INDIAN GALLANTRY
SiR,—Little or nothing has appeared in the Press about the dor of our Indian troops, and this is all the more regrettable as in are followed with the keenest interest by all classes in India, and cameraderie thus engendered may be a potent factor in keeping country within the Empire. Few more gallant deeds have been r- formed than the exploit which won Major Rajendrasinhji, a nephI of the great " Ranji," the first D.S.O. awarded to an Indian office:
This officer belonged to the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade, which 11- been assigned the duty of holding the Melcili wells until our m forces had withdrawn from Benghazi to Tobruk. His own regiin the 2nd Royal Lancers, was almost annihilated by a German tan. attack. However, Major Rajendrasinhji collected about sixty men all ranks and a few lorries, and with these he proceeded to ch the enemy forces with the object of cutting his way through to desert. The first object they met was a German battery, and went straight for it, the lorries roaring at top speed over the ground. The gun-crews put up their hands, but it was impossl to stop. Gradually they shook off pursuit amongst the hills, lay up for the rest of the day in a deep nullah. A number of tru had been damaged, and had to be abandoned, so arms, food, water mid ammunition were loaded into the remainder, and the journey resumed. The going was so bad that at 5 a.m. the next day, only forty miles had been covered. Soon after dawn, an Italian-encamp- ment was sighted and attacked, and two hundred Italians poured out, holding their hands over their heads. It was impossible, however, to take more than thirty, including all the Germans, who were bundled into a lorry. Sixty miles further on, a German light patrol was encountered, and one of its cars captured. More troops were then sighted, and once more the party prepared for action, but it turned out to be the British main body! The party turned in at 2 a.m. the following morning, having driven continuously for thirty hours, right round the enemy's desert-flank. Major Rajendrasinhji behaved in a manner worthy of his Rajput ancestry.—I am, Sir,
Previous page
