Gian Singh was born on 5 October 1920 into a Jat Sikh family in Sahabpur, a village in the Nawanshahr district (now, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district) of eastern Punjab, and volunteered to join the Indian Army on the outbreak of war.
Supplement to The London Gazette of Friday, the 18th of May, 1945
War Office, 22nd May, 1945
The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the VICTORIA CROSS to:
No. 11620 Naik Gian Singh, 15th Punjab Regiment, Indian Army
In Burma, on 2nd March, 1945, the Japanese were holding a strong position astride the road Kamye-Myingyan. Two Companies of the 15th Punjab Regiment carried out successfully a wide encircling movement and established themselves on some high ground about one and a half miles in the rear of this enemy position. As all water supply points were within the enemy position it was vital that he should be dislodged
The attack on to the first objective was successful and one platoon was ordered to attack a village to the right. This platoon’s attack, with the aid of tanks, advanced slowly under very heavy enemy fire. Naik Gian Singh was in command of the leading section. The enemy were well concealed in fox-holes along cactus hedges and Naik Gian Singh soon observed enemy some twenty yards ahead. Ordering his Light Machine-Gunner to cover him, he, alone, rushed the enemy foxholes, firing his Tommy Gun. He was met by a hail of fire and wounded in the arm. In spite of this he continued his advance alone, hurling grenades. He killed several Japanese including four in one of the enemy main weapon pits.
By this time a troop of tanks moved up in support of this platoon and came under fire from a cleverly concealed enemy anti-tank gun. Naik Gian Singh quickly saw the danger to the tanks and, ignoring the danger to himself and in spite of his wounds, again rushed forward, killed the crew and captured the gun single-handed. His section followed him and he then led them down a lane of cactus hedges, clearing all enemy positions which were being firmly held. Some twenty enemy bodies were found in this area, the majority of which fell to Naik Gian Singh and his section.
After this action, the Company reformed to take the enemy positions to the rear. Naik Gian Singh was ordered to the Regimental Aid Post but, in spite of his wounds, requested permission to lead his section until the whole action had been completed. This was granted.
There is no doubt that these acts of supreme gallantry saved Naik Gian Singh’s platoon many casualties and enabled the whole operation to be carried out successfully with severe losses to the enemy.
The magnificent gallantry of this Naik throughout, his devotion to duty and leadership, although wounded, could not have been surpassed.
Refusing to be invalided from the Army, Singh received a mention in dispatches later that year. In a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 16 October 1945, he was presented with his Victoria Cross by King George VI. After Indian Independence on 15 August 1947, 15th Punjab Regiment was allocated to Pakistan, so Gian Singh transferred to the 11th Sikhs, with whom he enjoyed a series of promotions: first of all to havildar (sergeant); then to jemadar (naib subedar in the Indian Army) on 29 December 1955; and subsequently to subedar on 21 December 1961. In the latter rank, he saw action in both the 1962 Sino-Indian War and also in the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War. Following a final promotion, to subedar major, on 15 June 1967, Singh retired in August 1969 with the honorary rank of captain. He died in 1996.
VJ-Day 75 Commemorations
Naik Gian Singh was 50 yards from the enemy foxhole and could see 15 to 20 Japanese soldiers and an anti-tank gun. He knew if he tried to run back that he wouldn’t survive as there was no back-up at all. And as he recalled to his son Charanjit Sangha, he thought: “I am going to die now, so I might as well do something.” Mr Singh went on to be awarded the highest award for gallantry receiving the Victoria Cross from King George VI in October 1945 for his part in the Burma campaign. He died in 1996 and for his son, Newton Mearns-based Mr Sangha, his father’s bravery will be reflected upon as the 75th anniversary of Victory in Japan is marked on Saturday.
Mr Singh had been serving in the 15th Punjab Regiment in the Second World War and had joined the British Army in 1937. During the Burma campaign he had been under the orders of Major Tony “Raj” Fowler, of the 4th Battalion, 15th Punjab Regiment, who famously sent a message in Urdu to all his companies and spoke to his forward-placed troops, quoting from Shakespeare’s King John ahead of the Battle of Kohima in Nagaland in 1944. Major Fowler quoted: “Come the three corners of the world in arms And we shall shock them. Nought shall make us rue.”
Naik Singh was awarded the VC in 1945. Indeed Mr Singh was called upon to shock the enemy once again. It was recorded in the London Gazette that Japan was holding a strong position astride the Kamye to Myingyan road in Burma in March 1945. It said: “Two Companies of the 15th Punjab Regiment carried out successfully a wide encircling movement and established themselves on some high ground about one and a half miles in the rear of this enemy position. As all water supply points were within the enemy position it was vital that he should be dislodged.” It went on to say the first objective was successful and one platoon was ordered to attack a village to the right. “This platoon's attack, with the aid of tanks, advanced slowly under very heavy enemy fire. Naik Gian Singh was in command of the leading section. The enemy were well concealed in foxholes along cactus hedges and Naik Gian Singh soon observed enemy some twenty yards ahead.
“Ordering his Light Machine-Gunner to cover him, he, alone, rushed the enemy fox-holes, firing his Tommy Gun. He was met by a hail of fire and wounded in the arm. In spite of this he continued his advance alone, hurling grenades. He killed several Japanese including four in one of the enemy main weapon pits.” By this time a troop of tanks moved up in support of this platoon and came under fire from a cleverly concealed enemy anti-tank gun. Mr Singh quickly saw the danger to the tanks and, ignoring the danger to himself and in spite of his wounds, again rushed forward, killed the crew and captured the gun single-handed. His section followed him and he then led them down a lane of cactus hedges, clearing all enemy positions which were being firmly held. Around twenty enemy bodies were found in this area, the majority of which fell to Mr Singh and his section. An injured Mr Singh was ordered to the Regimental Aid Post but, but in spite of his wounds, requested permission to lead his section until the whole action had been completed. Mr Singh’s gallantry was credited with saving the platoon which had many casualties and enabled the operation to be carried out successfully leading to severe losses to the enemy.
Mr Sangha grew up with his father’s story and every two years Mr Singh visited London to take part in Victoria Cross Association reunions. And on this poignant anniversary, Mr Sangha and his family will think of his father, who died in October 1996. He said: “My father told me, and I heard from other people, that wherever there were difficult times, or they knew that the enemy was stronger, the last resort used to put the Punjab Regiment in there; they will sort it out. We are very proud of him and his bravery which saw him personally presented with the VC from King George VI at a celebration in Hyde Park, London. There are only 1,355 people in the world who have been presented with the VC so we know how important it is. I remember him telling me how he grabbed hold of his machine-gun and some hand grenades and got up in front of the enemy and he started throwing the hand grenades. The Japanese were not expecting that as they thought the enemy was all dead. He killed all of them and captured the anti-tank gun. By doing that, the route was clear for the Army to come back. He was badly injured after that and unconscious for a few days. The bullets were all over him. Until his dying day, in 1996, his leg always used to hurt from those wounds.”
Mr Singh made several trips to see his son and his family in Scotland and was proud to take part in reunion events. Mr Sangha added: “I feel sad that my father is not here with us, but I am feeling excited that we are talking about the contribution made by Commonwealth countries during the Second World War. I do not think we had that before and this is why VJ-Day will be so poignant for me. These men were great soldiers and I think it’s important that this story is told in our schools and communities.” Following independence in 1947, Mr Singh served in the Indian Army totalling 32 years in the army before he retired in 1969 with the rank of captain.
The Herald – 12 August 2020