Mysore Lancers, Mysore Transport and Mysore Infantry: Grave Data WW I & II

Mysore Lancers, Mysore Transport and Mysore Infantry: Grave Data WW I & II

A. In the First World War 1914-18, which the British called the Great War, the troops of Maharaja of Mysore, as one of the Princely Troops, was with the Imperial Service Troops, later becoming “the 15^th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade”. This war, where the British and the Allies, won, is more remembered and celebrated.This group of Mysore Lancers, with their lances and swords on their horse back and Mysore Transport, were able to get many Gallantry Awards. They are remembered with the Jodhpur Lancers, for the liberation of Haifa city and freeing the “Abdul Baha” of the Bahai faith from the clutches of the Ottoman Turks. Every year “Haifa Day” is being celebrated on September 23^rd. While the number of Officers and other ranks of Mysore Lancers, who left Mysore to Middle East that is Suez Canal, is known (source not known), the number of those who safely came back to their families, is NOT known. While I have sifted and searched all the war Memorials and Cemeteries in the areas of modern day Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq, my full compilation of the list of Martyred Officers and other ranks, may still need to be updated with those soldiers who went missing etc.,. This list is already put in the blogpost.

B. The name of Mysore State Forces was still active in the early forties, and the 1^st Battalion of Mysore Infantry, was moved from Bangalore to Jhansi for training , in the winter of 1940 and then the movement to Malaya in March 1941.. The other princely state troops was put together to a total of about 250,000, who fought in Burma, Malaya, North Africa, Middle east and Italy, in the Second World war of 1939-1945. The precise complement of the Officers and other ranks of this 1 st Bn. of Mysore Infantry, is NOT available. The Mysore Infantry with CO Lt Col. K.H.Preston, was moved to Kota Bharu on the other end of British Malaya along with two other Imperial State Forces (ISF) units: the 1st Bahawalpur Infantry (Sadiq Battalion) and the 1st Hyderabad Infantry with CO Lt Col. C.A.Hendrick. The ISF units were put in charge of the defence of aerodromes that the British had built in this border area. The whole troops formed part of 8^th Indian Infantry Brigade with Brig. Berthold Wells. In this Second World War, the defeat and retreat of British forces in South East Asian Malaya and Singapore region, after a huge thrust by the Japanese, is read much less by the public. It is only the serious students of Military History, who read through. Thus, you find little mention of the awards and decorations got by the Imperial State Forces., of the Princely troops.

There was a huge Japanese land assault and air attack on Singapore, when the British forces weakened and literally had to retreat. At that time the British PM curtly sent cable that it is British Empire’s honour that the forces have to fight till death.

On the evening of 10 February 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, cabled Wavell, saying:

“I think you ought to realise the way we view the situation in Singapore. It was reported to Cabinet by the CIGS [Chief of the Imperial General Staff], General Alan Brooke that Percival has over 100,000 [sic] men, of whom 33,000 are British and 17,000 Australian. It is doubtful whether the Japanese have as many in the whole Malay Peninsula ... In these circumstances the defenders must greatly outnumber Japanese forces who have crossed the straits, and in a well-contested battle they should destroy them. There must at this stage be no thought of saving the troops or sparing the population. The battle must be fought to the bitter end at all costs. The 18th Division has a chance to make its name in history. Commanders and senior officers should die with their troops. The honour of the British Empire and of the British Army is at stake. I rely on you to show no mercy to weakness in any form. With the Russians fighting as they are and the Americans so stubborn at Luzon , the whole reputation of our country and our race is involved. It is expected that every unit will be brought into close contact with the enemy and fight it out“

The campaign, including the final battle, was a decisive Japanese victory, resulting in the Japanese capture of Singapore and the largest British surrender in history. About 80,000 British, Indian and Australian troops in Singapore became prisoners of war, joining 50,000 taken by the Japanese in the earlier Malayan Campaign. Famously, about 40,000 mostly Indian soldiers would join the Indian National Army and fight alongside the Japanese. British prime minister, Winston Churchill, called it the "worst disaster" in British military history.

