CHAPTER
12
REGIMENTAL
INSTITUTIONS, SPORTS & ADVENTURE
Introduction.
REGIMENTAL INSTITUTIONS : Corps Association – Corps Committee –
Colonels Commandant – Corps Emblem & Motto – Corps Colours – Corps Flag –
Reunion – War Memorial – Corps Museum – Headquarters Mess – Corps Band – DR
Display Team – Dress & Accoutrements – Corps Publications – Corps History
Committee – Corps Traditions Committee – Cariappa Trophy – Iyappa Trophy –
Daulet Singh Trophy- Plaque of Honour. SPORTS & ADVENTURE : Hockey – Football – Basketball – Volleyball –
Triangular Sports Meet – W.I.A.A. Reliability Trials. CONCLUSION.
Introduction
Customs and traditions are
inseparable from the military life. With advances in technology, the modern
battle field bears little resemblance to that of yesteryears. The days of hand
to hand combat are virtually over, and one will rarely see an enemy face or
force, except on a computer screen. It would appear that qualities such as
valour, daring and discipline, the hall marks of every soldier, have been
replaced by intelligence, knowledge and technical skills. This is true but only
in part. Even today, the premium on
traditional military values such as courage, discipline and esprit de corps remains high as ever.
Each regiment and corps has its own distinct ethos developed over decades and
centuries of adherence to regimental customs, both on and off the battlefield.
Regimental institutions are the means to nurture these customs and strengthen
the bonds between soldiers. By
itself, each one may appear insignificant or irrelevant. However, taken as a
whole they form the mortar that binds the various parts that together represent
the Corps of Signals of the Indian Army. The institutions that existed in the
Corps from its inception up to 1947 have already been covered in Appendix 2 of
Volume II. The developments in these institutions and new ones that came up
after Independence are covered in this chapter.
REGIMENTAL
INSTITUTIONS
Corps
Association
The Indian Signal Corps Association was formed on 1 April 1947 primarily as a
welfare measure. The objects of the Corps Association were to render financial
assistance to serving and retired signallers and their families who were in
financial distress; to enable old comrades to keep in touch with each other;
and to assist retired and released personnel in finding employment. In a wider
context, it was not only expected to look after the wellbeing of its members
but also promote brotherhood, camaraderie and esprit-de-corps. Major General R.F.H.
Nalder, the SO-in-C, encouraged all serving members of the Corps to support the
Association in the early stages of its existence, so that its future is
assured. He also instructed all CO’s to publicise the aims and objectives of
the Association and to inspire such confidence in it as would ensure its
success.
Initially,
two branches of the Corps Association were formed at Jubbulpore
and Bangalore Delhi
There
was little change in the rules of the Association until 1959, when the Corps
Committee decided to do away with annual membership and permit only life
membership. The existing annual members were to be converted to life
members. Units would pay the difference
in the subscriptions to Records which would be recovered from individuals in
instalments. It was decided that flat
rates of subscriptions would apply to JCOs and OR. However, officers would continue to pay the
existing rates on rank basis. The final
striking of names of those existing annual members who were not willing to become life members would be taken up at the next Committee meeting
after knowing the exact number of such members at the time of the conference. 1
At the next meeting of the Corps
Committee Meeting held at Jullundur on
24-25 March 1960 it was decided that annual members could not be debarred
from the Signals Association as long as they paid their annual subscription and
would be treated the same as life members for purposes of grants of loans from
the Signals Benevolent Fund. If the
arrears of subscription in respect of defaulters were not received by 1
July1960, then such individuals would cease to be members of the Signals
Association. However, in future only
life members would be enrolled into the Corps of Signals Association.
Though the Corps Association had
been formed in 1947, it did not have a permanent office. In 1961, Brigadier T.
Barreto, then CSO Western Command, proposed that Signals should have a
regimental headquarters on the lines of other Arms and Services and the Royal
Signals in UK UK
It is interesting to note that at
Brigadier Barreto’s insistence, this point continued to be considered at every
subsequent meeting of the Corps Committee, but was always postponed, for one
reason or the other. In 1967, two years
after Brigadier Barrreto had retired; the point was discussed for the last
time. The SO-in- C pointed out that a regimental headquarters had been
sanctioned for the Royal Signals, but in view of the restrictions on raising of
operational units only it had not yet been possible to take up this case with
Army HQ. Though he agreed that there was
a need for the establishment of a regimental headquarters, in view of the heavy
commitments on Signals 4 Section in the Signals Directorate, the proposal would
have to be pended for the time being. 2
The point about conversion of
annual membership remained unresolved for several years. In 1964 it was decided
that all references to annual membership will be deleted from the rules and
only life membership will be permitted. As a result of this amendment, all
annual members were given a final option to convert their subscription and
become life members, failing which their names were to be struck off the rolls.
Apparently, there were many who did not comply. In 1966, the Association had
62,690 members out of which 2728 were still to convert to life membership. In 1972, while discussing the point regarding
presentation of mementoes to officers prior to their retirement from service,
the Committee felt that officers who did
not accept the obligations and allegiance the Corps would not be dined out on
retirement and the presentation of memento withheld. Such officers would cease
to be life members of the Corps Association and would no longer be treated as
members of the Corps. 3
One
of the primary aims of the Corps Association was to render financial assistance
to members who were in financial distress, and those who had been boarded out
due to disease and infirmity. The Association
originally maintained two main funds. These were the Indian Signals Benevolent
Fund and the Indian Signals Reunion Fund. The Benevolent Fund was used for
making monetary grants in cases of poverty and distress among members and their
families, including those of deceased members. Assistance to families was
restricted to wives, widows, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters only. In the
case of officers, only those who had been commissioned from the ranks were
eligible for relief for themselves or their families. On its formation,
subscriptions for life and annual membership were Rs. 75 and Rs. 10
respectively for officers, Rs. 30 and Rs. 3 for VCOs, Rs. 15 and Rs.1 for OR and Rs. 7/8 and Rs -/8 (eight annas) for non
combatants (enrolled). The Reunion Fund was to meet the expenses of reunions,
which were planned to be held annually. It was also intended to start an
organisation for helping old comrades of the Corps to find employment. Lest the
present generation of readers find these rates too low, it is well to remember
that the basic pay of a second lieutenant was only Rs. 400, while that of a
signalman was Rs. 60/65, depending on his trade.
Apart from grants, loans were also given to
personnel for meeting unforeseen expenses. In 1951, Subedar Dharam Singh and
Jemadar Sardara Singh who were going abroad for training were given loans of Rs
1000/- and 500/- respectively, for which ex-post facto sanction was accorded by
the Signals Committee. Since there was
no financial safeguard in respect of loans granted to personnel who became
non-effective, in 1953 it was decided that loans would be given to all ranks on
proper agreement on the security of men in the unit or Corps as defined in RAI
Instruction 743.
The objects and rules of the Corps
funds were formalised during the 9th Corps Committee meeting on 11 April 1956 . It was
decided that the following funds would be maintained by the Corps:-
·
Corps of Signals
General Fund
·
Corps of Signals Bands
Fund
·
Corps of Signals HQ
Mess Fund
·
Corps of Signals War
Memorial Fund
·
Signals Benevolent Fund
·
Signals Reunion Fund
·
Signals Scholarship
Fund
·
The Signalman Fund
The 10th meeting of the
Signals Committee held on 5
April 1957 decided that newly raised signal units would be given
grants from the General Fund. The rates were Rs. 1,000/- for major units, Rs.
500/- for brigade signal sections and Rs. 100/- for smaller signal sections.
For officers’ messes of newly raised units, loans could be given from the HQ
Mess Fund. The procedure of sanctioning loans was also streamlined. It was
decided that loans to JCOs/OR would be sanctioned by Officer-in-Charge Signal
Records. In an emergency, CSOs Command could sanction normal loans of up to Rs.
250/-. The limits for normal loans from the Benevolent
Fund for officers, JCOs and OR were 2, 4 and 6 months’ basic pay respectively.
The loan amount had to be returned in two and a half years. The unit commander
would stand surety for the loan. In case the individual was transferred to
another unit, the surety would also be transferred.
The limits for grants
and loans were revised from time to time. In 1971, a sum of Rs. 1, 07,000 was
disbursed as grants to TB patients, ex-servicemen, disabled personnel and next
of kin of deceased personnel. In addition, 1082 serving personnel were given
loans totalling Rs. 3, 00,000, which was the limit laid down. In 1972 the
ceiling on loans was raised to Rs. 5, 00,000.
The
Corps Committee
The
formation of the ISC Committee in 1946 was an important step towards
‘Indianisation’ of the Corps. It was for the first time that decisions on
‘domestic matters’ of the Corps were entrusted to a majority of Indian
officers, whereas these had in the past been dealt exclusively by British
officers. Only two meetings were held prior to 15 August 1947 . According to the charter
adopted at the first meeting held on 10 September 1946 , the main functions of the Committee were to sponsor the social and domestic
interests of the ISC and to represent Corps opinion in all matters pertaining
to the welfare and esprit-de-corps. The ex-officio Chairman of
the Committee was the SO-in-C, with members being nominated from each command
and STC. In addition, two or three
members were nominated by the SO-in-C. The Committee comprised Major General
R.F.H. Nalder (Chairman); Lieutenant Colonels B.D. Kapur and T.K. Mukerji;
Majors Bhattacharya, A.C. Iyappa, S.S. Chowdhary, M.B.K. Nair, Mohd. Suleman and M.N. Batra (Secretary); and Captain
Ajit Singh. The Committee decided to invite General Sir Douglas D. Gracey to
serve as Colonel Commandant of the Corps and Chairman of the Committee. It was decided that the SO-in-C would
henceforth assume the duties of Deputy Chairman.
The Committee took several important
decisions in its first meeting on 10 September 1946 . These included the replacement of the
Corps Motto ‘Certa-Cito’ by ‘Tez-o-Sahih’; the compilation of the history of
ISC; approval of designs for shoulder badges for the Army Signal School, the
Corps cap and collar badges and the colour of flash backings and unit flags.
The second meeting of the Committee was held on 13 May 1947 under the chairmanship of the
SO-in-C, Brigadier H.D. Beadon. It was decided that a quarterly journal called
“The Indian Signal Quarterly Journal” would be published by the Commandant ISC School
After
Independence Delhi ISC
School New Delhi
The
Committee formally approved the following charter of the Indian Signals
Committee:-
The functions of the
Indian Signals Committee are to sponsor the social and domestic interests of
the Indian Signals and to represent Corps opinions in all matters pertaining to
the welfare and esprit-de-Corps generally.
In particular, it will maintain interests in such matter as particulars
of dress; mess customs and etiquette; social and sports activities; regimental
customs; welfare of officers and other ranks both during their period of
service and after return to civil life; Corps manuals and journals; the
establishment of technical status of personnel in relation to civil
institutions; examination and control of such funds as may be decided;
sponsoring any associations or committees formed for the implementation of the
items above. 4
The next meeting of the Committee
was held at Delhi India
It was decided that the Corps
Committee should meet twice annually.
One meeting would be held in Delhi Jubbulpore
alternatively each year on 10 October and 15 February respectively. However,
this did not happen, and the Committee was never able to meet more than once a
year, except in 1950, when it met in March and October. After this, the Corps
Committee continued to meet regularly every year, except in 1961 because of the
Golden Jubilee and in 1963, due to the Emergency in the wake of the 1962 war.
The meetings were usually chaired by the Colonel Commandant, if he was
available, or the SO-in-C, who was the Deputy Chairman. From 1948 to 1955 the
Corps had only one Colonel Commandant, General Cariappa. In 1955 Major General
Daulet Singh was appointed the second Colonel Commandant. He attended the
meeting in 1962. General Cariappa chaired the meetings twice, in 1949 and 1958.
In 1959, Major General A.C. Iyappa
was appointed Colonel Commandant after the relinquishment of the post by
General Cariappa. In 1962 it was decided that the second Colonel Commandant
would be designated as the Co-Chairman of the Corps Committee. It was also
decided that one retried officer would be nominated on the Committee by the
SO-in-C. In 1964 the SO-in-C, Major General R.N. Batra was appointed the second
Colonel Commandant after the demise of Lieutenant General Daulet Singh and
became the Co- Chairman. It was decided that so long as the SO-in-C was also a
Colonel Commandant, a Deputy Chairman would not be appointed. In view of the
growing number of retired officers, it was felt that their representation in
the Corps Committee should be increased. It was agreed that there was a
requirement for appointing a Corps Tradition Sub-Committee under the
chairmanship of a senior member of the Corps to examine Corps customs and
traditions and put up suggestions for approval of the Corps Committee. Brigadier T. Barreto was appointed Chairman
of the Corps Tradition Sub-Committee. 5
In 1967 Lieutenant General I.D.
Verma was appointed the third Colonel Commandant. Consequently the 19th
Corps Committee meeting held on 7
February 1968 was chaired by Lieutenant General A.C. Iyappa, with
two Co-Chairmen - Lieutenant General R.N. Batra and Lieutenant General I.D. Verma.
(The rank of SO-in-C was upgraded the same year.)
The decisions of the Corps of
Signals Committee on important domestic matters were disseminated through
directives. After Independence
Directive
No. Date
Subject
1 2 February 1953 Corps
of Signals DR Display Team
2 4 February 1953 Charter
of Duties of Editorial Staff of THE SIGNALMAN
3 3 September 1953 Scheme
for Grant of Loan from Signals Benevolent Fund
4 5 October 1962 Corps
Traditions Committee
5 6 February 1964 Corps
Sports Control Committee
6 5 November 1963 Lt Gen Daulet Singh Trophy for Personal High Endeavour
7 17 February 1964 The Iyappa Trophy
8 16 September 1964 Unit Sign Boards
9 15 January 1965 Record of Mess Property and Silver of
Historical Value
10. 21 September 1964 Award of Corps Colours and Blazers
Though
the Corps Committee was intended to deal with domestic matters such as dress;
mess customs; sports activities; regimental customs; welfare of serving and
retired personnel and so on, over a period of time it became almost an
extension of the Signals Directorate. One of the staff officers in Signals
Directorate performed the job of the secretary of the Corps Committee, on a
part time basis. The need for a permanent secretary of the Committee and a
permanent address for the Corps Association, as existed in Royal Signals had
been brought up several times by Brigadier T. Barreto, but it was not
implemented. Had a regimental headquarters for the Corps of Signals been
officially designated, with a permanent secretariat, perhaps the Committee
would have been more effectual. It would
have also avoided the autocratic and cavalier manner in which the Committee
sometimes functioned. Nothing illustrates this fact as well as the manner in
which the Committee treated one it’s most active and faithful members,
Brigadier T. Barreto.
Brigadier
Barreto first became a member of the Corps Committee in 1954 and attended every
meeting thereafter until 1965, when he retired. He became Chairman of the Corps
History Committee in 1957 and of the Corps Tradition Sub-Committee in 1964. He
played an important role in suggesting, designing, setting up and nurturing
several important Corps institutions such as the Corps Museum, War Memorial,
Regimental Colours, Corps Flag, Headquarters Mess, Roll of Honour, Honours and
Awards list and many others. Form a perusal of the agenda and minutes of the
Corps Committee and connected correspondence, there is no doubt that he
sponsored the maximum number of points for discussion and was one of the few
who took follow up action on its decisions.
However, as mentioned in a long article on him in the Signalman after
his retirement, ‘he was strong willed to
a fault and possessed the highest principles. He loved the Corps as few others
did and he was uncompromising where truth and the interest of the Corps, as
understood by him, were involved. To Tery, the Corps was everything’. 6
In
June 1963, Brigadier Barreto, who was then Commandant School of Signals, sent
12 points for inclusion in the agenda of the 15th Corps Committee
meeting that was scheduled to be held in 1964. These points were as given
below:- 7
1.
Where is the Daulet
Singh Trophy for High Endeavour? What are the rules for competition/presentation
of this trophy?
2.
What is future of the
Iyappa Trophy for technical proficiency?
3.
Discuss future of the
Signalman in view of cut in Publications Team and embargo on use of GSO2
(Publications) on duties other than those laid down by DMT.
4.
Discuss stocking of
liquor in HQ Mess.
5.
Sanction write-off of
sword of Lt Col Rosenburg which is missing from HQ Mess.
6.
Approve return of skins
presented/loaned to HQ Mess by Lt Col VD Deshpande.
7.
Discuss amounts due
from the Corps Funds to School funds.
8.
Review items
manufactured by Saharan & Company for quality and cost.
9.
Revise Corps Committee Directive No 3 in light
of Minute 7 (b) of 13th Meeting. (This dealt with loans from the
Signals Benevolent Fund to officers.)
10.
Discuss
progress/improvement in sports publicity
11.
Discuss introduction of
President’s Own Despatch Riders.
12.
Discuss compilation of
Annual Resume of Activities. The last issue contained a large number of
omissions and inaccuracies.
In August 1963, the Secretary of
the Corps Committee sent a reply to Commandant School of Signals, informing him
that 10 of the 12 points submitted by him had not been included in the agenda
for the 15th Corps Committee meeting. The only two points that had
been included were those pertaining Saharan & Company and sports publicity.
The reasons given for rejection of the other points were interesting: ‘this is
an administrative problem and should be referred to Signals Directorate
(stocking of liquor in HQ Mess); ‘this is already under correspondence (amount
due from Corps Funds to School Funds); ‘the point may be referred to Signals
Directorate for examination (writing off sword of Lt Col Roesnburg); ‘this will
be progressed by Signals Directorate (President’s own DR); ‘necessary action
will be taken by Signals directorate’ (Annual Resume of Activities) and so on. 8
Some of the points submitted by
Brigadier Barreto had been under correspondence for several months, on which he
had already sent several reminders. Several other points raised by him had been
either ignored or treated in a cavalier fashion. The reply of the Secretary
Corps Committee irked him no end. He wrote an angry letter to the SO-in-C,
Major General R.N. Batra, extracts from which are given below:- 9
………The Secretary
has thought it fit to reject 10 out of the 12 items submitted by me for
inclusion in the agenda. This unilateral and dictatorial action shows that the
Secretariat does not appreciate the status of the Corps Committee and its
members. Before I deal with the particular items I had submitted, I shall state
my views on the general case.
