL 15 Continues: lack of organisation of Pathan guerrillas; reasons for choosing Gilgat Scouts; origins of Gilgat Scouts; status of Gilgat in Kashmir; his commanding officer's orders to him to attack Leh; relative strengths of opposing forces at Leh; his plan to attack Leh, 11/1948; Indian use of tanks at Zogila Pass, 1/11/1948; petering out of his attack on Leh, 3/11/1948; supply by air, 11/1948. REEL 16 Continues: withdrawal in face of Indian advance; accidental shooting of civilians; thwarting of Indian attempts to envelop his forces; casualties inflicted on pursuing 1/5th Bn Gurkha Rifles; fellow feeling of officers on both Indian and Pakistani sides due to common training together; ceasefire, 31/12/1948; complaint against him to United Nations by Indians regarding observance of ceasefire; tricking of Gurkha section which was captured. REEL 17 Continues: implementation of ceasefire at Padam, summer 1949. Question of divide and rule policy in Indian Army.