The fall of Singapore on February 15 stupefied the Prime Minister. How came 100,000 men (half of them of our own race) to hold up their hands to inferior numbers of Japanese? Though his mind had been gradually prepared for its fall, the surrender of the fortress stunned him. He felt it was a disgrace. It left a scar on his mind. One evening, months later, when he was sitting in his bathroom enveloped in a towel, he stopped drying himself and gloomily surveyed the floor: 'I cannot get over Singapore', he said sadly.

Before Subhash Chandra Bose’s entry, an Indian revolutionary, Rash Behari Bose, formed the pro-independence Indian National Army (INA) with the help of the Japanese, who were highly successful in recruiting Indian soldiers taken prisoner. In February 1942, from a total of about 40,000 Indian personnel in Singapore, about 30,000 joined the INA, of which about 7,000 fought Allied forces in the Burma Campaign as well as in the northeast Indian regions of Kohima and Imphal . Others became POW camp guards at Changi. An unknown number were taken to Japanese-occupied areas in the South Pacific as forced labour. Many of them suffered severe hardships and brutality similar to that experienced by other prisoners of Japan during the war. About 6,000 survived until they were liberated by Australian and US forces in 1943–1945 as the war in the Pacific turned in favour of the Allies.

The number of Mysore Infantry men, out of the 30,000 PoW who joined INA, and those if any ,from South Pacific camps, are not known. So also, details of the number of those who returned to Mysore State, their quarantine, their re-employment in the Army with all status, or those who were retrenched, are not known.

The States Forces, of the Indian Army, faced additional difficulties in Malaya and Burma with conflicting calls upon their loyalty. Some joined the INA; others such as Lt. Col. Gurbaksh Singh, DSO, OBE, second in command of the Jind Infantry, provided a powerful example of resisting the Japanese. After the war he became Commanding Officer of the unit. His DSO and OBE were awarded for war service. The only  ISF officer to receive the highest decoration among State Forces personnel for war service, Captain MK Durrani of the Bahawalpur Infantry, was awarded the George Cross for his part in countering the efforts of the Japanese. He was tortured by them for many days but refused to divulge the information they wanted.

Also on 1 April 1950 the Government of India took over control of the States Forces of the Travancore-Cochin Union and of Mysore, responsibility for which had passed after independence from the rulers to  the relevant State ministries. The 1^st Bn. Of Mysore Infantry, was merged with Madras Regiment to be named as “ 18^th (Mysore) Battalion, Madras regiment”

This compilation for Second World war, is produced below, for the information of all the descendants of all those who went out to the War. In the column under Grave reference, where you find “Column #” is for Singapore memorial; “Number.Alphabet.Number” is for Kranji War cemetery and “ SCMColumn #” is for Singapore Cremation Memorial where, the remains were burnt as per Hindu tradition.