At last year’s
conference, you had very correctly defined the difference in status between the
CSO's Conference and the Corps Committee meeting. The former is your personal
conference and CSOs/Comdts cannot claim any rights to be heard nor can they
insist on raising issues. The final decision on all matters concerning that
conference rest entirely with you personally. The Corps Committee, however, is
a democratic body consisting of responsible members charged with the duty of regulating
the domestic affairs of the Corps. Generally speaking, decisions are taken by
majority vote, the power of veto resting with the representative Colonel
Commandant in his capacity as chairman of the Committee. If therefore, there
exists a certain freedom of discussion, it presupposes that members have the
privilege of raising such matters as are within the legitimate purview of the
Committee.
My personal
status on the Corps Committee is unique by virtue of active and continuous
participation in its deliberations over a period of years, and it is not
without a record of achievement. It is therefore to be expected that I should
know what may or may not be discussed at such meetings. I have no objection to
any point of mine being excluded as a result of satisfactory action being taken
subsequent to the receipt of my points; such is the case in four of them, some of which have been
outstanding for years. …….
What may or may
not be discussed by the Corps Committee? The Corps Committee being the watch dog
of the Corps, it should not fight shy of examining any matters affecting its
domestic affairs, however embarrassing they may be. Only thus can the Corps
Committee achieve its rightful status and be looked upon with respect by the
rest of the Corps.
I am deeply hurt
by this unwarranted action by the Secretariat, even more than the insulting
treatment extended to me over the past years by their persistent refusal to
reply to my letters and reminders thereto. Perhaps you may not be aware of this
attitude of the Secretariat. Various excuses, such as changes in staff and the
Emergency, have been offered, but something solid is required to ensure a more
efficient and progressive transaction of Corps Committee business. I do not
believe in witch hunting, nor is there anything personal in my complaint, but I
do believe that a regimental headquarters is now more than necessary to
administer its domestic affairs. The correct set up on an unofficial part-time
basis has, in my opinion, failed to keep up with e progress required by growing
Corps. …………
The
15th Corp Committee Meeting was held on 14 and 17 February 1964 at Delhi
Apart
from the absence of a permanent secretariat of the Corps Committee, another
factor that affected its functioning was the office of the Colonel Commandant.
From 1946 right up to 1963, the Colonels Commandant and Chairmen of the Corps
Committee – Generals Gracey, Cariappa and Daulet Singh - were not from
Signals. Even if they did not attend all
meetings of the Corps Committee, their exalted position in the Army and status
as Chairman ensured that their views were considered before important decisions
were taken by the Committee or its Secretariat. After 1963, this important
check was removed and the Corps Committee was headed by a retired or serving
SO-in-C. The nomination of a staff officer of Signals Directorate as the part
time secretary aggravated the problem. One can perhaps forgive the secretary
for not being able to distinguish between the office of the Chairman of the
Corps Committee and the SO-in-C, on whose staff he was serving.
Colonels
Commandant
As explained in Volume
II, the institution of Colonel of the Regiment or Colonel Commandant is a
British legacy. In Victorian times, commissions were given only to members of
the aristocracy and the landed gentry, the class which could be trusted to remain
loyal to the Sovereign. This not only reduced the chances of mutinies and
revolts, but also provided an honourable occupation to scions of the nobility,
for whom no other profession or calling was considered respectable. Few of
these officers had formal training and some even bought their commissions.
Regiments were commanded by colonels who often paid the salaries of the
soldiers and the cost of their uniforms. Some continued to look after their
estates and commitments in Court, leaving them little time for day to day
administration of the regiment during peace time. This gave birth to the rank
of lieutenant colonel, who deputized for the colonel. As the army became more
professional, the system changed and every officer had to start at the bottom
rung as a second lieutenant. But the institution of Colonel remained, becoming
largely ceremonial. In the Infantry and Cavalry, he was known as the Colonel of
the Regiment, while in other Arms and Services, he was referred to as the
Colonel Commandant. These Colonels could be of any rank and are not to be
confused with the rank of colonel, which a lieutenant colonel attains on
promotion. The Colonel was normally a senior officer of repute, who was
regarded as a father figure in the regiment. In case a regiment did not have an
officer of the requisite rank and seniority, a suitable officer from another
regiment was invited to be the Colonel of the Regiment.
Major General S.H.
Powell, who is regarded as the ‘Father’ of the Corps, was appointed the first
Colonel Commandant of the ISC on 15 May 1934 , when the appointment was sanctioned. General
Powell relinquished the appointment at the age of 70 after attending the Silver
Jubilee celebrations of the Corps at Jubbulpore
in 1936. He was succeeded by General Sir
Robert A. Cassells, the C-in-C of the Indian Army. Almost at the same time, the
Princess Royal was appointed the Colonel-in-Chief of the ISC. Following the retirement of General Cassells,
Lieutenant General Douglas D. Gracey assumed the appointment of Colonel Commandant
on 21 February 1947 . After Partition, General Gracey was appointed
the C-in-C of the Pakistan Army, and expressed his unwillingness to continue as
the Colonel Commandant of the ISC.
The point was discussed
during the first meeting of newly reconstituted
Corps Committee on 1- 2 April
1948 . It was agreed that General Gracey could not continue to be
the Colonel Commandant of the Corps anymore. Since
there was no officer above the rank of brigadier within the Corps, it was
decided to request an officer from outside for this assignment. The Committee authorized
the Chairman, Brigadier C.H.I Akehurst to approach the following officers in
order of priority to accept this appointment:-
·
Lieutenant General K.M.
Cariappa, O.B.E.
·
Major General K.S.
Thimayya, D.S.O.
·
Major General S.M.
Shrinagesh
The Committee also agreed to the
appointment of a second Colonel Commandant of the Corps in the UK
The
First Indian Colonel Commandant Gen KM Cariappa, OBE
In the event, General Gracey resigned from the
appointment of Colonel Commandant of the Corps on 16 July 1948 . Lieutenant
General K.M. Cariappa was then heavily involved with the operations in Jammu
& Kashmir and it was only after he took over as C-in-C
of the Indian Army that he accepted the invitation
and was appointed the first Indian Colonel Commandant of the Corps on 5 April 1949 . During the next meeting of the Indian Signals
Committee on 24-26 May 1949, which he chaired, General Cariappa thanked
the Corps Committee for inviting him to become Colonel
Commandant of the Corps of Indian Signals. He stated that he accepted the offer extended
to him, because he felt that he could help with advice and guidance in making
the Corps of Indian Signals the ‘Corps elite’ of the Army.
General Cariappa agreed that so long as India UK
The
Second Indian Colonel Commandant Lt Gen Daulet Singh, MBE
In 1955 Major General Daulet Singh
was appointed the second Colonel Commandant of the Corps. General Cariappa, who
had been appointed India Australia Australia
Though he had ceased to be the
Colonel Commandant and settled down in his ancestral home in Mecara in Coorg,
General Cariappa agreed to attend the Colour presentation ceremony in 1965 and
travelled to Jabalpur
Corps
Emblem & Motto
The emblem of the Corps
of Signals is based on Mercury, or Mercurius, the Roman version of Hermes, the
messenger of the Gods in Greek mythology. It is commonly believed that the
figure which is part of the badge of the Signal
Corps of almost every Commonwealth nation, including India Florence Hyde
Park in 1851. With a few
small changes, the emblem was later adopted by Royal Signals in 1929. The Indian Signal Corps began using it in
1934, with the crown being replaced by the five-pointed Star of India.
In 1946 a new badge was introduced in the Royal Corps of
Signals and the ISC. The new badge,
without the oval band, had the figure of Mercury on a globe, supported by a
scroll bearing the motto Certa Cito
and six laurel leaves arranged on each side of the globe. The badge of Royal
Signals was surmounted by a detached crown, while that of the ISC had a
detached Star of India. The Mercury and the globe were to be in silver, the
remainder being in gold. This badge
continued to be used until Independence
The
motto of the Royal Signals from 1929 onwards was Certa Cito, which can be translated as ‘reliable information
quickly’. Since this lacked harmony and consonance, it was later replaced with Swift
and Sure, which was simpler and more easily understood. However, the motto
was not used in the emblem until 1946, when the oval band inscribed with the
words “Royal Corps of Signals” was removed and a scroll added at the base of
the figure inscribed with the words Certa Cito. This motto was used by
the Royal Signals as well as the ISC. In April 1947, the new motto approved for
the ISC was ‘Tez-o-Sahih’ meaning ‘Swift and Correct’.
The 1st meeting of the newly reconstituted Signals Committee held on 1-2 April 1948 took several
important decisions with regard to the motto, emblem and title of the Corps. It
was decided to do away with the present Corps motto of Tez-o-Sahih and to ask signal units to submit suggestions for new
Corps motto. It was decided that Rs.
100/- would be paid from the Indian Signals fund for the three best suggestions
received. The present motto would continue until a new and suitable motto had
been decided upon and finally approved.
After
examining the different designs of the Corps badges produced before it, the
Committee decided to retain the present layout of the badge and to authorize
the sub-committee at Army HQ to further examine the possibility of obtaining a
die from the UK
The Corps Committee recommended the
following redesignations in the title of the Corps and its institutions:-
Present Designation Proposed Designation Remarks
INDIAN
SIGNAL CORPS “CORPS OF INDIAN SIGNALS” Full title
“INDIAN
SIGNALS” Short
title normal use
“IND
1
INDIAN SIGNAL “SIGNALS
TRAINING CENTRE” Full Title
CORPS
CENTRE “STC” Abbreviated
Title
INDIAN
SIGNAL CORPS “SCHOOL OF SIGNALS” Full Title
SCHOOL “SCHOOL OF SIGS
In April 1948 Signals
Directorate sent a letter to all signal units asking for suggestions for a new
Corps motto. However, the response was not very encouraging. In July 1948 it
was decided to ask for further suggestions from all ranks through an Indian
Army Order. Accordingly IAO 512/48 was published, asking for suggestions for a
new motto for the Corps of Indian Signals. It was stipulated that the suggested
motto should have some association in meaning with the work of Signals, be
simple, easy to pronounce and be short i.e. not more than two words.
Suggestions were to be sent to the Secretary Indian Signal Corps Committee by 21 August 1948 . It was
stated that Rs. 100/- would be distributed in prizes for the three best
suggestions received by due date.
The
call for suggestions through IAO 512/48 elicited a large number of responses.
The three mottos considered most suitable were SHIGRA-SHUDDHA (Swift-Correct), TIVRA-SATYA
(Keen-True) and TEZ AUR CHAUKAS
(Swift – accurate, cautious, vigilant, careful, exact). On 21 October 1948 these were sent to
the Ad Hoc Committee comprising Brigadier B.S Bhagat, CSO Western Command;
Lieutenant Colonel P.N. Luthra, CO Army HQ Signal Regiment; Lieutenant Colonel
Hazara Singh, CO Western Command Signal Regiment; and Major A.M. David, Staff
Officer, Air Formation, Air HQ. The
members of the Ad Hoc Committee, who were all based in Delhi 31 October
1948 . If considered necessary, they could get the opinion of others
under their command. 10
The Ad Hoc Committee finalized its
recommendations on 11 November
1948 . Instead of selecting one of the mottos sent to them, in toto,
it decided to take one word each from two of the mottos and combine them to
form TEEVRA CHAUKAS (changing the
spelling TIVRA to TEEVRA). The new motto of the Corps of
Indian Signals was disseminated to all units on 17 November 1948 by the Secretary of the Corps
Committee. It was subsequently approved by the C-in-C and promulgated through
Indian Army Order No. 3/49. The exact
meaning of the motto is ‘Swift and Sure/Secure’. It signifies the determination
of every member of the Corps to do his best in transmitting the commander’s
orders as quickly as possible and in the most accurate manner. Nine persons
shared the monetary award, of which only three (one JCO, one NCO and one civilian)
were from Signals, the remainder being from other arms and services. 11
Corps
Colours
Since
earliest times, colours, standards and guidons have been used to indicate the
presence of commanders on the battlefield. With advancements in weaponry and
means of communication, battlefields became larger and the commander was rarely
visible to the troops. Though their function now is largely ceremonial, colours
remain an important ingredient of military ritual, and command great reverence
from soldiers. The significance of the colours has been described by Sir Edward
Hamly in the following words:-
A moth eaten rag on a worm eaten pole,
It does not look
likely to stir a man’s soul.
Tis
the deeds that were done ‘neath the moth eaten rag,
When the pole
was a staff and the rag was a flag.
Before
Independence
The Corps Colours
The colours were approved in
December 1960 but due to difficulties experienced in getting them manufactured,
the presentation could not be held during the Golden Jubilee celebrations in
1961. According to the approved design,
the size of colours was 3 ft. 9 in. in the fly and 3 ft. in the hoist with a
two-inch wide gold fringe. On a
background of light blue, the Corps badge and motto was embroidered within a
single wreath composed of Ashoka leaves and flowers. The title of the Corps was
embroidered on a scroll below the wreath. The wooden staff surmounted by the
national state emblem in gilt metal was 8 ft. 7½ in. The tassel suspended by
cord from the upper corner of the hoist was of crimson and gold mixed. The
material used was indigenous silk or hand woven silk.
In 1962, Brigadier T. Barreto again
proposed that a case should be taken up for award of battle honours “Neuve
Chapelle (1915)” and “Ngakyedauk
Pass
As regards the award of President’s
insignia for the regimental colours, it was explained that the case had already
been prepared and would be submitted soon. It was agreed that proper cord silk
for the flag be procured from the UK
The
article on regimental colours was duly published in the April 1963 issue of the
Signalman. The point about battle/theatre honours was not discussed in the next
meeting of the Corps Committee held on 14 & 17 February 1964 . However, on the insistence
of Brigadier Barreto a case was taken up by Signals Directorate asking for
battle honours and theatre honours In the Report of the Corps of Signals Tradition Committee 1964-65 submitted on 1 February 1965 . Brigadier
Barreto pointed out that battle honours and theatre honours have been asked for
specific units only and not for the Corps.
He also noted that the Battle of Neuve Chapelle had been omitted. He recommended that battle honours “Neuve
Chapelle (1915)” and “Ngakyedauk
Pass
The Corps of Signals was presented regimental colours by the President
of India, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan at an impressive ceremonial parade on 20 February 1965 at 1 STC, Jabalpur Lieutenant Colonel
N.S. Lieutenant
Colonel N.S. Independence Korea China Congo Gaza
The President, Dr S
Radhakrishnan presents the colours at Jabalpur 20 Feb 1965
The colours are preserved in 1 STC Jabalpur
The Corps Flag
The
official colours of the ISC were blue and white, as specified in Army Order 184
of 1922, which stated: The Signals service has now proved its worth in the
field and should have distinctive dress of its own. Blue and white, the
Signal Service colours should form its distinctive colouring. In 1926, it
was decided that the ISC would use the same colours as the Royal Signals, which
were light blue, dark blue and dark green, representing communications by sky,
sea and land. However, blue and white continued to be used in the signal office
flag, and on the arm bands of DRs and signal office staff, as they are to this
day. The pre-war flag did not have the Corps emblem.
Along
with the approval of the new motto and crest for ISC in 1946, the Indian Signal
Corps Committee approved the new design for the Corps flag. It was specified that the length of the flag should
be twice the breadth for sizes up to 10 feet; the Corps colours would be in the
proportions of 3/7th light blue uppermost, 1/7th dark
(navy) blue in the middle and 3/7th dark green lower most; in the
centre without oval backing would be a gold (deep chrome yellow) “Jimmy” with
star and motto scroll; the overall height of the badge being one half the
breadth of the flag and the badge would face away from the hoist on both sides.
It was decided that a coloured drawing should be sent to M/s Phelps in Connaught Place , New
Delhi
After Independence
During the 2nd Meeting of the Indian
Signals Committee held on 24-26 May 1949 under the Chairmanship of General K.M.
Cariappa, O.B.E, the specimen Corps flag received from the UK UK UK
During the 14th Meeting
of the Signals Committee on 16-17 March 1962, Brigadier Barreto brought to the
notice of the Committee that technical specifications do not exist to control
the manufacture of the Corps flag, nor is the actual size of the badge, in
relation to the length and width of the flag, clearly laid down. It was decided that a sub-committee will be
appointed to examine the question and also to make recommendations whether we
should follow the UK
The sub-committee acted with
commendable speed and came up with a comprehensive report on 12 October 1962 . Its
recommendations were approved during the next meeting of the Signals Committee
in February 1964. Details such as the design of the flag, the material used,
the occasions on which it is to be flown, the size of the mast and the plinth
were specified. Along with the Corps flag, the specifications of the signal
centre flag were also laid down. The new flags, conforming to these
specifications, were to be brought into use and the old flags wasted out by
October 1964.
The Corps flag is made up of
material either wool khadi (hand spun
cotton) or bunting cloth. It consists of the Corps emblem mounted centrally on
the background of the Corps colours, light blue, dark blue and dark green in
the proportion 3:1:3. The size of the flag is 6 ft. X 4 ft. The emblem faces
the hoist on both sides. The overall height of the emblem is 2 ft. from the
lower edge of the globe to the upper point of the surmounting star. The flag is
displayed at all unit quarter guards and behind the saluting base at ceremonial
parades. Traditionally, it is also flown outside the office of the commanding
officer. The flag is not carried on
parades and ceremonials. It is not entitled to any honours.
The
signal centre flag is 3 ft. X 2 ft. in size and is an Ordnance issue item
authorised in the equipment table of every signal unit. The colour of the flag
is white and dark blue horizontally paced in the proportion of 1:1. In peace
time it is flown outside the static signal centre on a 10 ft. high mast. Under
field conditions the size of the mast is reduced and the flag displayed keeping
in mind the requirements of camouflage and concealment. While moving by road
the signal centre vehicle flies the flag to enable despatch riders to know its
location. At night, the signal centre vehicle is permitted to carry a white and
blue light to indicate its location.
The custom of holding reunions goes
back several centuries. Reunions are held by educational institutions,
religious sects, social organisations etc., but nowhere is it as popular as in
the military. Like other regiments of the Indian Army the Corps of Signals also
follows this tradition. Reunions enable
comrades-in-arms to renew past associations and revive old memories. It is also an occasion to recall the
sacrifices and pay homage to those who laid down their lives to that the
present generation could live in peace.
