OH/305/1

OH/305/1

Item

Dhatt, Rajindar S

Sergeant Major\Royal Indian Air Force\Bakish Army/help\Arrived in the UK 1963, first Birmingham, then London\South Asia Archive\Born 28/10/1921 in Hoshiarpur district. Education and sport at school. Political activity early in the war, on the run then joined the army on 8/2/1941. Enrolled in Royal Indian Service Corps and qualified as a storekeeper. Information about factors affecting military training, including the need for trainers with good English. Selected as physical training instructor by finishing a cross-country run in the first 16. Further training and exams at Army School for Physical Training in Ambala. Comments on obsolete methods taught during early training. Qualified at first grade (exceptional) and was promoted to Havaldar (sergeant) and began training other people, including non-commissioned officers (Jumadar or Subedar) from overseas. Promoted in 1943 to Havaldar major and applied for overseas posting. Training staff were to be retained at home and it was with a lot of effort Sergeant Major Dutt was posted in 1944 to Nepal and Kohima. Here the action was against the Indian National Army, which had been recruited by Subhash Chandra Bose from Indians, who were Japanese prisoners of war fighting for independence from Britain. Subhash was charismatic and successful in his recruitment efforts, though people joined the INA for a variety of reasons. Eventually it failed because the Japanese would not give up control. Indian advance against Japan on the Burma front was helped when more weapons became available from Europe and training was given in jungle warfare. This campaign involved both heavy bombardment and hand-to-hand fighting. After the war negotiations began on Indian independence, with growing tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities. This meant that partition became a part of the independence process. Information about Sikh history and involvement with the British and Punjab. Sergeant Major Dutt was still in the army and stationed near the border in Ferozpur. There were many accounts of atrocities, and Sergeant Major Dutt was involved in suppressing a massacre of the few remaining Muslims in Ferozpur, including saving the life of a baby. He left the army and returned home in 1950. There is no information about his time in Britain.