Name	Date of Death	Rank	Service#	Grave Ref	Relations.
ABDUL AZIZ	15/02/1942	Sepoy	'666'	Column 381.
ABDUL KHADER BINTURY	8/12/1941	Jemadar	'6080'	Column 381.	Son of Mahuboob Begum, of Bangalore City, India.
ABDUL LATIF	4/5/1944	Sepoy	'1305'	Column 381.	Husband of Bibi Jam, of Thubu Katta, Magadi, India.
ABDUL SHAKUR	4/5/1944	Sepoy	'841'	Column 381.	Son of Abdul Rahman, Bangalore, ; husband of Baslanbee, Nadimanpur, Tumkur,.
AHMAD KHAN	5/6/1944	Sepoy	'1288'	Column 381.	Son of Amir Khan, Munireddy Palyam, Bangalore, ; husband of Zeluka Bi, Munireddy Palyam.
ALBERT	4/5/1944	Sepoy	'1267'	Column 381.	Son of Ruthamma, of Sultan Park, Mysore, India.
ALEXANDER	31/01/1942	Sepoy	'1359'	Column 381.	Son of J. Joseph and Suseliamma, of Bangalore Cantonment, India.
AZIZ. M.A.	24/02/1942	Naik	'380'	Column 381.	Husband of Hafizu Nisa, of Munireddy Palyam, Bangalore, India.
BABU RAO	26/02/1942	Sepoy	'1082'	Column 381.	Son of Mari Bai, of Bangalore, India.
BASAVAYYA	1/9/1942	Sepoy	'1673'	Column 381.	Son of Revanna and Sivamma, of Shanubhoganahalli, Mysore, India.
BHAWANI SINGH	19/04/1943	Cook		Column 382.	Son of Gangaram Singh, of Bangalore, India.
DAULAT KHAN	4/3/1944	Sepoy	'654'	Column 381.
GIRIAPPA	01/06/1944\\30.6.1944	Sepoy	'556'	Column 381.	Husband of Devamma, of Mynayakanahalli, Mysore, India.
GOVIND SINGH	15/03/1942	Havildar	'406'	Column 381.
GOVINDA RAJULU	8/12/1941	Sepoy	'1259'	Column 381.	Husband of Janukamma, of Mysore, India.
GULAB SINGH	19/03/1944	Lance Naik	'454'	Column 381.	Son of Nanda Ram Singh, of Muthuda, Halli, India.
HAMID. R.A.	01/01/1942\\31.12.1942	Jemadar	'6076'	Column 381.	Son of Abdul Karim, of Hirehally Rejala, Endgere,; husband of Rokuiya Banu, of Munshi Galli, Bangalore,.
HOBLY	15/02/1942	Sepoy	'466'	Column 381.	Son of Subbirmma, of Hebbal, Bangalore, India; husband of Miniyamma, of Hebbal.
ISHWAR RAO BAGAL	23/04/1943	Naik	'317'	Column 381.	Husband of Krishna Bai, of Bangalore, India.
JAYA RAJU	8/12/1941	Sepoy	'1097'	Column 381.	Son of Kamalamma, of Gawadagere, Mysore, India.
JOSEPH. A	29/05/1944	Sowar		Column 382.	Son of Jesali Ammal, of Bangalore, India.
KRISHNA SINGH	17/01/1942	Sepoy	'1383'	Column 381.	Son of Sub Singh and Gaura Bai, of Mandi, Mysore, India.
KUPPUSWAMI	27/05/1941	Sepoy	'457'	Column 381.	Husband of Miniamma, of Krishnagiri, India.
LAKANNA	21/02/1942	Sepoy	'1263'	Column 382.	Son of Gowramma, of Byalada Kere, India.
MADAYYA	4/5/1944	Sepoy	'1156'	Column 382.	Son of Gopali, of Mysore City, India.
MAHBUB SHARIF	23/06/1944	Havildar	'361'	Column 381.	Son of Abdullah Sharif, of Bawanpalli, Secunderabad, India; husband of Sapura Bi, of Gutterhalli, Bangalore, India.
MAYAGA	6/7/1943	Sepoy	'1269'	Column 382.	Son of Honniah, of Kyahammanahalli, Mysore, India.