The ‘Spirit of the Reunion ’ has been
aptly described by an old signaller in the following words:-
But the essence of a
Re-Union of this nature is the spirit of comradeship which inspires the whole
gathering. Two distinct generations, as it were, meet on a common plane. The
old soldiers bring with them a treasure of experience and tradition; the
younger generation who have stepped into their shoes are anxious to maintain a
high standard of discipline and heroism set up by the older generation.13
The first reunion of the Indian Signal Corps
was organized by Northern Command at Rawalpindi Jubbulpore , which has since then
been the venue of all subsequent reunions.
In 1936, a grand reunion was held to celebrate the silver jubilee of the
Corps, which was attended by the ‘Father of the Corps’, Major General S.H.
Powell, who came from England
The first post-war reunion was held
in 1950. This being the first reunion of the Corps of Signals that came into
being after Independence
General K.M. Cariappa, O.B.E, the
C-in-C and Colonel Commandant of the Corps, agreed to attend the reunion and
all preparations were made accordingly. The reunion had many unique features,
which deserve mention. There were no less than four conferences, on different
dates – the Subedar Majors’ Conference, the Unit Commanders’ Conference, the CSOs/Commandants’
Conference and the Signals Committee Meeting. The Inter Command (Signals)
Championships were held in hockey, football, basket ball, volley ball, and
rifle and pistol shooting. Other events that took place during the week, from 6
to 11 March were concerts (Pollard Arena and Herdon Arena); equipment
demonstration (Hugh Rose Barracks); baby show (Child Welfare Centre); pagal
gymkhana (Parade Ground); athletic meet (Copeland Ground); cinema show (Delite
Cinema); dance (Nerbudda Club); bara khana (unit lines); JCOs’ guest night
(JCOs Mess) and the Corps Dinner (Officers Mess). In addition, there were
visits to various institutions, group photographs and informal interactions
between the guests attending the reunion.
Invitations for the reunion were
sent to 105 pensioners and ex-servicemen, after dividing them into three
categories – those who had been discharged before 1931; those discharged
between 1931 and 1939 (with decorations) and those discharged after 1939 (with
decorations). Finally, 80 pensioners and ex-servicemen attended the reunion.
General Cariappa was to arrive on 8 March and return to Delhi Delhi
Among the prominent JCOs who
attended the reunion were Subedar Majors (Honorary Captains) Chajja Singh
Sardar Bahadur O.B.I., R. Panchanadan Bahadur O.B.I., Mohd. Shahab Khan Sardar
Bahadur O.B.I. and Teja Singh Gurung;
Subedar Majors Narain Singh Bahadur O.B.I., M.B.E., A.D.C., Joginder
Singh Bahadur, O.B.I., M.B.E., R. Seshachalam M.B.E. and Shiv Singh Bahadur,
O.B.I.; Subedars Ahmed Badsha, G.Moses, M.B.E., Asa Ram Bahadur O.B.I.,
I.D.S.M. and D. Narayana Swami Bahadur
O.B.I.; Jemadars Gulaba and A. George
I.D.S.M. 14
On
the face of it, the reunion appears to have been organised on a lavish scale.
In fact, it was an example of austerity and meticulousness. Signals Directorate
had decreed that the total expenditure on the Reunion Week was not to exceed to
Rs. 10,000. As a result, the accent was on economy. One way rail fare of all
pensioners was paid by the Government, the return fare being reimbursed from
the Indian Signals Reunion Fund. Pensioners were also provided free messing and
accommodation. Senior officers
(brigadiers and colonels) were accommodated in the Flag Staff House and Circuit
House. Most of the lieutenant colonels stayed in the Rest House with the balance
staying in the Officers Mess with the other officers (majors and below). A
large number of officers stayed with officers posted at the STC. Two pensioners
had the pleasure of staying with their sons. Subedar Major Narain Singh stayed
with his son Captain Hardev Singh and Subedar Major and Honorary Captain Chajja
Singh with his son Captain H.S. Kler. Transport being in short supply, even
senior officers had to share the available staff cars and stations wagons.
Almost all officers and their wives were transported to various functions in 15
cwt. trucks. Many used their own cars.
Though
it had been earlier decided that reunions would be held
every alternate year, it was subsequently decided to hold them once
every four years together with the Signals Inter-Command Games. Accordingly,
the second post-war reunion was held at Jubbulpore
from 9-16 February 1954. As already decided, the Inter-Command games were also
held. Five teams – one from each command, the STC and Army HQ – contested in
five events – hockey, football, volleyball, basketball and shooting. The
Akehurst Challenge Cup was awarded to Southern Command which stood first,
winning the Inter-Command Championship.
There were a few changes in the
programme from the previous reunion of 1950. A Signals Tableaux was organised,
which included a para drop, trick riding by despatch riders, PT display by the
Boys Regiment and floats depicting the evolution of Signals from early times.
Instead of a dance at the Nerbudda Club, a ‘social night’ was held in the
Officers Mess. This was in addition to the Corps Dinner which was held on 15
February as a Regimental Guest Night. Another new event was the carnival,
organised on the lines of a fete or a mela
(fair). This had a number of
stalls selling eatables, artefacts and souvenirs, in addition to games of skill
and chance.
This reunion was also a farewell to
Brigadier Akehurst, who was laying down the reins of office of the SO-in-C on
his retirement. Due to exigencies of service, General Cariappa – he had retired
as C-in-C but was still the Colonel Commandant - could not attend the reunion
but sent a message that was read out by the SO-in-C. The number of pensioners
who attended the reunion was 108, including some who had attended the previous
reunion in 1950. One of the prominent veterans was Subedar Major and Honorary
Captain Chajja Singh. Among the senior serving officers who attended were
Brigadiers A.C. Iyappa, B.D. Kapur, R.N. Batra, Apar Singh and M.N. Batra. The
only two retired officers present were Majors P. Bernard and Puran Singh.15
The third post-war reunion held in
1958 was the sixth reunion since 1931, when the first reunion was held in Rawalpindi
The
Colonel Commandant conversing with Havildar Magh Singh and other pensioners
during the 1958 Reunion
The 1958 reunion was attended by
General Cariappa, who was the senior Colonel Commandant. The second Colonel
Commandant, Lieutenant General Daulet Singh, could not attend. Fifty nine
ex-servicemen were present, including some veterans of World War I such as
Subedar Major and Honorary Captain Chajja Singh, Sardar Bahadur, O.B.I.,
Jemadar Govind Fadtare, I.D.S.M., Havildar Magh Singh and Sapper Bhag Singh,
I.O.M. Each pensioner was measured as soon as he arrived and was presented with
a set of mufti (white trousers and Jodhpur
Most of the events associated with
earlier reunions such as the Inter Command games, variety show, pagal gymkhana,
demonstration of signal equipment etc. were held in 1958 also. A unique event
was the shooting of a tiger by Jemadar Kalyan Singh of 1 Technical Training
Regiment from a distance of ten yards on 11 February. Apparently, the party had
gone on a shikar expedition looking for deer, but bagged a tiger instead. Next
morning, the dead tiger was laid out on the shooting range, during the Inter Command
shooting competitions. This probably demoralized the other teams, enabling the
STC to win the Cariappa trophy!
There was a social get together in the
Officers Mess on 12 February for signal officers and their wives. In a
departure from norms, honorary officers were also invited. The next evening,
the Nerbudda Club hosted a dinner dance in honour of General Cariappa who
arrived the same evening. A unique event was the performance by Sachin
Shanker’s ballet troupe on 14 February. The events on 15 February included the
ceremonial parade, followed by the bara khana, athletic meet, PT display and
the Corps Dinner at night. The last event of the reunion was the closing
address by the General Cariappa in the Pollard Arena on 16 February.16
Since the 50th Anniversary
of the Corps was falling in 1961, the next reunion was held after a gap of
three years instead of four. The reunion was celebrated as the Golden Jubilee
Anniversary of the Corps of Signals from 12-16 February 1961. The Inter-Command
Games and Shooting competitions that formed part of the reunion were held
earlier, from 7-11 February 1961. In keeping with importance of the event, the
celebrations were on a lavish scale. A large number of British officers
attended the reunion, prominent among them being Major General R.J. Moberly,
C.B., O.B.E., Colonel Commandant, Royal Signals; Brigadier C.H.I. Akehurst,
C.B.E., Brigadier E.C.R Blaker, O.B.E., Chief Signal Officer, Scottish Command,
UK
Among serving officers, the most
prominent visitor to the reunion was General K.S Thimayya, D.S.O, Chief of the
Army Staff. This was unique, because apart from those of his own regiment, the
only reunion that General Thimayya attended during his tenure as Army Chief was
that of Signals. Other prominent Indian visitors were Lieutenant General
Harkirat Singh, Engineer-in-Chief and Major General B.D. Kapur, Chief
Controller, Research & Development. The senior Colonel Commandant,
Lieutenant General Daulet Singh, GOC-in-C Western Command, could not be present
due to the illness of his wife and the reunion was presided over by the
SO-in-C, Major General A.C. Iyappa, who had been elected as Colonel Commandant
in place of General Cariappa in 1959.
Almost all senior officers of the Corps attended the reunion. This
included Brigadiers Apar Singh, H. Chukerbuti, T. Barreto, I.D. Verma and
Jaswant Singh; Colonels E.G Pettengell, S.N. Gairola, M.B.K. Nair and R.Z.
Kabraji. All commanding officers were
invited and the serving officers comprised 29 lieutenant colonels, 24 majors,
26 captains, eight lieutenants and seven second lieutenants. These were in addition to the officers posted
in STC, which was then under the command of Colonel Prem Singh. The number of
serving JCOs was also large – 24 subedar majors, 37 subedars and 71 jemadars.
This being the Golden Jubilee
Anniversary of the Corps, every pensioner who could be reached was invited to
attend. The response was overwhelming. The list of attendees included 43
subedar majors, 14 subedars, 17 jemadars, 36 havildars, 19 naiks, 12 lance
naiks and 60 signalmen. Some of these veterans had joined even before the birth
of the Corps in 1911. Among them were Subedar Major (Honorary Captain) Chajja
Singh, Sardar Bahadur, O.B.I. (1908-1944); Subedar Major (Honorary Captain)
Mohd. Shahab Khan, Sardar Bahadur, O.B.I. (1909-1939); Subedar Major (Honorary
Lieutenant) Tej Singh Gurung (1908-1920); Subedar Ujagar Singh
(1907-1938); Jemadar Govind Fadtare,
I.D.S.M., (1908-1929); Havildar Magh Singh (1904-1929); Havildar Ganesha Singh
(1906-1934); Havildar Thakar Singh (1906-1921) and Havildar Achharu who had
joined in 1901.
Two major events that occurred
during the 1961 reunion were the unveiling of the War Memorial and the
establishment of the Corps
Museum Anderson
The
fifth post-war reunion was held at Jabalpur
Though not as large as in 1961, the
number of pensioners was substantial. The old stalwarts – Chajja Singh, Tej
Singh Gurung, Mohd Shahab Khan, Thakar Singh – were present, along with many
other veterans of World War I and II. Another distinguished visitor was Mrs.
Daulet Singh, who presented to the Corps the sword of her late husband, our
Colonel Commandant, who had died in tragic circumstances two years earlier.
Advantage of her presence was taken by requesting her to personally hand over
the Daulet Singh Trophy for personal high endeavour, which had been donated by
her husband in 1959, to Naik Dharam Chand Dhilan, VrC. The full dress uniform of late Subedar Major
and Honorary Captain Narain Singh as ADC to King George V had already been
presented to the museum. To acknowledge the donation, a life size portrait was
presented to his son, Captain Hardev Singh.
The Corps Dinner was held on 19
February in the Officers Mess as a regimental guest night. The COAS was the
chief guest. The highlight of the reunion was the presentation of Regimental
Colours by President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan at a ceremonial parade on 20 February 1965 , a
detailed account of which has been given elsewhere in this chapter. The
President was accompanied by General K.M. Cariappa, the first Indian C-in-C and
former Colonel Commandant. After attending the parade, General Cariappa also
attended the pagal gymkhana in the afternoon along with General Chaudhury and
other visitors. The most popular event was ‘donkey review’, in which only
brigadiers and above could take part. General Whistler, a veteran equestrian and
one time Master of the Nerbudda Vale Hunt, won the contest.18
The reunion ended on 23 February.
After the closing address by the SO-in-C, some pensioners made impromptu
speeches, expressing their feelings. A welcome change in the dispersal
arrangements was the special train that had been arranged from Jabalpur Delhi
The
President meets pensioners during the 1965 Reunion
The sixth post-war reunion was held
at 1 STC Jabalpur
Compared to previous reunions, the
number of events had been reduced in order to curtail the duration of the
function and make it less hectic for the visitors, many of whom felt that it
was too strenuous. The Inter-Command games had been done away with, and
replaced by the 1 STC Boxing Championships. The formal events consisted of the
wreath laying ceremony at War Memorial, attestation parade, ceremonial parade
and the Corps Association dinner. These were interspersed with events designed
to entertain visitors, such as the torchlight PT display, fireworks, DR display
and para drop.19
War
Memorial
After World War II ended, the Indian Signal Corps
War Memorial Fund was opened, to commemorate the sacrifices of signallers who
had lost their lives in action. During the 1st Meeting of the Indian
Signal Corps Committee held on 10
September 1946 it was decided that a school at Jubbulpore
and later a second school at Coimbatore
This decision was reaffirmed during
the next meeting held on 15
May 1947 , which decided that the school at Jubbulpore
should cater for 30 boy boarders with additional educational facilities for 70
day scholars. Apart from the sons of deceased sepoys and NCOs and those who are
orphaned, the school would also accept sons of retired and serving soldiers
including VCOs, if vacancies were available, but there would be a small charge
according to the parents’ means. It was estimated that the annual recurring
expenditure on the school would be approximately Rs. 10,000. The only fund
available to meet this expenditure was the interest accruing from the Indian
Signal Corps War Memorial Fund which then stood at Rs. 60,000. To meet the
shortfall the Committee decided to levy a compulsory annual subscription on
Indian signal officers equivalent to half a day’s basic pay and a compulsory
annual contribution from all signal units in proportion to their strength with
the proviso that the contributions from VCOs and other ranks will be voluntary.
Based on this decision, units were asked to send their contributions to the
Commandant Indian Signal Corps Centre, Jubbulpore
by 31 December 1947 .
The amount collected from officers’ subscriptions was estimated as Rs. 3,000
while the remainder Rs. 7,000 was to be contributed by units.20
Apparently the funds collected fell
short of the requirement and at the next meeting of the Indian Signals
Committee held in April 1948 it was decided that the Rs. 40,000 available be
spent to provide a lasting war memorial in Jubbulpore. Suggestions regarding
the form and design of the memorial were invited from all ranks by 31 July 1948 . In the next
meeting held in May 1949 it was stated that the form which the war memorial to
be built at Jubbulpore was to take had not yet been decided, and that the
majority of the suggestions received so far favoured the construction of a
pavilion. The committee decided that as the cost of construction at present was
extremely high the matter should be pended for some time. Further suggestions
should be called for and the matter would be reconsidered at the next meeting.
During
the next meeting held in March 1952 Brigadier B.D. Kapur suggested that the war
memorial should take the form of a pavilion to be built at the STC, which was
accepted. Brigadier Kapur further
suggested that in order to economize on expenditure, the possibility of MES
undertaking the construction of the pavilion should be investigated. Nothing happened for the next four years
until the point again came up for discussion at the 9th Meeting of
the Signals Committee on 11
April 1956 when it was stated that the scheme outlined by Commandant
STC for a children’s school was beyond the means available. Although the
Committee generally favoured a farm, no decision could be reached and the
matter was again deferred. Meanwhile,
Commandant STC was asked to investigate the availability of land. If land adjacent to STC was not available,
the feasibility of running a farm outside Jubbulpore
could be considered. It was also stated that sufficient funds were not
available to build a museum as a war memorial.
However, Commandant STC was asked to work out a plan and submit
estimates for a suitable building for consideration.
In 1959 the Corps Committee decided that a memorial
should be built at the STC at a cost of not exceeding Rs. 7,000. Brigadier Barreto was requested to produce a
design of the memorial after consulting consultant engineers/architects. The war memorial would be unveiled during the
Golden Jubilee Celebrations. At the next meeting in 1960 the plan of the war
memorial was generally approved. It was
decided that it will bear only one Jimmy of the erstwhile Indian Signal Corps
and would be inscribed with the words: “In
Memory of Those Who Gave Their Lives In the Service of The Country”.
Construction of the war memorial commenced soon
afterwards under arrangements of the STC. The actual construction was carried
out by M/s Anand Construction Company, Jubbulpore .
The total cost of the project was Rs. 8,309 of which Rs. 7,000 was paid from
the War Memorial Fund and the balance from the regimental funds of the STC.
The site for the memorial was
selected after considerable thought, as described by Brigadier T. Barreto in
the following words:
The actual site
of the monument was given some thought but sentiment eventually pointed to the
drill square in Anderson Jubbulpore in 1920. It was on this square that they swore loyalty
to the Country. No other part of the
Centre is as familiar to the majority as this area; and now that some of the
feet that had stamped on its surface are silent and still, having fallen in the
field, away from home and country, it is only appropriate that the recruits of
the future swear their loyalty in the shadow of a memorial erected in honour of
their predecessors who died in the service of the Corps.21
The
monument, consisting of a ten-foot wall of Katni stone with the original emblem
of the Indian Signal Corps in brass and a dedicatory plaque was unveiled on 13 February 1961 , during
the Golden Jubilee Reunion at Jabalpur
The War Memorial
Subsequently, it was decided to add
the present emblem of the Corps, and this was mounted below the original device
in 1970. Today, attestation parades are
held in the shadow of the memorial, during which recruits pledge their loyalty
to the nation and the service. Wreaths
are laid at the memorial on special occasions, and a ceremonial guard performs
a ritual each morning, during which flowers are offered in memory of the
martyrs.
