Overview and History:
Hon. Capt. Umrao Singh Yadav was born in the Jhajjar district of Haryana and joined the Royal Indian Army in 1939 precisely, the Royal Indian Army.
He was awarded the Victoria Cross by the British Army, which is the highest gallantry award in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and the commonwealth forces for his gallant actions in the Burma campaign by the British Army against the Japanese troops. He passed away in his hometown in 2005 and was also awarded the Padma Bhushan.
Battling in Burma:
It was a chilly night on December 15th, 1944, in Kaladan Valley, Myanmar. Every breeze of wind seemed to cut through the chest, however unaffected by which Indian soldiers of the 30th Mountain Division of Royal Indian Army. Umrao Singh was the field gun detachment commander, supporting the XV corps fighting the defending forces in Arakan.
After a heavy sustained fire from the Japanese artillery, two enemy infantry companies attacked Singh's position; however, Singh didn't lose his cool despite being heavily outnumbered. He used his LMG to kill several attacking soldiers even after being wounded by 2 grenades. He successfully repelled the first wave. The Japanese attacked the surviving soldiers with full force, Umrao Singh kept fighting. The section was able to repel this wave as well, but with only three Indian soldiers, including Singh, left with limited ammunition. But for the platoon's Naam, Namak and Nishan, Singh held his position, the third wave soon arrived, and Singh blasted the enemy by whatever ammunition he was left with. Still, they ran out of ammo soon, unaffected by this, Singh quickly picked up his gun bearer and started lynching the enemy. Even when on the verge of succumbing and severely wounded, he killed three heavily armed enemy soldiers with his baton.
After the reinforcement arrived, he was seen lying on the ground but in an unconscious state with his baton still in his hand; beside him lay 10 Japanese soldiers brutally slain by him, 7 out of which were already dead and the rest mortally wounded. His face was almost unrecognizable from injuries, but with the quick medical attention, he survived the fight, and his field gun was back in action again.
Aftermath:
Singh was decorated with Victoria Cross in 1945 and retired from Royal Indian Army in 1946 but rejoined the Indian Army after independence and went on to become an Honorary Captain. He was also awarded Padma Bhushan in 1983.
Willing to exploit his poor background, many people tried to buy the VC and even persuaded him to sell for a hefty amount of money, but Singh refused, saying that doing so would "stain the honor of those who fell in battle."
His name was the last one to be added to the memorial of Victoria Cross winners of the Royal Artillery in the apse of St George's Garrison Church in Woolwich, London, near the Royal Artillery Barracks as depicted in the above photograph.
Hony. Capt. Umrao Singh Yadav is one of the few unsung heroes of the Indian Army who inspire numerous officers and men serving the nation. I have tried to do justice with his achievements, but I doubt that his bravery can be contained in a 500 words article. I am sure you would have got to learn something new today; for more such inspiring stories, stay tuned with my blog.
~Apoorv Saxena
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