Impression sketch of Lance-Naik Lala. [online] See original
image at: <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VCLala.jpg> [Accessed: 16 May 2016]
During the siege struggle of Kut
In region of Mesopotamia,
A number of battles tried to free
British and Indian troops,
Encircled by the Ottoman forces.
Following both battles of Wadi
And Hanna the Ottoman
Army made camp on strip of land,
Between marshes and river
Tigris - known as 'Hanna defile.'
Under two days of bombardment
By British guns, the decision
Was to charge the Ottoman lines.
Yet ahead was flooded land
And well-placed machine guns.
Among the Indian soldiers ready
To charge Lance-Naik
Whose hometown of North India,
Hamirpur, that lay
In the lap of the Himachal Pradesh.
Aged 38 the Indian man was a long
Way from Martyr's land -
Now in Indian Army, No 501 Lance-
Nail Lala, 41st regiment
Of Dogras, stood his ground to fight.
Within the devastation of this battle
Was an attempt to cross
600 yards of watery Earth - amid
Air wreaked havoc
Lance-Naik set out to give help.
Not too far from the enemy's side
Lance-Naik had created
A hurried shelter - already he had
Seen to four wounds
Indian fellows - he looked again.
Out in the open Lance-Naik heard
An officer of a British
Regiment calling out - little more
Than a hundred yards
From where he lay near Ottomans.
Without hesitation Lance-Naik
Reached the officer
And pulled him back to safety
Of his shelter - seeing
To his wounds to hear another cry.
Above the din of metal he heard
The human voice -
His own Adjutant was wounded -
He crawled out
To him - defiant of death's chance.
Other wounded Indian men were
With him - Lance-Naik
Wanted to move them to shelter
To take them on his back,
But the officer stated his refusal.
Instead Lance-Naik took off his
Uniform in order
To provide them human warmth -
When darkness gave
Cover, he carried the first to shelter.
Then in quick return, Lance-Naik
Took a stretcher and
Worked hard until they all returned.
Within that single day,
Lance-Naik earned Victoria Cross.
Along way from home and safe
Lap of the Himalayas,
Lance-Naik had shown courage
And devotion - to be
Held as a fine example by the king.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1916.
Indian VC Hero. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 15 May 1916. P.9. Col.2. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12210082/Daily-Telegraph-May-15-1916.html> [Accessed: 16 May 2016].
Source: File: Salute
To The Indian Soldier - We Fought True. Online. Available at: <http://www.salute.co.in/we-fought-true/> Accessed
16 May 2016
Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie
Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 16 May 2016).
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