The Corps Museum Jabalpur
There is an indication that a
museum existed in the officers’ mess of the STC prior to 1933. “Printed précis,
notes and orders on Signalling 1879-1889” loaned from this museum formed part
of “Notes on the Historical Record of the Indian Signal Corps” compiled by
Major C.E.J. Reynolds and submitted to the SO-in-C that year. Although the main
portion of the Notes is available in original, the items obtained from the mess
museum were never found. Nor is there any trace of a museum register or any
other item in the mess that may have belonged to it. At the time of Independence Jubbulpore .
He built up a small museum of signal equipment mainly for instructional
purposes in his unit. The first pieces to be exhibited were a DIII telephone
which Barreto purchased from a kabari (scrap
dealer) for five rupees at Kamptee
and an SX-DX baseboard which he obtained from an Ordnance depot. 22
In
1951, guidelines for establishment of signal equipment museums were issued by
Signals Directorate. This letter gave out the aim and scope of signal equipment
museums and the method of display, along with a suggested diagrammatic layout.
Both antique and modern equipment was to be displayed, in such a manner that it
reflected the historical evolution of signal equipment from the early days of
inception of the Corps to the modern times. Captured equipment was also to be
included to indicate the equivalent equipment of the enemy, to cater for an
appreciation of comparative standards. The letter was addressed to the STC and School of Signals
The
next significant step was taken in 1956 when Brigadier Barreto submitted a
proposal for a museum for consideration of the Corps Committee. Noting that the
War Memorial Fund had remained unutilized from 1947 for want of an acceptable
proposal, he suggested that the war memorial should take the form of a museum.
To buttress his argument, he quoted a letter issued by Signals Directorate in
1953 which had stated that “in order to
inculcate pride in one’s corps, it is necessary that each member of it must be
familiar with the past history, traditions and achievements of the Corps”.
In order that history be taught, he argued, a historical record must exist.
Although a history was being compiled, the lack of a Corps archives and Corps
museum had made the task extremely difficult. Even after the history had been
complied, it would have little effect on the recruit or the young officer who
would be bored by a mass of detail. But were he to see for himself relics of
the Corps’s past history, not only would history fix itself in his mind but he
would also take an interest in reading the history. Most historical pieces in
existence were spread over a number of officers’ messes. Consequently, most
officers remained unaware of their existence. As for the men, they never got a
chance to see them. Many relics such as medals and photographs held by veterans
would disappear after their death, since there was no organisation where these
could be collected and preserved.
The proposal envisaged the
construction of a building which in addition to being a monument for the Corps
dead, would also house the Corps museum and archives. The names of the martyrs
who had fallen during operations from 1911 to 1947 could be inscribed on the
front face of the structure. The building could also house the offices of the
Corps Association, whose secretary would also function as the curator of the
museum, keeper of the archives, the Corps historian and the editor of the
Signalman. In hindsight, the proposal was not only cogent, but brilliant. Had
it been accepted in toto, it would have resulted in the establishment of a
number of regimental institutions at one go. It would have also filled up
several voids, such as the absence of an archive, a regimental headquarters and
a permanent historian, which exist even today.
Barreto’s
proposal was considered by the Corps Committee during the 9th
Meeting held on 11 April
1956 . The Committee felt that cost of the scheme was beyond the
financial resources then available but agreed that a museum to house items
connected with the history and traditions of the Corps was desirable. Accordingly, it directed the Commandant STC
to take steps for the collection of such items and to arrange for housing them
in existing accommodation. Accordingly, on 31 May 1956 the Commandant STC wrote
to CSOs Command, Commandant School of Signals, CAFSO and CO 1 Army HQ Signal
Regiment asking them to direct units to despatch to the STC ‘any items
connected with the raising, development and history of the Corps of Signals and
any other item that may have connections with the tradition of the Corps’.
Considering the vague and half-hearted appeal, which did not indicate the type
of items that were being solicited, it is not surprising that the response was
lukewarm. After a year, when the Corps Committee met again, Barreto stated that
unless every senior officer of the Corps takes a special interest and
approaches ex-officers and JCOs, it will not be possible to collect items of
interest for the Corps museum. The Committee asked him to give a list of
individuals who might be in possession of old war relics and such other items
of historical value to the Officer-in-Charge Signals Records who in turn will
supply CSOs/Commandants with a copy of the list with the addresses of these
individuals.
The
next meeting of the Corps Committee held on 14 February 1958 at Jubbulpore
was chaired by General K.M. Cariappa. Brigadier Barreto, President of the Corps
History Committee, pointed out that there were occasions when payments had to
be made to the dependents of an ex-serviceman for certain items which were
considered useful for the Corps
Museum
After
the decision to establish the Corps
Museum Jubbulpore . Gradually
certain other items were added mainly due to the efforts of the Corps History
Committee. The collection was housed temporarily in the sand model room in the
headquarters building of the STC. An appeal for items for the museum was
published in the July 1959 issue of the Signalman, but the response was far
from enthusiastic. Fortunately, at this time a museum-cum-library building was
sanctioned as part of the plan for construction of permanent accommodation for
the centre. This building was completed shortly before the Golden Jubilee of
the Corps in 1961 and the items were hurriedly transferred from their temporary
location.
The
Corps Museum Battle Ngakeydauk
Pass
The interest shown by pensioners
more than made up for the scanty collection, as described by the Chairman of the Corps History Committee in the following
words:-
During the re-union, a
large number of pensioners were conducted round the museum on the morning
allotted on the programme but several of them visited it again during their
spare time. Their interest in the exhibits, their comments as they recognised
colleagues in the photograph albums, the way they fondled the heliograph and
the signalling keys, gave the greatest satisfaction to the organizers of the
museum. If the glint in the eyes of the more aged pensioners was any
indication, we have been more than amply rewarded in our efforts.24
Efforts
to increase the collection continued and contributions began to be received
from units as well as retired officers, JCOs and OR. In an effort to enhance
the range of items held in the museum it was decided in 1964 that old items of
mess silver of historical value should be preserved in the Museum. CSOs and
Commandants were asked to ascertain from units details of regimental mess
trophies of pre-1920 vintage and forward these to the Chairman Corps History
Committee, who would recommend to the Corps Committee items that were
considered suitable for transfer to the museum. It was also decided to obtain
the Royal Signals trophy presented to the IMA in 1934 and used as a boxing
trophy up to 1940, but which was not now being used for this purpose. If
necessary, an offer would be made to present another trophy to the IMA in place
of the original.
In
1966 the Corps Museum
Headquarters
Mess
Throughout its
existence from 1911 to 1947, the Indian Signal Corps did not have a Headquarters
Mess of its own, being officered almost entirely by Royal Signals officers, who
were members of the Royal Signals Headquarters Mess at Catterick Camp in UK Jubbulpore . After the
establishment of the ISC
School Jubbulpore
to Mhow. In early 1947, it was known that India 15
August 1947 . The princely states were given the option to join
either India Pakistan ISC
School Indian Signal
Corps School
After Independence ISC School ISC School Jubbulpore
will continue to be regarded as Headquarters Mess for the time being. The Committee decided that
‘financing’ of the proposed Headquarters
Mess should be commenced immediately.
Half a day’s basic pay (on new pay code) annually was agreed as the
basic subscription towards this fund from all officers of the Corps. Signals Directorate (Signals Adm) was asked
to open a separate account for this fund and devise means of collection of the
subscription from officers through their units annually.
A
year later, the above decision was modified, and the 2nd Meeting of
the Indian Signals Committee held on 24-26 May 1949 decided that with immediate
effect the officers’ mess of the School
of Signals
The officers’
mess of the ISC School
In 1953, dining tables and chairs
to seat 100 officers were ordered from the Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun Army Signal School 8 April 1954 by Brigadier C.H.I. Akehurst
during his farewell visit to the School.
The
HQ Mess - 1954
By
this time the new site for the Headquarters Mess had been selected in the area
close to the BI Bazaar. In the A.E. (approximate estimates) for the project, Rs
50,000 had been earmarked for the rehabilitation of the inhabitants of the BI
Bazaar. However, subsequently the Chief Executive Officer of the Cantonment
Board expressed his doubts about the possibility of evicting and rehabilitating
them without causing repercussions in ministerial circles. This resulted in the
selection of an alternative site on the airfield. The matter was referred by HQ
Delhi Area to HQ Western Command for reconsideration in May 1954. In June 1954
Colonel H. Chukerbuti, Commandant School of Signals wrote to CSO Western
Command, Brigadier R.N. Batra (at that time, Central Command did not exist) as
well the Director of Signals, Brigadier A.C. Iyappa pointing out the advantages
of the new site. The original site would have resulted in obliteration of the
BI Bazaar, which would have been a good thing from the health and security
point of view. However, the entrance to the mess would be through the School
lines. Moreover it was adjacent to the
JCO and OR family quarters. On the other hand, the airfield site was ideal in every
way for a mess. It also had plenty of
room for construction of single officers’ quarters and ancillary buildings and
was capable of unlimited expansion. Colonel Chukerbuti recommended: “We should plumb for this site”. 26
The new site was approved and the
building plans were prepared by the Engineer-in-Chief’s Branch, using the plan
of the CME Officers Mess as a guide. In September 1955, Brigadier Batra
discussed the plan with the Chief Engineer Western Command and suggested
certain improvements, such as the addition of a guest room, a small
library/study room and a room for the Mess Secretary/Receptionist; and shifting
the ladies lounge away from the card and billiard rooms.
On 30 September 1955 Brigadier Batra wrote to the
Commandant School of Signals, Colonel I.D Verma and the Director of Signals,
Brigadier A.C. Iyappa, forwarding copies of the line drawings of the proposed
Signals Mess and the CME Mess, mentioning that the Engineers had consented to
incorporate the changes, if requested. He also mentioned that the Chief
Engineer had agreed that our Headquarters Mess should be better than the CME
Mess, which has certain obvious shortcomings. Brigadier Batra asked Colonel
Verma to send his comments to him and to the Signals Directorate, after which
they could both come to Delhi
Colonel
Verma responded on 10
October 1955 . While agreeing with most of the changes proposed by
Brigadier Batra, he added some of his own, such a front verandah for the entire
building, a room for mess clerks and storage of
stationery and ledgers, increase in the size of the dining hall and so
on. The plans for the building were discussed between the senior officers of
the Corps during Exercise ‘Damini III’ which was held later that year in Mhow.
Construction of the building started soon afterwards and progressed at a
satisfactory pace under the watchful eyes of the Commandant School of Signals.
Even as the construction was going on plans were made for furnishing the mess
once it was ready. In 1958 the Corps Committee met under the chairmanship of
General K.M. Cariappa. One of the items on the agenda was the proposed
expenditure on the new Headquarters Mess which was then under construction.
The Commandant School of Signals
placed before the Corps Committee a rough estimate of Rs. 83,500 as the cost of
essential items required to furnish the HQ Mess when it was completed. This
included purchase of furniture, furnishings, linen, electrical appliances,
crockery, garden implements, cutlery and curtains for 100 single officers. The
Committee decided that the final details of items and the expenditure to be
incurred from Corps Funds will be decided between the SO-in-C and the
Commandant School of Signals. However,
certain general principles were laid down with regard to the expenditure on
these items. Expenditure on furniture,
furnishings (curtains and carpets), electrical appliances (vacuum cleaner and
standard lamps only), crockery, cutlery and lawnmower would be met from the
Headquarters Mess Fund. All expenses on the upkeep of the mess including items
purchased out of the Headquarters Mess Fund and the maintenance of the garden
would be met from the present officers mess fund of the School of Signals
The new building of the
Headquarters Mess was completed in March 1961. The Mess was brought into use
for the first time on 26
August 1961 . It was formally
inaugurated on 1 October
1961 , the 15th anniversary of the School of Signals
The
Mess is located in an area covering six acres which was part of a disused
airfield, known as ‘One Tree Hill’ because of the lone Baobab (adansonia digitata) tree that has been
there since ages. It provides the best panoramic view of Mhow and its
surroundings. A large lawn was planted
in front of the mess building to cater for the needs of officers of a summer
evening. The ground to the rear of the building sloped downwards. Trees like Ashoka, Jacaranda and Gulmohar
were planted in this area in a manner to ensure an unrestricted view of the Berchha Ranges Indore
The HQ Mess - 1961
Soon after it was brought into use,
the rapid expansion in Corps in the wake of the 1962 war made it too small,
since a large number of officers had to be given pre-commission training at the
School of Signals. To cater for the cadets, an additional temporary mess and
associated temporary accommodation was constructed in 1963. Known as the ‘B’ Mess, this was subsequently
used for officers once cadet training was stopped. This later became the
Airfield Mess and still later the Annexe.
In 1963, Brigadier T. Barreto,
Commandant School of Signals brought to the notice of the Corps Committee
certain losses that he had discovered during an inspection of the Headquarters
Mess and requested that these be written off. One related to the sword of
Lieutenant Colonel Rosenburg and the other to loss of a collection of antique
weapons. The Presentation Book opened in December 1946 contained an entry
relating to a sword belonging to the late Lieutenant Colonel Rosenburg who was
drowned at sea off Malaya in 1942. This
entry had been carried over to the new silver book opened in 1951. However, the actual sword held against this
entry was an NSP sword with the inscription of Jat State on the guard. When questioned by the Commandant, the Mess
Supervisor who had been in the mess since 1950 stated that he knew of no other
sword. As regards the antique weapons,
according to the printed History of the School of Signals published in 1953,
the Maharaja of Jaipur had presented a collection of antique weapons and
shields to the mess in 1950. These items
were not in the property ledgers nor were they traceable in the mess or elsewhere
in the School.
The
15th Meeting of the Corps Committee was held on 14 and 17 February
1964 at Delhi under the chairmanship of Lieutenant General A.C. Iyappa, with
the SO-in-C, Major General R.N Batra as Co-Chairman. The Committee considered
the recommendations of the sub-committee which had been convened under the
chairmanship of the Commandant School of Signals, to examine the recurring
maintenance expenditure on the Headquarters Mess, vis-à-vis the income from
subscriptions and also to fix the amount to be transferred annually to the
depreciation fund. The recommendations
of this sub-committee regarding cutlery, portraits and other matter concerning
the Headquarters Mess were also discussed.
The
Co-Chairman had many queries regarding the expenditure incurred on purchase of
curtains and cutlery without prior approval.
It was decided that items needed for daily use would be purchased from
the officers’ mess fund of the School and in future, only items specifically
sanctioned by the Corps Committee will be paid for out of the Headquarters Mess
Fund. It was also decided that a sub-committee
under the chairmanship of Deputy Director Signals with Commandant School of
Signals and CSO Central Command as members would study the requirements of
capital expenditure and the recurring maintenance expenditure of the
Headquarters Mess. All unspent balances
with the School which were sanctioned from the Headquarters Mess Fund would be
frozen and no further expenditure would be incurred from this Fund until the
recommendations of the sub-committee had been examined. 28
The
proceedings in the Corps Committee failed to dampen the ardour and commitment
of Tery Barreto. During the next year he carried out wide ranging improvements
that laid the groundwork of the Headquarters Mess. The Annual Report on the
Corps of Signals Headquarters Mess for the year 1964-1965 that he prepared for
consideration of the 16th Corps Committee Meeting is a comprehensive
document, covering every aspect of the Headquarters Mess. Due to constraints of
space the entire report cannot be reproduced in its entirety. However, some of
the major improvements were mounting of mental Corps badges on the main
building and gates; placing the brass statuette of Mercury (Bengal & Assam
Signal Regiment Sergeants Mess) on a black terrazzo column and placed in the
centre of the hall; mounting a glass case with the Corps badge engraved on the
front to hold closed visitors books; replacement of iron curtain rods with
brass rods; placing a heavily carved half-round side table (presented by
Brigadier T. Barreto) against the wall; construction of show cases to display
the pre-war mess jackets presented by Major General B.D. Kapur and Brigadier
B.S. Bhagat, the Katangese Flag presented by Lieutenant Colonel P.K. Roy Chowdhury,
the Italian sword presented by Brigadier Bhagat and the Pashupathinath Temple;
a new table top for the 14-foot long head table, two tables (10’x4’) and two
sideboards in the during hall, a show case for the mess silver, round leather
chairs, magazine racks and a book shelf in the reading room; improvement of the
ladies room by repainting the cane furniture, putting up three oil paintings
(including one presented by Maya Barreto), provision of an 8-foot long side
table with shelf for buffet meals; two additional mirrors with fluorescent
lighting in the ladies tiolet; two small rockeries and fire hydrants in the
front garden; development of the rear garden with lawns, paved pathways and a
pond; and a coal stove (in addition to the oil burning stove) and a water
cistern in the kitchen. A number of
additions and alterations to main building were in an advanced stage of
planning/construction, such as a verandah in front of the lounge and dining
room, a cycle and scooter shed, a roof for the rear patio, a shelter for
officer’s bearers, broadening of culvert over front drain and conversion of a
store room into an office.
The report covered several other
points such as utilization of mess silver presented by the Colonel-in-Chief and
by Brigadier Akehurst, the statuette of the Madrassi Signalman on loan from 5th
Divisional Signal Regiment, purchase of two silver coasters for decanters from
Barton & Company, Corps reserve of scotch whisky (451 bottles worth Rs.
17,000), repair of leather furniture, disposal of old mess property, writing off deposits with
bankers Rai Sahib Ramchandra & Sons which had become insolvent, reduction
in monthly expenditure on water and electricity, projected expenditure on
purchases, and plans to dig a bore-well
to offset the acute water shortage being faced for the mess garden.29
The 16th Meeting of the
Corps Committee was held form 19-22 February 1965. In the absence of the Senior
Colonel Commandant, Lieutenant General A. C. Iyappa, it was chaired by the
Co-Chairman, Major General R.N. Batra. Brigadier T. Barreto also attended the
meeting. Surprisingly, the report of the Headquarters Mess was not discussed at
all during the meeting. However, the reports of the Corps History Committee and
the Corps Traditions Committee, which were headed by Brigadier Barreto, were
discussed. This was the last meeting attended by Brigadier Barreto, who retired
soon afterwards. The two committees headed by him became defunct, and were
never revived.