MIRZA SADIK ALI KHAN	03/09/1939\\31.12.1947	Captain	'SF/6055'	Column 383.	Son of Mirza G. Husain Khan and Mariam Sultan Begum; husband of Zahara Bagum, Cooks Town, Bangalore Cantt.,
MUHAMMAD BASHIR AHMAD	8/12/1941	Sepoy	'977'	Column 382.	Son of Rokhiya Bi, of Nuaspup, Mysore, India.
MUHAMMAD GHAUS	26/04/1944	Sepoy	'936'	Column 382.	Son of Imam Bi, of Bada Kunala, Tumkur, India.
MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM	8/12/1941	Sepoy	'401'	Column 382.	Son of Muhammad Jaffar, of Gallk, Tumkur, India; husband of Asha Bi, of Gallk.
MUHAMMAD KAMAL	8/12/1941	Water Carrier		Column 382.	Son of Qasim Bi, of Kyathamaranahalli, Mysore, India.
MUHAMMAD USMAN	17/05/1944	Sepoy	'930'	Column 382.	Son of Mahbub Bi, of Bangalore Cant,
MUHAMMAD YUSUF	8/12/1941	Sepoy	'1278'	Column 382.	Son of Hallem Bai, of Galog, India.
NARASIAH 38 YRS	15/07/1943	Sepoy	'1024'	Column 382.	Son of Venkalamma, of Kunigal, Tumkur, India.
RAMA SINGH. B	18/12/1941	Sepoy	'1067'	Column 382.	Son of Bala Ram Singh, of Dhanayakanpur, Mysore, India.
RANGAYYA	23/07/1942	Sepoy	'1669'	Column 382.
RUDRIAYYA	8/12/1941	Sepoy	'661'	Column 382.	Son of Napne and Lingamma; husband of Boni.
SANTHOJI RAO	19/03/1944	Sepoy	'310'	Column 382.	Husband of Ganga Bai, of Bangalore City, India.
SEBASTIAN	15/02/1942	Lance Naik	'502'	Column 381.	Son of Roya Sundram; husband of Antony Mary, of Shimoga, India.
SHEIKH BAHA-UD-DIN	14/09/1945	Sepoy	'1086'	Column 382.	Son of Hidayathanisa, of Lashkar, Mysore,.
SHIVAJI RAO MANE	14/06/1942	Sepoy	'1680'	Column 382.	Son of Krishna Bai, of Attikatta, India.
SIDDAYYA	15/07/1944	Sepoy	'1226'	Column 382.	Son of B. Mahadiah, of Mysore, India.
SUBAYYA	15/02/1942	Sepoy	'1255'	Column 382.	Son of Papamma.
SUBRAMANIA	8/12/1941	Sepoy	'1055'	Column 382.	Son of Nanjamma, of Mysore, India.
SUNDARAM PARSHAD	8/12/1941	Sepoy	'1023'	Column 382.	Son of Balaram, Closepet (Ramanagaram), Bangalore, India.
ABDUL QUDUS	21/02/1945	Sepoy	'843'	41. B. 13.	Son of Hav. Muhammad Ghaus, of Bangalore Cantt.
ABDULLAH SHARIF	15/11/1943	Havildar	'18'	42. A. 8.	Husband of Janaba Banu Bi, of Bangalore City, India.
DASAPPA, 26 yrs	2/9/1943	Sepoy	'658'	41. E. 3.	Son of Karchea, of Lourd Nagar, Mysore, India.
FRANCIS	23/07/1945	Sepoy	'584'	33. B. 3.	Son of Annammal, of Bangalore Cantt
GHAUS MOHI DIN	4/11/1944	Sepoy	'1290'	40. E. 12.	Son of Hayath Sab Edgus and Fatima Bi, Chandrashekarapuram, Tumkur, India.
MUHAMMAD GHAUS	26/03/1945	Water Carrier		41. D. 11.	Husband of Janaba Khatun Bi, of Hebbal, Bangalore, India.
MUHAMMAD HANIF	25/08/1945	Sepoy	'673'	41. D. 4.	Husband of Maharunnissa, of Bangalore City, India.
