Description
Object description
Indian officer served with 51st Indian Infantry Bde, 25th Indian Infantry Div in India and Burma, 1942-1945; served with Indian Army postings in India, 1945-1976 including period as prisoner of war in Tibet during Sino-Indian War 1962
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Punjab, India, 1922-1942: family; education; opinion of GB; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; question of conflict between feelings for Independence and joining British Indian Army; opinion of Indian National Liberation Army; reasons for joining British Indian Army; composition of British Indian Army infantry regiments. Recollections of period of training with British Indian Army in India, 1942-1944: training Officer Cadet Training School, Bangalore, 2/1942; story relating to British sergeant-major; boxing; question of motivation; signals training and coming top in signals course; question of choice of service branch; move to 25th Indian Infantry Divisional Signals; jungle training in Southern India; story of continuing training exercise while suffering from jaundice; training with live ammunition; story of how raw troops overreacted to noise on their first night on operations. Recollections of operations as officer with 51st Indian Infantry Bde, 25th Indian Infantry Div in India and Burma, 1944-1945: move to Cox's Bazar, India; situation at time of Battle of Kohima, 4/1944; composition of 51st Indian Infantry Bde; promotion to captain; positions around Point 551, Arakan, Burma; sight of Gurkha attack on Point 551, Arakan, Burma; under artillery fire on Point 551, Arakan, Burma; reaction to being under fire.
REEL 2 Continues: advance into Burma and conversion to waterborne transport on River Kalapanzin, Burma story relating to friend who served in V-Force; humorous story relating to beach landing; amphibious leapfrogging down Arakan Peninsula, Burma; story relating to commandos; reaction to Imperial Japanese Army artillery fire during beach landings; story of later capture in Sino-Indian war, 1962; establishing communications on beachhead; commanding officers; Imperial Japanese Army withdrawal; return to India for amphibious training and preparation for invasion of Malaya, 2/1945; Lord Louis Mountbatten's address at Akyab Island, Burma; reaction to being twice Mentioned in Despatches; story relating to comradeship amongst Indian and British troops after the Battle of Kangaw, Burma, 1/1945; reaction to proximity to Japanese forces during Burma Campaign; prior recollection of assault on Point 551, 1/1945; reaction to casualties.
REEL 3 Continues: story relating to later period in Chinese captivity in Tibet, 1962 including opinion of Chinese captors. Recollections of period as officer with British Indian Army in Malaya and India, 1945-1947: amphibious landings in Malaya, 1945 including training in Bombay, India, reaction to proposed plan to invade Malaya, end of Second World War and unopposed landing in Malaya, 8/1945, loss of vehicles and contact with senior officers; prior recollection of lectures on Japanese forces in India, 1942-1943; lack of knowledge of fate of Allied prisoners of war; move to Kuala Lumpur, Malaya and civilian rioting; disbandment of 25th Indian Infantry Div, 3/1946; posting to signal training centre at Jabalpur, India after a mutiny, 1946; reaction to Indian Independence; reaction to meeting Indian National Liberation Army officers in Malaya, 1945; story of fate of mutineers; Indianisation of British Indian Army, 1946-1947; promotion to major and posting to New Dehli, India, 1947; division of signal assets between India and Pakistan on Partition and change of corps motto; story relating to meeting Lord Louis Mountbatten at a party for departing Pakistani officers, 8/8/1947; opinion of British officers; reaction to witnessing atrocities during Partition; Dr Kamla Tawri's recollections of riots during Participation in New Delhi, 1947 including casualties.
REEL 4 Continues: reaction to violence, danger of travelling by train to Rawalpindi; situation in Rawalpindi, 4/1948. Recollections of period as officer with Indian Army in India and French Indochina, 1947-1959: journey to collect brother-in-law Major Somnath Sharma's body from Kashmir during Kashmir War, 11/1947; story of meeting former British Indian Army troops serving in Pakistan Army; posting to Kashmir after United Nations ceasefire, 1949-1950; postings including staff college; posting to International Control Commission to French Indochina, 1956; role of commission; duties; opinion of early American involvement in French Indochina; return to India and promotion to lieutenant-colonel. Recollections of operations as officer with 4th Infantry Divisional Signals, Indian Army in India and period as prisoner of war in Tibet, 1959-1962: posting to North East India, 1959; situation in 1960; positions in Assam; visit to front line troops and Chinese People's Liberation Army attack, 18/10/1962; watching Chinese People's Liberation Army preparations; 19/10/1962; Chinese People's Liberation Army attack, 20/10/1962; opinion of Chinese People's Liberation Army troops and equipment; Indian equipment; story relating to capture.
REEL 5 Continues: conditions on journey into captivity in Tibet; story of meeting with Dalai Lama; conditions in prisoner of war camp; hygiene; boredom; guards; Chinese attempt to brainwash Indian troops and methods employed to do so; reaction to methods; story of tour of senior Indian captives through People's Republic of China; exchange with Punjabi speaking guard during tour; movements during captivity; visit to United States of America to lecture of Tibet; opinion of Chinese; situation before 1971 India/Pakistan conflict and promotion to brigadier; surrender of Pakistani forces in East Pakistan, 1971; conversion of religious faith.
REEL 6 Continues: question of effects of war.