In
1965 a letter was issued laying down the composition of the mess committee of
the Headquarters Mess and its functions. It was laid down that the PMC
(President Mess Committee), not below the rank of lieutenant colonel, will be
nominated by the Commandant School of Signals. The Headquarters Mess Managing
Committee would be set up for the purpose of supervising expenditure incurred
from the Headquarters Mess Central Fund, making recommendations to the Corps
Committee regarding capital expenditure to be incurred from the Central Fund
and accounting, purchase and sale of property purchased out of the Central
Fund. The Commandant, School of Signals
would be the chairman of the Managing Committee, the other members being
representatives of CSO Central Command and SO-in-C and the PMC. The Mess Secretary would be the secretary of
the Managing Committee.30
In
1966 the mess received a number of gifts. Colonel T.K Mukerji presented a
Japanese dagger surrendered to him by a Japanese officer during World War II in
Burma. A framed replica of the
Regimental Colours of the Corps was received from the SO-in-C. A full sized
statuette of Buddha made of clay was presented by the Chief Engineer Project
Dantak. The King of Bhutan presented a
helmet, sword and shield to the Headquarters Mess.
In 1967 the Commandant School of
Signals proposed the construction of a third mess or extension of the
facilities of the Headquarters Mess and ‘B’ Mess. This was on the ground that
the new PE (peace establishment) of the School was likely to be sanctioned in
the near future and the number of officers, permanent staff and students in the
School at any time will be in the region of 400. The alternatives were to either extend the
facilities in the existing Headquarters Mess and the ‘B’ Mess or ask for
construction of a third mess. The Corps
Committee felt that the Headquarters Mess does not lend itself to expansion and
we should, if possible, have a third mess when the new PE is sanctioned. If, this cannot be justified then expansion
of the ‘B’ Mess may be considered.
In 1972 the Corps Committee examined several
proposals for improvements in the mess.
It accorded ex-post-facto sanction of Rs 1,200 for the installation of a
3-feet Jimmy on a pedestal on the front porch of the building. It sanctioned Rs
10,000 for the purchase of six carpets for the ante-room, directing that the
used carpets would be transferred to 1 Army HQ Signal Regiment Officers’
Mess. For the ladies room, the expenses
were to be met by MCTE from its own funds. It also sanctioned Rs 2,700 for
resurfacing of the two tables in the dining hall. However, a proposal to for
air conditioning the guest room was not approved.
Corps
Band
The history of the Corps Band
from the time it was raised in 1926 by Colonel E.F.W. Barker, the Commandant
STC, up to 1947 has been covered in Appendix 2 of Volume II. After partition of assets between India and Pakistan in 1947, the strength that remained in India
was one pipe major, nine pipers and eight drummers (bass, side and tenor) and the band was named as Pipes and
Drums. The Pipe Major at that time was
Subedar Sarwan Singh. Though the band was located at Jabalpur, its expenses
were met from the Pipes Band Fund which was maintained at Delhi. During the 2nd
meeting of the Corps Committee on 26 May 1949, the rates of subscription to the
fund from the STC, School of Signals and individual officers were laid down.
However, a proposal to transfer the fund from Signals Directorate to STC was
not accepted. During the meeting, it was
brought out that a number of princely states were disposing off their bands and
good musical instruments and bandsmen would be available for raising a brass
band for the Corps. However, due to high
cost and non-availability of Government sanction, no decision was reached and
Signals Directorate was asked to look into this subject.
The
5th Signals Committee on 7 March 1952 agreed to the payment of extra
duty pay as also some increase in the rates of subscription to the Pipes Band
Fund. It was also decided that the
expenditure for raising the brass band could be incurred from the Pipes Band
Fund. On 5 March 1953 the 6th
Corps Committee was informed that 14 Gorkha Training Centre is transferring
seven bandsmen to the Corps to form the brass band. The Commandant STC was requested to look for
persons having an aptitude for music and also to demand vacancies for training
existing bandsmen in the School of Music, Pachmarhi. Some band equipment was received free of cost
from the Government and this was kept with the STC, pending sanction to raise
the military band which was still awaited.
The
Military Band was raised in 1953 at 1 STC, comprising one bandmaster and 20
bandsmen. The responsibility for looking after the Military Band was given 1
Military Training Regiment. Havildar Bawa Singh of the Bengal Engineer Group
was appointed the first Bandmaster for a period of one year. In 1954 Havildar
Chandra Bahadur, who was one of the bandsmen transferred from 14 Gorkha
Training Centre became the Bandmaster and remained for five years. He was
relieved by Havildar Sheikh Mansoor of the Maratha Light Infantry, who had
joined the band as sepoy in 1953 and was the Bandmaster for 17 years from 1958
to 1975, retiring in the rank of Subedar Major.
On
15 February 1954, the 7th Signals Committee renamed the Pipes Band
Fund as SO-in-C’s Signals Band Fund. The
tours policy of the Pipes and Drums was laid down by the 10th
Signals Committee on 14 March 1957. It
was ruled that the Pipes and Drums should not be away from the STC for more
than four months in a year, that it should be present in the School of Signals
on 1 October every year and that it should be available to HQ Southern Command
during the month of September each year during the Southern Command week
celebrations.
The 11th Signals Committee
on 14 February 1958 sanctioned a sum of Rs. 1000 for maintenance, Rs. 200 for
music and Rs. 2340 for payment as extra duty pay to the bandsmen. At that time, Havildar Sheikh Mansoor was the
Bandmaster for whom a special extra duty pay of Rs. 20 per month was approved
by the 12th Signal Committee on 20 March 1959. In the same meeting Rs. 1400, Rs. 3800 and Rs.
200 were allotted for the items mentioned above. A proposal to provide winter uniforms was
turned down for reasons of high cost, deterioration during storage and
climate. On 25 March 1960, the 13th
Signal Committee decided that the expenses to maintain the Corps Band would
hence forth be met from the funds available with the Commandant STC. However, a
year later, the 14th Signals Committee on 17 March 1962 agreed to
provide a sum of Rs. 4070 for maintenance/dress.
After the raising of 2 STC in Goa
in 1962, it was decided that it should have its own band. The existing band at
1 STC was renamed as No. 1 Pipes and Drums while No 2 Pipes and Drums was
raised at 2 STC on 9 December 1962. The minutes of the 14th and 15th
Signal Committee meetings held on 16/17 March 1962 and 14/17 February 1964
respectively do not give any indication about the formation of a separate band
for 2 STC. However, the existing peace establishment (PE VI/46/1946/5) of 1 STC
which was made applicable to 2 STC included an authorization of two JCOs, six
NCOs and 43 bandsmen (total 51). At 1 STC, this strength was sub-divided into
the Military Band and No. 1 Pipes and Drums. But the Government did not agree
to provide a brass band for 2 STC and effected a reduction of one JCO, five
havildars, nine naiks, nine lance naiks and 16 bandsmen (total 34). As a
result, only an authorization of one JCO and 16 bandsmen (total 17) was permitted
in the PE of 2 STC to form No. 2 Pipes and Drums. Some of these 17 personnel
were transferred from No. 1 Pipes and Drums while the remaining were newly
recruited and subsequently trained. Havildar Dev Singh was the first Pipe Major
of No. 2 Pipes and Drums.
During the Reunion held in 1965, a dress
combination was tried out for the bands.
This was further pursued during the 17th Signals Committee
meeting at Delhi on 4 March 1966 both by the Commandants of the School of
Signals and 1 STC. The change in colour
of cummerbund to light blue was also suggested.
The 19th Signals Committee agreed to provide a winter coat
for the bandsmen but in view of the high cost involved, the SO-in-C suggested
that two woollen vests per bandsman may be provided. The cost of this was met from the SO-in-C’s
Signals Band Fund. On 1 February 1969,
one white woollen gabardine jacket per bandsman was proposed and Commandant 1
STC was requested to look into this matter.
A sum of Rs. 7000 was sanctioned by the Adjutant General’s Branch in
1970 for procurement of new band equipment ex-import. This proved to be inadequate but one flute,
one piccolo and one bassoon were purchased. On 22 April 1972, the 23rd
Signals Committee agreed to sanction Rs. 6000 for making the winter dress. A
committee comprising the Inspector Signals Trade Training and Commandants 1 and
2 STCs was appointed to examine the whole issue of uniform and accoutrements
for the Corps bands. Based on the report of the committee, a sum of Rs. 20,131
was sanctioned for modification of the band dresses on 10 February 1973.
Bagpipers
carry banners on their bagpipes which are customarily presented by the senior
officers. On occasions when senior officers were present at the function where
the Pipes and Drums or pipers were playing, it was customary that the pipers
carry the banners presented by the concerned officers. This British custom was
followed by the Corps of Signals after Independence in respect of No. 1 Pipes
and Drums which was the only band in existence then. Over a period of time, the
number of banners outnumbered the number of bagpipes and drums and it was
decided during 10th Signals Committee on 14 March 1957 that the old
banners will be displayed in the Corps Museum.
The 13th Signals Committee accepted three new banners and
laid-up two old banners on 25 March 1960.
In 1962, when No. 2 Pipes and Drums was raised at 2 STC some banners
were transferred to them along with the pipers from No.1 Pipes and Drums. The 22nd Corps Committee examined
a proposed design of banner on 12 February 1971. The design, size, cloth,
lettering and crest in respect of the banner were standardized five years
later, on 14 February 1976.
According to the Corps Memoranda of
1942, “All The Blue Bonnets Are Over The
Border” arranged by D. Mathaison, DCM, was accepted as the Corps marching tune. The tune is peculiar to the Pipes and Drums
and is not played by military bands using brass/woodwind musical
instruments. The Pipes and Drums adopted
this tune after Independence. The 3rd
Signals Committee, which met on 10 March 1950, discussed whether the Royal
Signals march tune should continue to be used by Indian Signals. After deliberation, it was agreed that the
Royal Signals march tune should be in addition to Mathaison’s composition. During the 17th Signals Committee
meeting on 4 March 1966 it was decided that “All
the Blue Bonnets Are Over The Border” should be tape-recorded and issued to
signal units. It was suggested during
the 24th Signals Committee meeting that the Corps Military Band
should also play this tune. However, it
was realized that the traditional tunes of Pipes and Drums are peculiar to them
only and cannot be played by the brass bands.
When
the Corps of Signals military band using brass instruments was raised in 1953,
it played the traditional martial tunes composed by western experts. The 8th Signals Committee
considered a new march past tune on 16 February 1955. It was decided to refer the tune to the
Director, Military Music School, Pachmarhi.
In the next Signals Committee meeting on 11 April 1956, this tune was
not accepted. It was then decided that
the military band will play “Cariappa
March” if they could, otherwise “Veer
Bharat March” can be accepted as an alternative. However, both tunes were
found unacceptable by the 10th Signals Committee meeting on 14 March
1957 and the Corps military band was left without a Corps march tune. Two new tunes were heard during the 19th
Signals Committee meeting on 11 February 1967.
At this point of time, two more tunes proposed earlier were also under
consideration. However, all the four
tunes were rejected by the 20th Signals Committee on 1 February
1969. In 1970, it was once again decided
to look for new Corps tunes. It was only
in 1975 that a tune composed by Master Warrant Officer J.A. George, of the
Indian Air Force Band was accepted. This was named the ‘Signals March’ which became the “Teevra
Chaukas” march, many years later.
DR
Display Team
The
history of the DR Display Team of the Corps, popularly known as the ‘Dare
Devils’ , from the time of its first performance at Annandale,
Simla on 9 and 11 March 1935 up to 1947 has been covered in Volume II. Soon after Independence a show was
organized during the Inter Service Exhibitions and Military Tattoo held at the
National Stadium in Delhi in April 1948. The team was led by Colonel S.N
Bhatia, with Captain H.K. Ranji and Jemadar
N.G. Rajan as his assistants. In March 1950 the Corps Committee was apprised
that there was a great demand for the Corps DR Display Team and as the men
comprising the team were widely dispersed, considerable difficulty was being
experienced in collecting them when required.
To obviate this, it was suggested that all members of the team be concentrated
at the STC with necessary dress and equipment. The Committee decided that only
a nucleus of the DR Display Team comprising six or seven key men be held
centrally at the STC and the remainder of the team be made up from trainees.
A “dare devil” goes through a ring of
fire and over a jeep, during a show
In October 1950 the team performed
at a show at the National Defence Academy, Dehradun. The officer in charge of
the team was Major P.V. Atma Ram with Jemadar N.G. Rajan as the team leader. At
this time, the DR Display Team was not formally sanctioned and was formed by
milking signal units. In 1952 the Corps Committee directed Commandant STC to
forward his recommendations for the formation of a Corps of Signals DR Team. In
1956 the Committee was informed that official raising of the team was not
possible due to financial stringency. Commandant STC stated that motor cycles
were in short supply even for training.
It was suggested that a DR section be located in Jubbulpore to enable
the STC to hold he necessary machines.
CSO Western Command agreed to make a DR section available for this
purpose.
Formal sanction for the
DR Display Team was received only on 1 May 1965. The team was stationed at
Jabalpur and placed under Commandant 1 STC.
The strength of the team was two officers, two JCOs and 38 OR. In
subsequent years the team toured various stations where it gave
performances. The tours were controlled
by the Staff Duties Directorate at Army HQ. The team also took part in the Army
Day Parade on 15 January and the Republic Day Parade on 26 January on Rajpath
in New Delhi.
In 1972 a proposal was placed
before the Corps Committee to raise a second DR Display Team. This was
discussed at length. The Committee felt
that it would be difficult to post a second DR team to 1 STC, but emphasized
that efforts be made to release additional motor cycles for training
purposes. The Committee accepted the
necessity for dress being provided to the DRs and directed that the required
amount be sanctioned in 1974, so that the personnel are properly dressed for
the 1975 Reunion. On the question of ED
(extra duty) pay, the Committee was not in favour. However, it was agreed that the team may be
given the actual expenses incurred for coolie hire and so on during tours. The Committee accepted the recommendation of
Commandant 1 STC to have the scale of insurance increased and agreed to meet
the expenses from Corps Funds on account of insurance premiums for men and
vehicles. The rest of the expenditure
would continue to be borne by 1 STC.
Dress
& Accoutrements
The changes in dress and accoutrements
of the Indian Signal Corps from the time of its inception in 1911 to 1947 have
been covered in Volume II. However, brief details are recapitulated to assist
readers in getting a better perspective of the subject.
From 1911 to 1916,
signallers wore the same uniform as the Sappers and Miners. The distinctive
Signal Service colours, blue and white, were permitted in the ‘pullah’ in 1916 and in the ‘jhalar’ of the headdress in 1920. Indian ranks started wearing
brass shoulder titles ‘SIGNALS’ in 1922. In 1923, all ranks of the Corps began
to dress as mounted men, wearing breeches and short-putties, in addition to
trousers and shorts. In 1927 the colours
of Royal Signals – light blue green and dark blue - were adopted for ‘jhalars’,
replacing the blue and white. In 1928 it
was ruled that the blue and white Signals arm bands would be worn only on
active service. In 1935 Madrassis were
permitted to wear felt hats, instead of the heavy pagri which often came off while riding a horse. The length of the
Punjabi Mussulman’s ‘safa’ was reduced, with a small kullah being
worn. Sikhs and Dogras wore a small pug
under their turbans. With mechanisation, breeches and spurs gradually
disappeared. During World War II, all
personnel, except for Sikhs, started wearing the blue beret and the jungle hat.
After Independence, the Corps Committee reviewed the
various items of dress and accoutrements in 1948 and
approved the following:-31
·
Dark (Navy) blue colour
lanyards of cord type would be worn on the left shoulder by officers and JCOs.
OR would be permitted to wear the lanyard only for ceremonial parades and with
walking out dress, only if a free issue is sanctioned.
·
Officers and JCOs would
carry canes (polo stick type) without covering or varnish of 2 feet length and
¾ inch thickness. OR should carry canes for walking out. The knob of the cane should be of white metal
with the Jimmy embossed on it.
Regimental Havildar Majors would carry Malacca canes, to be provided by
the unit commander.
·
Shoulder titles “IND
SIGS” in block letters with no full stop after IND or SIGS, and only one letter
spacing between them, would be worn by all ranks. On battle dress for all
ranks, “INDIAN SIGNALS” in full in white lettering on dark (Navy) blue background
will be worn on the shoulder. If free
issue was not authorized for OR, they will not wear the shoulder title.
·
Only one type of
regimental mufti would be worn in summer and winter by OR and Boys. This would
comprise a black cap (white turban for Sikhs); jodhpur coat of white drill
(three patch pockets in front and two slits down the side of the back); white
drill trousers; black shoes; ordinary civil type white pearl buttons; socks
(issue or black) and standard cane.
·
Band personnel would
continue to wear turban with slight modifications by the addition of
gold/silver braid, the initial cost of which would be borne by the Band Fund.
·
For the ISC School a
formation sign of a light blue/dark green with a silver streak of lightning
across it was approved. The Commandant was asked to submit six painted
specimens for obtaining formal approval of Army HQ.
·
The pre-war system of
Orderly Havildars wearing red sashes was recommended. Units could implement
this if their unit funds permitted.
In May 1949 there was a proposal to
introduce a hackle consisting of blue and white plumes as part of the head
dress to be worn on top of the cap badge, but this was not approved by the
Corps Committee. However, it was decided that badges of rank would be worn with
light blue backing. The Corps badge worn with the pugree would not have a backing. The size of the cap badge
(excluding the star) and the collar badge would be of identical size i.e. 1¼
inch. It was clarified that shoulder titles of .35 inches height consisting of
letters ‘IND SIGS’ on summer uniform of all ranks should be embroidered in
black on olive green background. It was also decided that all Indian Signals
personnel on signal intercommunication duty will wear blue and white arm band
subject to the discretion of unit commanders. 32
In March 1950 the Corps Committee
was informed that the C-in-C had approved the new lanyard for Signals, and
orders had already been placed on Messrs Saharan & Sons. Stocks would be available by approximately 1 May
1950. These would be stocked at the
School of Signals for purchase by officers. It was also informed that with
effect from 26 Jan 1950 the use of ‘Indian’ in the Corps designation had been
discontinued, as already approved by the Committee. The replacement of the
shoulder title “IND SIGS” by “SIGNALS” had been put up to the C-in-C for
approval. The Committee reviewed all types of shoulder titles to be worn by
officers on different types of dress and approved the following:-
·
For Shirts OG/Bush
Shirt OG/Battle Dress OG, the shoulder title “SIGNALS” would embroidered in
black lettering as hitherto fore on an OG sleeve.