MUHAMMAD JAFAR	1/5/1945	Cook		41. B. 20.	Son of Muhammad Khan, of Munireddipalayam, Bangalore, India.
MUHAMMAD SAHIB	27/03/1945	Sepoy	'891'	41. D. 20.	Son of Janaba Quasim Bi, of Chamrajpet, Bangalore City, India.
SCOOTY THOMAS. T.	11/5/1945	Sepoy	'790'	33. A. 19.	Husband of Mabel Scooty, of Pudupet, Madras, India.
SHRIKANTARAJ URS. 27 YRS.	27/02/1945	Naik	'1389'	33. B. 1.	Son of R. N. Subramaniraj Urs and Divamma, of Mysore, India.
SIDDAYYA	17/09/1944	Sepoy	'1387'	41. E. 2.	Son of Sombhamma, of Mysore, India.
SOMAYYA.21 YRS	6/9/1942	Sepoy	'1679'	42. C. 19.	Son of M. A. Jayappa, of Cherala Sri Mangala, North Coorg, India.
USMAN KHAN, 26 YRS	13/11/1944	Sepoy	'1063'	40. E. 20.	Son of Ghaus Khan, of Hosepet, Tumkur, India.
YUSUF HUSAIN.45 YRS	2/1/1945	Havildar	'176'	40. C. 21.
CHINNAYYA	9/10/1944	Sowar		SCM Column 40.	Son of Kuppamma, Sweeper, 1st Bn. Mysore Infantry,, of Bangalore, India.
DEVARAO KALE	28/01/1945	Sepoy	'607'	SCMColumn 39.	Husband of Shama Bai, of Setty Halli, Closepet,(Ramanagaram) India.
GANESH SINGH	8/9/1944	Sepoy	'1084'	SCMColumn 39.	Son of Hav. Balrem Singh, of Mysore City, India.
GANGAJI RAO, 44 yrs	24/10/1944	Sepoy	'246'	SCMColumn 39.	Husband of Yeshodha Bai, of Chamarajapet, Bangalore, India.
KANI RAM SINGH, 40 yrs	6/7/1945	Jemadar		SCMColumn 39.	Son of Krishan Singh and Ram Bai; husband of Saraswattu Bai, of Mysore, India.
KUNDAPPA NAIDU	24/09/1944	Naik	'474'	SCMColumn 39.	Husband of Lakshmi Ammal, of Peria Kondali, North Arcot, India.
MADANNA	7/10/1944	Sepoy	'1177'	SCMColumn 40.	Son of Siddappa, of Rakshman, Jaipur, India.
MAHADEVA RAO,31 yrs	24/06/1944	Sepoy	'624'	SCMColumn 40.	Son of Ranaji Rao and Gangu Bai, of Mumridipalagam, Bangalore, India.
MANAJI RAO	15/07/1945	Sepoy	'992'	SCMColumn 40.	Son of Hanumantha Rao, of Chikika, Kolar, India.
MUKUNDA RAM,22 yrs	1/5/1942	Sepoy	'990'	SCMColumn 40.	Son of Hav. Clk. Mukunda Ram Prasad and Konsalyabai, of Chamrajpet, Bangalore, India.
MURUGESAM	27/08/1944	Naik	'78'	SCMColumn 39.	Husband of Govendamanal, of Bangalore, India.
NARASINGA RAO	24/03/1944	Water Carrier		SCMColumn 40.	Husband of Akkubai, of Bangalore City, India.
PARTAP SINGH	9/10/1944	Sepoy	'1074'	SCMColumn 40.	Son of Sarasvathi Bai.
SIRINIVASARAO JADHAO	14/12/1944	Sepoy	'568'	SCMColumn 40.	Husband of Kamala Bai.
THIMAYYA	21/10/1944	Havildar Clerk	'30'	SCMColumn 39.	Son of Venka and Nanjamma, of Koppa, Tum Kur, India; husband of Ramu, of Koppa.
VENKOBA RAO	26/10/1944	Sepoy	'38'	SCMColumn 40.	Husband of Kamala Bai, of Mysore, India.
VENKOBA RAO	17/02/1945	Cook		SCMColumn 40.	Husband of Sremathi Revu Bai, of Mysore, India.
Notes:
“Column #” is for Singapore memorial;
Number.Alphabet.Number” is for Kranji War cemetery
SCMColumn #” is for Singapore Cremation Memorial