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Part 6 of 10 part series - 6/10
Punjab' first Olympian Dalip Singh - Missing in Action: World War II
(Saurabh Duggal)
Dalip Singh began his international sports career as a soldier, serving in the First Patiala Infantry before the 1924 Olympics. Following his Olympic endeavors, he continued his involvement in military activities, fighting for the British Army during World War II.
He held the rank of Major during World War II and was stationed in the North Western Frontier Province, now part of Pakistan, from June 1939 to April 1942. Subsequently, he was deployed to the Assam-Burma front where he experienced intense combat. On April 6, 1944, during a military engagement, he lost several members of his unit and sustained injuries. He was ‘Mentioned in Dispatches’ twice and received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire on February 8, 1945, in recognition of his exemplary service during World War II.
His citation for the military honor by King George VI reads, “Grant of the dignity of an additional member of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire to Major Dalip Singh.”
“At the Burma campaign during World War II, Brigadier Dalip Singh, then a Major, was missing for a couple of months, and the family in Patiala feared he was killed in action. He was with his unit when they came under bombing, and although a fellow officer standing next to him was hit in the head by shrapnel, Dalip Singh was also wounded, fortunately in the legs. There may have been a mistaken report of his death as a result. He was fortunate that his injuries were not fatal, and after a couple of months, the family received news of his well-being,” recalled Hareena.
Continued...
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