·
As already in use,
shoulder titles for serge battle dress would be in black lettering .35 inch in
width stitched around the base of the blouse shoulder strap. The OG background would extend the whole
width of the shoulder strap. The Committee directed the Secretary to obtain a
specimen of light blue lettering .35 inch in height on scarlet background .75
inch in width to be affixed in the same manner as above for consideration by
the Ad Hoc Committee.
·
For service dress,
shoulder titles would be in brass, .35 inches in height.
In October 1950 the Corps Committee
decided that as part of the summer mess dress officers could wear white cotton
or blue barathea overalls with monkey jackets provided that all officers in any
one unit were dressed alike, the choice being left to the discretion of COs,
having regard to the climate of the station. It was stated that since Signals
was a mounted arm all officers should be permitted to wear spurs with
Wellingtons. This was specified in the Dress Regulations but AO 8/S/50 did not
make any provision for this. It was decided that Army HQ should be approached
to issue necessary amendments tot AO 8/S/50.
The Committee also reviewed the
dress items of JCOs and OR. The
Committee approved the proposal that JCOs should be permitted to wear the new
lanyard (officers’ pattern) which would be supplied to them on payment as was
done earlier. As regards the wearing of arm bands it was felt that in the
interests of uniformity specific instructions should be issued on the wearing
of blue and white arm bands and that the matter should not be left to the
discretion of the COs as was decided earlier in 1949. The Secretary also
pointed out that according to Indian Signals Dress Regulations, arm bands are
required to be worn on the right arm. The Committee approved of the proposal
and decided that necessary instructions would be issued by Signals Directorate.
In
1950 Army HQ issued orders that regimental mottos would in future be written in
Devanagri script. Signals Directorate decided that in the interests of economy
the change will take place in a phased manner, and that existing
cap/pugree/collar badges will continue to be used until wasted out. Existing
stocks of cap/pugree badges held at the STC and School of Signals with the
motto in Roman Hindustani will continue to be issued until disposed off. Corps
flags with the motto in Roman Hindustani will also continue to be used until
wasted out. The same would apply to Corps stationery, which would continue to be
used until wasted out. However, Messrs Thacker & Co. were instructed to
supply all future demands of stationery with the motto in Devanagri script.
In
1952 it was decided that a Corps scarf could be worn with the Corps blazer. A
proposal to permit Sikh officers to wear white pugree with winter mess kit was considered but not accepted. It was
clarified that white pugree could be
worn with mess kit only by officers of the rank of colonel and above. Other
officers will continue to wear a light blue pugree
with a dark blue pug as already
decided. It was felt that the existing system of centralised stocking of all
items of dress at the School of Signals and STC was not feasible for financial
reasons. Hence it was decided that in future all items of Corps dress would be
obtained under arrangements of CSOs/Commandants.
In 1956 the Corps Committee agreed
to a proposal to replace the existing blazer buttons with embossed buttons. It
also permitted the use of blazer buttons with evening dress (Jodhpur) style).
However, it did not agree to the use of trousers instead of overalls with
winter dress of officers and to the removal of the blue piping on the jacket of
the summer mess kit. The decision on the provision of lanyards to OR was
deferred until a satisfactory dye was obtained. A proposal to introduce mufti
for JCOs was not accepted and it was decided that they could be permitted to
wear the Corps blazer if they wished. The specifications of the regimental
mufti for OR was approved. This was to consist of a white shirt with one
outside breast pocket and one pocket inside, the outside pocket large enough to
hold AB-64 (pay book); white trouser with bottom turned up and a hip pocket;
black oxford pattern shoes and black socks.
In 1960 a sample side cap to be
worn with regimental mufti was placed before the Corps Committee but not
approved as it resembled an existing article of official dress. The necessity
for having a regimental mufti was discussed. Subedar Major M.S. Pondia
suggested that if mufti was considered necessary, a monetary allowance should
be provided to individuals. The Committee felt that for reasons of being able
to distinguish our men and to provide a suitable dress for certain official functions
when men turn out as a body, regimental mufti was necessary, and on those
occasions, caps must be worn. With regard to wearing caps when OR go out
individually, the matter will be referred again to AG’s Branch. Pending further
clarification, the status quo would be maintained.
In
1967 it was proposed that officers should be permitted to wear the Corps crest
on the blazers. The Chairman of the Corps Committee, Lieutenant General Iyappa
mentioned out that this point had been considered earlier in 1952 and 1956 and
rejected. Several members felt that the blazer without a crest looked bare.
General Iyappa pointed out that wherever the Corps colours are awarded for
proficiency in games and sports by any Arm or Service, the practice of allowing
all officers to wear crests was not in vogue. The SO-in-C, Major General I.D.
Verma pointed out that the Corps blazer already had the crest affixed on the
blazer button which was enough representation of the Corps. Without the crest
on the pocket, the blazer could be worn on informal occasions, but with the
crest affixed, its use would be restricted for sports only. If the proposal was
accepted, it would have to be made obligatory, resulting in additional
expenditure for every officer. In view of this, and the desire for economy, the
proposal was dropped and it was directed that this case will not be taken up in
future.
The
Committee also considered a proposal for a narrower Corps tie with the Jimmy
embroidered on it. A photograph of the Royal Signals tie with the Jimmy was
shown to members. After some discussion it was decided that a cheaper tie with
the traditional design of diagonal stripes would continue for use by JCOs and a
more expensive one with the Jimmy embroidered on it could be used for officers.
The design of the second type of tie would be examined by a sub-committee and
submitted to the SO-in-C for approval.
In
1969 AG’s Branch asked commands for their comments on a proposal to introduce
leather belts for officers. It was clarified that the cost of the belt would be
defrayed by the individuals concerned and its use would be confined to unit
lines. The leather belt would not be allowed on official functions or formal
visits of VIPs to the unit. The Corps
Committee discussed this point and it was generally agreed that these belts
were already being used by certain units and were quite popular. The Committee
asked CSOs to express the views of the Corps when the Army Commanders asked for
their views. The Committee approved the
dark brown belt with the white buckle with the Signals crest embossed in the
centre of the buckle.
In
1971 the Corps Committee discussed the proposal to permit OR to wear the
lanyard. Opinion on the issue was divided and some members felt that the men were
not in favour of purchasing the lanyards. When asked for his views Subedar
Major Gyan Singh said that wearing of lanyards is desirable and everyone should
wear it. The Committee decided that OR would be permitted to wear lanyards and
Signals Directorate should issue a directive on the subject to all concerned.
It was also decided that to ensure quality control, demands of signal units
would be supplied centrally by the Signals Directorate.
In
1972 The Corps Committee was apprised that the existing mufti being provided to
recruits during their training period was of inferior quality and not in good
condition by the time they left. The Committee decided that the mufti for OR
would comprise white terry cot shirts, charcoal grey terry cot trousers, black
shoes and black socks. As a precaution against early wear and tear the
Commandants of the two STCs were directed to equip the recruits with mufti only
in the passing out stage, when they were about to leave the training centres.
The expenses would be met by the OR and could be collected in monthly
instalments.
Corps
Publications
During the period 1947 – 1972,
there were a number of publications dealing with various subjects. Some had
very short life spans, becoming redundant with time or being replaced by other
publications. Others continued and some exist even today. The publications
covered in this chapter are the Indian Signals Quarterly Journal, Signalman,
Corps Bulletin, Corps Planning/Liaison Notes, Corps Gazette, Signals List,
Technical Newsletter, and the pamphlet Corps Customs & Traditions.
The
decision to publish a quarterly journal called the Indian Signals Quarterly
Journal was taken during the 2nd Meeting of the Indian Signal Corps
Committee on 15 May 1947, shortly before Independence. The journal was to be
published by the Commandant Indian Signal School, Mhow, in English and Roman
Urdu and one vernacular, the latter if there were enough contributions. The
objects of the journal were to be a source of information and a record of units
and members of the Corps thus strengthening the bonds of comradeship; to keep
members up-to-date in the latest technical and tactical developments affecting
the Corps; to be a source of information on general Corps matters and of
activities of the Corps Committee and Corps Association; and to widen interest
by short literary contributions in general subjects. An initial non-recurring
grant of Rs 2000 was made from the ISC Fund as initial capital for staring and
running the Corps Journal.
In April 1948 the Corps Committee
agreed that a Corps magazine was very desirable. It should be an all ranks
publication like the “Wire” in Royal Signals and not in the form of a journal.
The magazine should be printed in English and Roman script and produced by
Commandant Indian Signals School. A publication sub committee consisting of CSO
Southern Command, Commandant Indian Signals School and Commandant STC were
appointed to go into the details of production, editing etc. and put up
recommendations to the Secretary. The first issue of the magazine should be published
within six months from now. An initial non-recurring grant of Rs 2000 was made
from ISC Fund as initial capital for starting and running the Corps Magazine.
The first issue the Signalman, the
Corps magazine, was published on 1 January 1949 by Brigadier B.D. Kapur, CSO
Southern Command. (The first issue is a collectors’ item – it is the only issue
that had the Corps emblem on the cover without the motto in the scroll). It was
a quarterly magazine, and the first three issues (January, April and July 1949)
were published from Poona, before the magazine moved to Mhow, where it began to
be published by the Commandant, School of Signals. The cost of the magazine was
one rupee per copy for officers and JCOs and 12 annas for OR. At that time, it
was felt that it was as yet premature to think of having life membership of the
magazine. In 1950 it was decided that the magazine should have a standard cover
design. The Editor was authorised to ask for suggestions to improve the
magazine in this regard and offer prizes drawn from the profits of the
magazine. It was also decided that promotions of JCOs should also be published
in the Signalman.
Apart
from information about postings, promotions and retirements, the magazine
published news about activities of units under the heading Home Stations
Calling. In 1952 the Corps Committee was apprised that news about units in
forward areas should not be published in the interests of security. While the
Committee agreed that in the interests of security only static signal units
should contribute notes for inclusion in Home Stations Calling, it felt that
such a measure would result in a decrease in the circulation of the
Signalman. It was, therefore decided
that CSOs would consolidate the notes of field units under their command for
inclusion in Home Stations Calling without specific mention of designations of
units, particularly field units.
In the initial years, very few JCOs
and OR contributed articles to the magazine, in spite of prizes being offered
for the best contribution in every issue. In order to motivate JCOs and OR to
write for the magazine it was decided to include a Hindi section in the
magazine. The first article in Roman Hindustani was published in January 1951
and the first article in Hindi in the Devanagri script came out in October
1952. . CSOs and Commandants were asked to stimulate efforts for encouraging
personnel to contribute to the magazine. The Corps Committee Directive No. 2
issued in February 1953 laying down the charter of duties of editorial staff of
the Signalman also specified the inclusion of a Hindi section in the magazine.
It was also decided that every JCO and OR who contributes articles to the
Signalman would be given a complimentary copy of the issue in which his article
is published.
In
1954 it was proposed that the popularity of the Signalman could be enhanced if
it was combined with the Technical News Letter. However, Commandant School of
Signals felt that this was linked with expenditure from the Technical Grant. It
was then decided that only certain selected articles from the Technical News
Letter should be reproduced in the Signalman.
In
1962 it was proposed to introduce life membership for the Signalman. It was felt that the scheme though desirable
could only be fully implemented when the circulation of the magazine goes
up. It was decided that as an interim
measure life membership should be thrown open only to officers and JCOs over 40
years of age. The subscription for life
membership would be calculated by the following formula:-
Life Subscription = (60 – age) x Rs.
2.50
In
1964, it was decided that complimentary copies of the Signalman should be sent
to training institutions such as the Indian Military Academy, National Defence
Academy, Officers Training School and Army Cadet College. Sufficient copies
were to be sent to provide one per ante-room for the above institutions. The cost of these complimentary copies would
be borne by the Corps Funds. It was also decided to increase the number of
complimentary copies sent to pensioners from 25 to 50, the cost being borne by
the Reunion Fund. Complimentary copies would also be sent to ex-Signals
officers of the Commonwealth countries, who were present in India. Colonel T.K. Mukerji offered to send a list
of such persons with their addresses to the Secretary. The cost of these would also be met from the
Reunion Fund.
By the year 1972 the Signalman had
matured into a well rounded magazine. It contained articles in English and
Hindi by individual contributors, in addition to several features of
informative value, such as retirements, demises, promotions, honours and
awards, latest orders regarding pay and pension, and so on. It was widely read by serving and retired
personnel of all ranks, including many who are living abroad. For many old signallers, the Signalman had
become the only link with their colleagues, and most of them looked forward to
receiving their copies in time.
The
first Corps Bulletin was issued on 1 September 1949. It was felt that in the
formative period of the Corps, there should be a separate medium for
disseminating Corps domestic matters such as information on customs, etiquette,
procedure etc. in a distinct consolidated form for all units and members of the
Corps. It consisted mainly of decisions taken by the Corps committee. In the
preface of the issue, the SO-in-C, Brigadier C.H.I. Akehurst wrote: “It is said that anyone who tampers with a
Regiment’s traditions would soon find that he had laid hands on a very ‘angry
tigress’. I have no doubt that the decisions contained in this Bulletin will be
proudly adhered to by all of us to bring us strength through uniformity and
pride in creating a common personality.”33
The second Corps Bulletin was
issued in February 1953. This was more exhaustive than the first issue. It
contained the gist of almost all decisions of the Corps Committee after 1949.
It also contained photographs showing various items of dress and the correct
method of wearing them. Almost all subjects covered in the first issue were
repeated, with the latest amendments. Army HQ advised all units and
establishments to procure sufficient copies so that all ranks had access to it.
It also recommended that all officers should obtain a personal copy. The cost
of the Bulletin had been fixed as Rs. 1/4/- per copy, based on an anticipated
demand for 500 copies. After this, no further Bulletins were issued. From 1953
onwards, the Corps Committee began issuing directives. Between 1953 and 1965,
ten such directives were issued, each dealing with a specific subject.
Soon after Independence, the
Planning Note began to be issued by Signal Directorate with the object of informing
all concerned about changes in establishments, equipment and technical matters
before they were promulgated through normal channels, as well as to give
publicity to Corps domestic, personnel and training matters of general
interest. The Indian Signals Planning Note was started in January 1948 on a
monthly basis and brought on to a bimonthly basis in June 1948. From 1950 onwards, the frequency was changed
to once a quarter but this was not always adhered to. From April 1950 onwards,
it began to be called the Corps of Signals Liaison Note. Between 1948 and 1972,
a total of 98 Planning/Liaison Notes were issued, No. 98 being issued in October
1972. Covering every aspect of the Corps such as organisation, personnel,
training, procedure, development in communications, equipment and so on, they
are an invaluable source of information and reference material for a historian
or monographer. Unfortunately, most units and establishments have destroyed old
issues, which are now untraceable.
The Technical News Letter (TNL) was
the technical journal the Corps, published by the School of Signals. It
contains technical articles dealing with developments in communication
techniques and equipment. Usually, each issue concentrates on a specific
subject. The first TNL was published in February 1950. After the publication of
TNL No 42 in January 1971, it was renamed the Journal of Military
Telecommunications and Data Processing (JMTDP). By the end of 1972, a total of 47
issues of the journal had been published.
The first Corps Gazette was
published in 1951, giving details of all officers borne on the strength of the
Corps of Signals, such as their date and type of commission, seniority, dates
of acting and substantive ranks, and qualifications. These gazettes continued to be published at
intervals of two or three years up to 1957. From 1961 onwards it was called the
Signals List. Although it is a useful source of information with regard to the
officer cadre, it cannot be quoted as an authority.
The pamphlet Customs of the Corps
of Signals was published in 1950. It was based on a similar pamphlet produced
by Royal Signals, whose permission was taken before publication of the pamphlet
in India. It covers customs most of which are in vogue throughout the Indian
Army. The subjects covered include saluting, conduct in the officers’ mess,
calling, financial matters, behaviour towards JCOs and OR, correspondence and
various other related aspects. Many years later, when Brigadier T. Barreto was
nominated as the Chairman of the Corps
Traditions Committee he pointed out that there are hardly any customs peculiar
to Signals and it would be best to follow the book ‘Customs and Etiquette in
the Service ’ written by Lieutenant Colonel H.R. Roach. This was accepted by
the Corps Committee.
Corps
History Committee
Though no
history of the Corps was published during the period 1947-72, most of the work
including the writing of the script of Volume I covering the period 1911-39 was
completed during this time. The story of
the ups and downs connected with the publication of the book has been covered
in ‘History of the History’ which forms Appendix 1 of Volume II. However, the
deliberations of the Corps Committee concerning the history of the Corps and
other subjects within the purview of the Corps History Committee which are
relatively unknown will be covered here.
The Corps
Committee, in its very first meeting held in September 1946, ‘agreed that it
was most desirable that the history of the Indian Signal Corps should be
compiled’. However, nothing much seems to have been done during the next few
years except a visit to the Historical Section in Simla by the Deputy Director
Signals in early 1953 and the initiation of a case for a lieutenant colonel to
write the Corps history. The lieutenant colonel and his staff were sanctioned,
but due to acute shortage of officers in the Corps, no officer could be
provided for this task.
Fortunately, Colonel T. Barreto was posted as
Deputy Director of Signals from 1953-56. Without any mandate from the Corps
Committee, he had begun collecting material in 1951, when he was at the Staff
College, and continued his efforts during his tenure at Delhi. This naturally
came to the knowledge of the SO-in-C, Brigadier Akehurst, and Brigadier Iyappa,
who succeeded him in 1954. In 1957, the Corps Committee
agreed that the compilation of the history of the Corps is a long outstanding
necessity. They appreciated the effort
already put in by Brigadier Barreto and requested him to accept the
responsibility to complete the Corps history, sanctioning
a sum of Rs. 1000 for expenses.
By this time Brigadier
Barreto had moved to Poona as CSO Southern Command. He was nominated Chairman
of the Corps History Committee, an appointment he held until his retirement in
1965. During his tenures at Poona (1956-60); Simla (1960-63) and Mhow
(1963-65), he continued to work assiduously on the project. He presented the
first report of the Corps History Committee during the 11th Corps
Committee Meeting in 1958. Thereafter, he presented progress reports in every
meeting of the Corps Committee up to 1965, which was the last meeting he
attended. During the meeting held from 19-22 February 1965, he informed the
Committee that the manuscript of Volume I of the
History of the Indian Signal Corps was almost ready. In the absence of the Chairman, Lieutenant
General Iyappa, the meeting was chaired by the Co-Chairman, Major General
Batra, who stated that he had discussed the matter with the Senior Colonel
Commandant. As the printing of the
Volume would require last minute coordination with the printers, it would be
printed in India. It had been decided
that the services of Lieutenant Colonel Proudfoot be engaged for technical
vetting of the manuscript and processing till its final publication.
Due
to some reason, within a month the proposal to engage Colonel
Proudfoot appeared to have been dropped. By this time, Brigadier Barreto had
already put in his papers and was due to proceed on retirement on 30 April
1965. On 23 March 1965, General Batra, in his capacity as Co-Chairman of the
Corps Committee, wrote a letter to Brigadier Barreto, the Chairman of the
History Committee, extracts from which are given below:-34
......In view of the fact
that after 1 May 65 it is possible that you may have a little more time
available and also because of your detailed background knowledge of the history
of the Corps, I feel that you may like to consider following through with
Volume I of the Corps History until its final publication, and continue
with the compilation of subsequent
volumes.
If you do decide that you
can take this commitment on, you would naturally be entitled to the fee of Rs.
2,000.00 that we were proposing to give to Lt Col PROUDFOOT for Volume II. ....
Also, in view of
your great interest in Corps domestic matters, I would appreciate it if you
would agree to continue to serve on the Corps Committee after you
retirement.....
Brigadier Barreto replied on
2 April 1965. His emotional letter brings out his anguish at having to leave
the service and the dilemma that he faced, torn between his domestic
obligations and his love for the Corps. Extracts from the letter, a copy of
which was endorsed to General Iyappa, the Senior Colonel Commandant, are given below:-35
It has always been my
intention that I would continue to do my bit for the Corps after retirement. I
have, however, now come up against a major obstacle. My wife is extremely bitter
about the whole business of my premature retirement and the real reasons behind
it, and she is adamant that I shall not spend any time after retirement on this
type of work....... I can understand her feelings because she has suffered much
during these years when I have greatly neglected her and the children while I
devoted so much of my spare time, including my holidays, to voluntary work for
the Corps.
I am still hoping that time
will heal the wounds and that she will come round. To me personally, her decision
is a great blow, as I have identified myself to such an extent with the Corps
that it is almost impossible to conceive myself isolated from it......
In the
circumstances, I would request you to keep your offer open. I am not interested
in the fee. In fact, I hope I shall not reach the stage when I shall have to
accept money from my Corps. Mine has been a labour of love, and I feel morally
bound to complete it.
Regarding my member ship of the Corps Committee, the same
prohibitions apply. I would however, suggest that I am formally nominated to
the Corps Committee though I might have to remain a passive member until the
atmosphere is more congenial.
On 26 April 1965,
General Batra replied, informing Brigadier Barreto that in view of the
necessity to publish Volume I of the Corps History with all dispatch, it had
been decided to entrust it to Lieutenant Colonel Proudfoot, as decided earlier.
To enable him to do the job properly, the drafts of Volume I and all relevant
correspondence, documents and connected material that had been acquired by
Brigadier Barreto in his capacity as Chairman of the History Committee would be
collected from him before he proceeded on retirement. For this purpose, Major
Mirza, who was looking after the Corps Museum, had been asked to proceed
immediately to Mhow. The material would have to be properly listed before being
handed over to Major Mirza, who would also collect all material pertaining to
the Traditions Committee. As regards his membership of the Corps Committee, since
he would not be able to take active part, he could not be nominated as a
member.36
The above letter
reached Mhow on 28 April, two days before Barreto was to retire. In a long
letter addressed to the Secretary of the Corps Committee, he wondered why he
was being subjected to such humiliating treatment, on the day of his
retirement. By this time, he had already
packed most of the documents and files that he had used for the draft of Volume
I and despatched them with some of his personal baggage to Jabalpur, where he
was planning to settle down. These books and documents, collected during the
previous 14 years, filled four large crates and had not been catalogued. Even
if they were readily available in Mhow, it would take months to sort them out.
Since the draft of Volume I was already completed, the papers that had been
used to compile it could not be of much use, immediately. Since it was known
that he was going to settle down in Jabalpur, surely these papers could be
collected from him after he reached there. In a final gesture, he decided to
return the amount of Rs. 1000 that had been given to him by the Corps Committee
in 1957 to meet the expenses in connection with compilation of the Corps
History. Barreto attached a cheque for this amount with the letter, a copy of
which was endorsed to all members of the Corps Committee. 37
In a gesture of
reconciliation, Brigadier I.D. Verma, the Brigadier Signals Staff, wrote to
Brigadier Barreto on 18 January 1966, renewing the offer to complete the
publication of the Volume I of the Corps History and inviting him to attend the
next Corps Committee meeting that was to be held in March 1966. Barreto
declined the offer. Though the manuscript had been
completed by the time he retired, the project went into limbo after his
departure, with the Corps not being able to find a suitable replacement to head
the Corps History Committee. The next meeting of the Corps Committee records: -
Since the retirement of Brig T
BARRETO a new Chairman of the Corps History Committee has not yet been
appointed in his place. No report has,
therefore, been prepared for discussion.38
In1967 the Corps Committee was informed that the only
nomination received so far for ‘writing’ the Corps history was that of
Lieutenant Colonel A. Asirvadam of the School of Signals. Brigadier K.D. Bhasin
stated that he had informally contacted Brigadier Barreto who had declined to
undertake the task. The Chairman, Lieutenant General Iyappa, asked the SO-in-C,
Major General I.D. Verma to discuss this issue with Brigadier Barreto during
his next visit to Jabalpur. Meanwhile, all the material still held with
Brigadier Barreto was to be taken over from him and properly compiled to
facilitate further work. Major G.Y. Sowani of 1 STC was to carry out processing
of Volume I and start writing the draft for Volume II. The draft written by
Major Sowani was to be passed on to Colonel S.N. Mehta for vetting and
finalisation.
For
the next four years literally nothing was done with regard to the Corps
history. The subject was also not discussed by the Corps Committee during the
meetings held in 1968, 1969 and 1970. In 1971 Commandant 1 STC placed before
the Corps Committee the list of items which had been collected from Brigadier
Barreto and kept in the Corps Museum. The Chairman, General Iyappa then
suggested that it is time some concrete action was taken to publish the Corps
history. CSO Southern Command stated that Lieutenant Colonel G.Y. Sowani had
volunteered to do the work. (This had been approved by the Committee four years
earlier). Initially he should be moved to Jabalpur on temporary duty to make an
assessment of the volume of work involved and later he may be posted to
Jabalpur if necessary.
In
the event, Colonel G.Y. Sowani also begged off. Various other writers were
approached, including Lieutenant Colonel C.L. Proudfoot, Colonel Pyara Lal,
Colonel V. Anantharaman, Major K.S. Kapur, Brigadier K.D. Bharagava and
Lieutenant Colonel J.C. Dhamija. Volume
I of the Corps History was finally published in 1975, ten years later after its
completion by Brigadier Barreto. The book was a verbatim reproduction of the
original draft except for a change in the title. The preface written by
Brigadier Barreto was omitted and so was his name as the author.
Corps Traditions Committee
In 1962 Brigadier T. Barreto, CSO
Western Command, proposed that there was a requirement for appointing a Corps
Tradition Sub-Committee under the chairmanship of a senior member of the Corps
to examine Corps customs and traditions and put up suggestions for approval of
the Corps Committee. Details regarding the composition and charter of the
Sub-Committee would be issued as a Corps Directive. The Corps Committee
approved the proposal and appointed Brigadier Barreto Chairman of the Corps
Traditions Committee.39
The
annual report of the Traditions Committee was considered by the Corps Committee
on 14 and 17 February 1964. With regard to a proposal to name certain
buildings, roads and grounds in Mhow and Jabalpur, the Committee asked CSO
Central Command to pursue the case with the Army Commander for naming of the
Iyappa ground at 1 STC. As regards naming of buildings in the School of
Signals, it was decided that except for the Mercury Theatre and Akehurst Hall,
the remaining names will be deleted. Commandant School of Signals was asked to
submit specific recommendations for naming roads and buildings in the School to
the Corps Committee for approval before the case was taken up through staff
channels.
The
Traditions Committee had recommended that certain commemorative days be
celebrated by the Corps as was being done by other Arms and Services. It was
recommended that the battles of Neuve Chapelle (1915) and Ngakyedauk Pass
(1944) in which the Corps had taken part may be celebrated in this manner. However,
the Committee decided to restrict the commemorative days or the time being to
15 February, until the case for battle honours for the Corps was finally
decided. Colonel T.K. Mukerji was requested to forward a write up on the
Irrawaddy battle, which was recommended by him as being a notable day for the
Corps.
The
Traditions Committee had also recommended that adequate publicity must be given
to personnel who earned honours and awards. The Corps Committee decided that
CSOs and Commandants must obtain and transmit to the Editor of the Signalman
information pertaining to honours and awards and any other distinction gained
by personnel of the Corps, in units under their command. The constitution of
the Corps Traditions Committee was also amended. Brigadier Barreto was to
continue as Chairman, with members being three serving officers of the Corps,
preferably those who had earlier been secretaries of the Corps Committee.
During
the next meeting of the Corps Committee in 1965, the report of the Traditions
Committee was considered. CSO Central Command was directed to expedite the case
of the naming of the Iyappa ground with HQ Central Command. Commandant School
of Signals sought a clarification on the policy for the naming of specific
buildings and places, particularly as to whether these should be named after
battles or individuals. It was decided that Brigadier Barreto would examine the
priorities in consultation with the Chairman and Co-Chairman, and recommend
suitable names for specific places, for approval of the Corps Committee.
As
mentioned earlier, Barreto retired in 1965. No report of the Corps Tradition
Committee was placed before the Corps Committee in 1966, since no Chairman had
been appointed. The Corps Committee decided that this will be considered at a
later stage together with the appointment of an officer to perform the duties
of Chairman, Corps History Committee. In the event, this never happened, both
committees becoming defunct.
The Cariappa Trophy
The
Cariappa Trophy was donated by General K.M. Cariappa, the first Indian C-in-C
of the Indian Army, who was the Colonel Commandant of the Corps from 1949-59.
After his retirement in 1953, General Cariappa was appointed India’s
High Commissioner in Australia, where he remained until 1956. Even while he was
in Australia, the Colonel Commandant continued to take a keen interest in the
Corps. During the 8th Meeting of the Corps Committee on 16 February
1955, the SO-in-C, Brigadier Iyappa informed the members that General Cariappa
had offered a trophy for a Corps championship in chess. The Committee felt that
before this game is introduced in the Corps, the number of individuals who are
interested in the game should be ascertained. CSOs/Commandants were asked to
take steps to popularize the game in all units and report progress after six
months. It was decided that if the progress is satisfactory, General Cariappa
will be asked to present the trophy so generously offered by him.
Based on the feedback from
CSOs/Commandants, it was decided to request the Colonel Commandant to present
the trophy for a competition in musketry instead of chess. After obtaining his
concurrence, it was decided that it would be a floating trophy in the field of
musketry and will be competed for by all major signal units. The trophy was presented by General Cariappa
on 14 February 1958 after delivering the closing address of the 11th
Corps Committee Meeting, during the third post-war reunion held at Jubbulpore.
In
the early years, a team from each command selected by the CSO competed for the
trophy. Subsequently, in view of the commitments of the units deployed in
forward areas, it was decided to restrict the competition to teams from the
STCs.
The Iyappa Trophy
The
Iyappa trophy was presented by Major General A.C. Iyappa, the SO-in-C and
Colonel Commandant during the Golden Jubilee in February 1961 at Jubbulpore.
While presenting the trophy to the Corps Committee, General Iyappa announced
that it was for ‘Inter Unit Technical Proficiency.’ Since no meeting of the
Committee was held in 1961, there was no record of his announcement nor was
there a photograph of the actual presentation. This created some confusion,
which was eventually cleared.
In
September 1961 Colonel R.Z Kabraji, Commandant School of Signals and Editor,
The Signalman, wrote to Colonel Prem Singh, Commandant STC that he intended
publishing a detailed article on the Iyappa Trophy in the January 1962 issue.
He asked for a suitably illustrated article with details such as the dimensions
of the trophy; significance of various plates mounted on it, details of the
proposed competition and photographs of the trophy. In his reply, Lieutenant
Colonel R.K. Vats Officiating Commandant STC, wrote as under:-
Reference your
DO No 868009 G(SM) dated 15 Sep 61 addressed to Col Prem Singh.
I am enclosing herewith
a photograph of the trophy and its dimensions.
I feel it would
be better if the significance of the plates mounted on the shield could be
obtained from the Colonel Commandant himself, as any wrong interpretation on
our part might be an unforgivable error. I have spoken to Lt Col SRI RAM at
Signals Directorate and he is obtaining the necessary information.
As regards
details of the competition, we have only held individual competitions in Morse
and teleprinter and DR trials, details of which were submitted to you vide our
No 1038/A/28 of 18 Mar 61 and HQ 1038/A/28 of 17 Mar 61. A copy of the rules of
these competitions is enclosed.
The trophy has
been donated for ‘Inter Unit Technical Proficiency but we have neither framed
the rules for this competition nor has it been run so far. We have asked Signal
Directorate to give us further instructions.
It will
therefore be seen that at present, we are not in a position to give more
details.40
All would have been well if the above
letter had not mentioned the individual competitions in Morse and teleprinter
and DR trials. Due to delay in receipt of the photographs from Delhi, the
article was finally published in the July 1962 issue of the Signalman, with the
title ‘The Iyappa Trophy - Morse and Teleprinter Operating Competition’. The
article referred to a decision taken during the 12th CSOs/Commandants’ Conference held in March
1960, in which it was decided that a prize would be given to the best Morse
/teleprinter operator in the Corps and a suitable trophy would be awarded to
the winning team in the Inter Command Proficiency Competition. It gave details
of the competitions held in 1960 and 1961, marks obtained by the participants
and the names of the winners. It ended with the statement that the Iyappa
Trophy was awarded to the winning team (STC) on 13 February 1961 by Major
General A.C Iyappa, the Director Signals and SO-in-C. A photograph of the
trophy was published below the article.
After
reading the article, on 9 August 1962 Brigadier T. Barreto, then CSO Western
Command, wrote a letter to the Secretary, Corps Committee, with copies to the
other CSOs and Commandants School of Signals and STC. He pointed out that the
article gave the impression that the Iyappa Trophy was only for operating
competitions. He clarified that while presenting the trophy during the Golden
Jubilee celebrations, General Iyappa had stated that it was for ‘Inter Unit
Technical Proficiency.’ Though there was no record of his speech nor a
photograph of the presentation, the representations on the face of the trophy
clearly depicted four trades – lineman, despatch rider, radio mechanic and
switchboard operator. Brigadier Barreto also observed that the Corps Committee
had still not drawn up a set of rules to govern the annual competition for the
award of the trophy. Also, no expression of gratitude to General Iyappa had
been published either in the minutes of the Corps Committee or in the Signalman
for his magnanimity. 41
After
this, there was flurry of letters between the Signals Directorate, School of
Signals and the STC. Finally, a draft Corps Committee Directive was prepared
and circulated to all members of the Corps Committee in August 1963. It was
clarified that the trophy would be awarded annually to the unit adjudged best
in the Corps in technical efficiency. All signal units commanded by
majors/lieutenant colonels would be eligible for award of this trophy. It had
originally been proposed that the award would be based on the results of the
inter unit technical proficiency competitions. However, in the conditions then
prevailing (the 1962 war had just ended) it was not possible for units to
actively take part in such competitions. As an interim measure, it was decided
to have a simpler procedure for the award of the trophy which could be revised
later. According to the interim procedure, CSOs/Deputy Director Signals/CAFSO
would recommend the best units under their technical control, from which the
SO-in-C would select the best unit for award of the trophy,
The
draft directive on the award of the Iyappa Trophy was discussed during the 15th
Corps Committee Meeting held on 14 and 17 February 1964. It was felt that with the large number and
variety of signal units, it would be difficult to conduct this competition
equitably. It was then decided that the
competition should be limited to divisional signal regiments only. CSOs Command would select the unit judged by
them to be the best as regards technical proficiency in their commands and the
finals of the inter-command competition will be conducted between the best
divisional signal regiment from each command. The competition would be held in
one of the commands annually in rotation.
Details of the competition were to be issued in the form of a Corps Committee
Directive. This resulted in the issue of
Corps Committee Directive No 7.
Daulet Singh Trophy.
Major General Daulet Singh was appointed the Colonel
Commandant of the Corps in 1955, when the Corps was authorised a second Colonel
Commandant, in addition to General Cariappa who had been appointed in 1949. In
1957 he offered a floating trophy to be presented to an officer for personal
‘high endeavour.’ The offer was considered by the Corps Committee during its 10th
Meeting on 13-14 March 1957 and accepted. CSOs/Commandants were asked to send
in their suggestions by 30 April regarding personal high endeavour. It was
believed that some articles had been written previously on the subject in some
magazine. The Secretary was asked to obtain a copy of such an article, if
available. In September 1957, the
Secretary of the Corps Committee wrote to CSOs/Commandants, asking them to
forward suggestions regarding personal high endeavour.
During the 12th Meeting of the Corps
Committee held on 19-20 March 1959, it was agreed that wide publicity should be
given to the trophy and citations for the award be asked for from units. It was
also agreed that the award should cover a wide field and not be confined to
technical achievements only. Based on suggestions received from various sources
a draft Corps Committee Directive was made and circulated to members of the
Corps Committee for comments in August 1963. Corps of Signals Committee
Directive No 6 dealing with the ‘Lt Gen Daulet Singh Trophy for High Endeavour’
was issued on 5 November 1963. It stipulated that the trophy would be kept
permanently in the Headquarters Mess, School of Signals Mhow. All Corps of
Signals personnel would be eligible for the award. It stated that while it was
not possible to lay down rigidly what constitutes high endeavour, this could be
in any of the following fields:-
·
Technical Field (a
discovery/invention/improvisation/research in the field of electronics
culminating in outstanding improvement in the concept/technique of signal
communication system or electronic equipment
·
Special Mission in a
Signals Sphere (sustained personal effort in establishing and maintaining
signal communications under extreme conditions)
·
Special Mission in a
Non –Signal Sphere (a feat of personal endurance in an effort to explore/recce
territory on the frontiers of India; an act of sustained effort which enhanced
the prestige of the Corps; an achievement
in mountaineering or other expedition resulting in acquisition of useful
information and data)
·
Sports (national or international
recognition or record)
·
General (any
achievement of personal high endeavour which earns national/international recognition or enhances
prestige of the service).
The 15th Meeting of the
Corps Committee held on 14 and 17 February 1964 decided that the award for the
year 1962 will be given to Lance Naik Dharam Chand, VrC. As sufficient data on
or recommendations for the award for 1963 had not been received, no award was
announced for the year 1963, and CSOs/Commandants were asked to send further recommendations.
It was also decided that the award would be given for performance in a calendar
year. The award would be given for acts of personal endeavour of any type and
not necessarily for gallantry only. As regards the location for the trophy it
was decided that it would be kept permanently in the Quarter Guard of 1 STC and
will be shown on bara khana and similar functions. The miniature replica to be awarded to each
recipient would be in the form of a medal or a plaque the design of which would
be decided by a sub-committee.
The decision to award the trophy to
Lance Naik Dharam Chand had been vehemently opposed by Brigadier T. Barreto
during the meeting, who protested that the donor had clearly stated that it was
to be awarded only to officers. (By this time, Lieutenant General Daulet Singh
was no more, having died in an air crash the previous year). On 7 July 1964
Brigadier Barreto wrote to the Lieutenant General A.C. Iyappa, the senior
Colonel Commandant and Chairman of the Corps Committee, endorsing a copy of his
letter to Major General R.N. Batra, the SO-in-C and Co-Chairman of the Corps
Committee. In his letter, he wrote:“A
dead man’s wishes keep haunting me and in view of my close association with him
at the most critical period of his life, I feel that am honour bound to get the
Corps Committee to amend its decisions in accordance with the wishes of the
donor”. (Brigadier Barreto had been CSO Western Command from 1960 to 1963.
He had served under General Daulet Singh, the GOC-in-C, during the 1962
Sino-Indian Conflict and later up to his tragic death in 1963).42
Unfortunately, Brigadier Barreto’s
plea went unheeded, and the Corps Committee refused to amend its decision. In
subsequent years most of the awardees have been officers, prominent among them
being Captain P.K. Ghosh, VrC and Captain M.A. Rasheed.
Plaque
of Honour
Shortly
before Independence, the 2nd Meeting of the Indian Signal Corps held
on 15May 1947 agreed to present a miniature bronze ‘Jimmy’ mounted on a wooden
plinth to the best Young Officer passing out of the ISC School. The award was
to commence with the first batch (PAT-1), which was then under training. This
decision was reconfirmed in the 3rd Meeting of The Indian Signals
Committee (1st Meeting of the newly reconstituted Committee) held on
1-2 April 1948, which decided that the cost of the award (up to an approximate
amount of Rs 50/-) be met from the Officers Central Mess Fund. The Commandant
ISC School was asked to forward a design of the presentation to the Secretary.
At the next meeting of the Committee held in May 1949 a bronze replica of the
Corps Emblem manufactured by Orr & Sons of Madras was displayed. The Committee did not approve of this trophy
and directed the Secretary to obtain a better specimen.
At
the next meet held in March 1950 the progress on the manufacture of the Best
YO’s trophy was reviewed. The Secretary
pointed out that the original idea of presenting a bronze Jimmy had been
dropped and instead signal officers of Army HQ, Air HQ, Army HQ Signal Regiment,
Air Formation Signal Regiment, and those on ERE were presenting a ‘Plaque of
Honour’ as the best YO’s trophy. Orders
for the manufacture of this had already been placed on Messrs Hamilton &
Co. Ltd. New Delhi. Soon afterwards the
trophy was ready and drew appreciation from everyone. The plaque comprises a
bronze replica of the painting known as ‘Through’ by Patrick Martin. It depicts
the immortal lineman who made the supreme sacrifice after joining two ends of a
broken cable and uttering the words ‘Through’ which are part of the lexicon of
signallers all over the World. In 1952 it was decided that a medal should be
presented to the best YO along with the trophy. Since then, the ‘Plaque of
Honour’ and ‘Through’ Medal are presented by the Commandant to the best Young
Officer during the farewell dinner at the end of the course. It is much sought
after and there is keen competition among young officers for the award.
SPORTS & ADVENTURE
Sports
Sports
and games have always been an important part of military life. The games played
in the Army can broadly be divided into two categories. Troop games are
basically team games such as hockey, football, basketball, volleyball and so
on, in which officers and men both participate. These are usually played in all
units during the games parade. Individual games are non-team games, where
individual skills count. For officers, these comprise games such as tennis,
squash, badminton etc. which are played outside office hours, in a club or
officers’ mess. There are also other
individual events such as shooting, boxing, weight lifting etc. in which both
officers and men take part.
Though
games were being played in units of the Indian Signal Corps even before
Independence, it was only in 1953 that it was decided to organise teams on a
Corps basis. It was decided that the Corps of Signals teams would be formed on
the ‘gladiator principle’ and located with signal units in different stations.
The responsibilities allotted to signal units for various teams were as given
below:-43
·
Western Command Signal
Regiment (Delhi) - Hockey
·
20 Infantry Divisional
Signal Regiment (Calcutta) - Football
·
Army HQ Signal Regiment - Basket Ball
·
STC - Shooting
In 1955 it was decided that a Corps
Sports Fund will be created and maintained by transfers from the SO-in-C’s
Signals Fund. The annual subscriptions
to the Fund were raised from four to eight annas with effect from 1 April 1955.
Regimental cuttings would not be increased, but units were asked to meet this
contribution from other sources of regimental income. It was also decided that the Corps Basket
Ball and Athletic teams would be disbanded and all effort concentrated on the
Hockey Team. At the end of the current
season this team would be located at the STC, where the Commandant would be
responsible for it and would examine the employment of a suitable coach. Though
the Corps Football team would not be disbanded, expenditure on its account
would be restricted. It would not move
out of Calcutta to take part in tournaments.
In 1964 it was decided to form a Corps Sports
Control Committee to promote sports activities within the Corps and to
endeavour to improve the standards of the teams in certain selected games viz.
hockey, football, basketball, volleyball, athletics, boxing, swimming and
wrestling. Corps teams would be maintained only in four games (hockey,
football, basketball, volleyball), while in the case of the remainder,
promising individuals would be selected and given coaching at the STCs. For
this purpose, potential sportsmen would be posted to 1 STC for athletics,
boxing and 2 STC for swimming and wrestling.
The Chairman of the Corps Sports Control Committee was Commandant 1 STC
with members being the deputy commandants of the two STCs, one representative
from each command and from Signals Directorate. After the appointment of
Inspector Signal Technical Trades (ISTT), he replaced Commandant 1 STC as
Chairman. It was stipulated that the strength of the Corps teams would not
exceed 18 for hockey and football and 15 for basketball and volleyball. Each
team would be captained by an officer or JCO. If an officer of the required
standard could not be found as a ‘playing member’, an officer would be
appointed as officer-in-charge and non-playing captain.44
Hockey
The Corps Hockey Team has had a
chequered history, having changed it location four times in the first 11 years
of existence, before finally settling down at Jullundur (now called Jalandhar.
In spite of these frequent moves the team performed creditably, winning several
national level tournaments during the period 1953-72. It also produced 15
players for the Services team and three who represented India - Noel Toppo, M.P.
Ganesh and Raminder Singh.
The team was raised in April 1953 at
Jullundur under Jemadar Ajit Singh. The
team was located at 3 Company Western Command Signal Regiment with the CSO
being responsible for it. In September 1953 CSO Western Command felt that team
was not progressing as it should and decided to attach it to XI Corps Signal
Regiment in Jullundur. During the 7th Meeting of the Corps Committee
held on 14-15 February 1954 it was suggested that the team should be located at
Bombay where there was more scope for practice. However, it was decided that
there should be no change in the location for the present. At the next meeting
held in 1955 it was decided to move the team to Jubbulpore. Colonel T.K.
Mukerji, Commandant STC was made responsible for the team and asked to examine
the employment of a suitable coach.
In
1956 the team won the Dhyan Chand Gold Cup at New Delhi. However, after this
its performance was lack lustre and it did not win any major tournament for the
next four years. In 1960 a proposal to move the team back to Jullundur under
CSO XI Corps was included in the Agenda of the 13th Corps Committee
Meeting that was scheduled to be held at Jullundur. This drew a strong protest
from CSO Southern Command, Brigadier T. Barreto, who wrote:-
THE CORPS HOCKEY TEAM 1964
Front : L/Nk Syed Mustafa, L/Hav Surinder Singh, L/Hav D Balachandran,
Hav Noel Toppo, L/Nk Arvind Kadam, Nk Duli Chand.
Back : Maj Harbhajan Singh, Nk Gurdial Singh, Hav AS Shinde, Brig SR
Khurana, Lt Gen JS Dillion, Lt Col DB Lahiri, Jem
Gurbachan Singh, Hav Balbir Singh, Jem Malkiat Singh.
It appears that this point has been raised by the
Secretary. The Secretary is not a member of the Corps Committee and is not
empowered to raise points other than procedural. The item states “it is
desired….” but does not state by whom it is so desired. Are we to assume that
the Secretary desires the location of the Corps Hockey Team to be changed? I do hope a complete
brief giving the reasons for the previous change from JULLUNDER to JUBBULPORE
and the reasons for reverting to the old location will be issued before the meeting.
45
No brief was issued before the
meeting. However, the point was discussed and not accepted. Surprisingly, it
was omitted from the minutes of the meeting, which refers only to the formation
of the Corps Sports Control Committee. This again drew a letter of protest from
Brigadier Barreto to Army HQ, which replied that the point will be considered
by the Commandant STC on the formation of the Corps Sports Control Committee.
In
1962 the 14th Corps Committee felt that the Bombay was perhaps a
better location than Jubbulpore from the point of view of training of the team.
CSO Southern Command was asked to examine this and intimate whether this change
could be effected. Shortly afterwards, 12 hockey players were posted to 2
Company, Southern Command Signal Regiment at Bombay. In September 1962 CSO
Southern Command wrote to Signals Directorate bringing out several problems
connected with the team. Of the 12 players who had been posted to Bombay, one
had been sent to STC for an upgrading course. No officer or JCO had been posted
with the teams, as decided by the Corps Committee. The team had arrived without
any hockey gear, which would have to be purchased. Giving out his plan for
training of the team and its participation in various tournaments, some of which
had an entry fee, the CSO asked for an additional allotment of Rs. 2500 for the
hockey team. He went on to say: “One of
the reasons for locating the team at BOMBAY was perhaps the healthy state of
regimental funds of the signal company at BOMBAY. The assets of this company
derived from the income of coconut trees at the transmitter site are under
dispute and we may have to refund the entire amount to the Government. Efforts
are however being made to retain the assets as regimental funds.”46
The
team was not destined to stay in Bombay by for long. Though not listed in the
Agenda of the 15th Meeting that was held in February 1964, the Corps
Committee decided that the Hockey team would be located at Jullundur, provided
CSO Western Command finds this suitable. If Jullundur was not suitable, the
team will be located at Jabalpur with 1 or 3 STC.
This
decision took many by surprise, since the move of the team had not been
proposed by the Corps Sports Control Committee and neither had there been any
discussion on the subject. One person who had been watching the ups and downs
of the Corps Hockey Team closely was Brigadier Barreto, now Commandant School
of Signals. After coming to know of the move of the team from Bombay from the
minutes of the meeting, in July 1964 he addressed a letter to Lieutenant
General A.C. Iyappa and Major General R.N. Batra, the Chairman and Co-Chairman
of the Corps Committee. He analysed the reasons for the indifferent performance
of the Hockey team and felt that it was primarily due to lack of interest of
the officers responsible and absence of a playing officer in the team. The
standard of hockey in Bombay was high and the competition was on par with the
best in India. Making strong pleas for continuance of the team at Bombay, he
wrote:-
I
have had discussions with Torun Mukerji on the subject earlier this year, and
he told me that he has been watching the team at work in Bombay. He claims that
the team consists basically of sound players, but that it lacks discipline and
guidance. As you know, one of the reasons for moving the team from Jullundur to
Jubbulpore was that Torun was there to nurse it, and there is no doubt that he
succeeded. He is now prepared to do it again in Bombay, and I strongly
recommend that we accept his offer and leave the team where it is.
It
was Torun Mukerji and Roby Sen who were responsible for ‘finding’ Noel Toppo,
the one and only National Hockey player the Corps has produced in its whole
history. And the argument I have against Jullundur is that had the team
remained there, we would never have had a Toppo. The answer is to keep the team
at Jullundur during the non-playing season so that it is fed with fresh blood.
During the playing season (and for a short period before for coaching purposes)
it should remain in Bombay.47
In
the event, the team moved to Jullundur in 1964 as decided by the Corps
Committee. Major (later Lieutenant General) Harbhajan Singh), a hockey player,
took charge of the Team. Fortunately its
performance during the subsequent years was commendable. It won a number of
tournaments including the Beighton Cup (1966), Obaidullah Khan Gold Cup (1967),
Rene Frank Trophy (1969), Murugappa Cup (1970) and the Jawahar Lal Nehru Gold
Cup (1970-72). Two of the three international players that the Corps had
produced were also nurtured at Jullundur. Naik Noel Toppo, who was part of the
team while it was at Jubbulpore, played for India in the 1962 Asiad. Lance Naik
M.P. Ganesh donned India’s colours at the World Cup in Barcelona (1969), the
Munich Olympiad (1972) and the World Cup at Amsterdam (1973), the last one as
the team captain. He was given the Arjuna Award in 1973. The third
international player was Captain Raminder Singh, who played for India in 1970.
Football
As
decided by the Corps Committee in 1953, the Corps Football Team was located in
Calcutta with 20 Infantry Divisional Signal Regiment. The team took part in a
number of tournaments but could not make its mark. In 1962 the Corps Committee
was informed that a number of individuals, though up to the required standard
for inclusion in the Corps Teams, were not coming forward and in certain cases
units were not making them readily available.
The minimum number required to train a team for events like hockey and
football was between 16 and 18, yet in the case of football only 9 players were
made available so far. It was decided
that the Chairman of the Sports Control Committee will send names of all
football players who took part in the football tournament during the Reunion in
1961 to CSO Eastern Command for making a selection. The teams must be brought up to the strength
and the training must start as soon as possible.
In 1964 the Corps Committee decided that the Corps
Football Team would be located with 2 STC in Goa. After its move to Goa the
team took part in a number of tournaments but did not win any. According to
Brigadier Barreto, this was because the standard of football in Goa was high.
Commenting on the reasons for shifting the team to Goa, Brigadier Barreto
writes: “As a Goan, I knew that the
Portuguese had introduced football to Goa and had a high standard. I advised
Apar Singh to locate the team in Goa for this reason”.
Basketball
The Corps Basketball Team was
raised in Army HQ Signal Regiment in 1953 as a result of the decision of the 6th
Signals Committee Meeting held on 4-5 March 1953. Two years later, in 1955 it
was decided that the Corps Basketball and Athletic teams would be disbanded and
all effort will be concentrated on the Hockey Team. The team was raised again
in February 1961 at Meerut and was later shifted to Delhi under Army HQ Signal
Regiment. The Corps Committee during its
14th Meeting held in March 1962 sanctioned a sum of Rs. 500 for the
team. Brigadier Barreto, then CSO Western Command, felt that this amount was inadequate
and took up the matter with the Corps Committee in October 1962. He wrote that the team under the guidance of
Colonel R.N. Sen had recently won four major tournaments in Delhi viz. Royal
Club Tournament, All India Butlerian Tournament, Delhi & Rajasthan Area
Inter-Station Tournament and Delhi State Championship. In view of their
success, the team could now be considered as one of the best in India. He
stated that the Rs 500 sanctioned by the Committee had not proved adequate and
signal units in Delhi Cantonment had borne the balance of the expenditure from
their unit funds. He recommended that an additional sum of Rs 500 be allotted
to compensate the units in part. 48
Almost a year later, in August 1963
the Secretary of the Corps Committee, Lieutenant Colonel Sri Ram, replied to
Western Command pointing out that from the accounts sent by them it appeared that Rs. 119 were
still unspent. He asked HQ Western Command to reconcile the accounts. (By this
time, Brigadier Barreto had moved to Mhow as Commandant School of Signals). In
1964 the Corps Sports Control Committee was formed to promote sports activities
within the Corps and improve the standards of the teams in certain selected
games. Basketball was one of the four games in which Corps Teams were to be
maintained. The strength of the team was not to exceed 15 and it would be
captained by an officer or a JCO.
The
report of the Commandant Army HQ Signals on the performance of the Corps
Basketball Team was discussed during the 18th Meeting of the Corps
Committee held in February 1967. The
Committee commended the performance of individual members of the team during
the year. An amount of Rs 1500 was
sanctioned tentatively for the year 1967-68 for the maintenance of the team.
Any unspent balance from the allotment for the previous year as considered
necessary by the SO-in- C would be deducted from this amount of Rs
1500.00. Commandant Army HQ Signals was
instructed to plan expenditure within the sanctioned amount.
The
team took part in several tournaments and produced a number of players of
national level. In 1969 the team participated in twelve tournaments of which
they won six and were runners-up in two. The team won the Delhi Area Basketball
Championship for the 10th year in a row in recognition of which the
Championship Cup was given permanently to Army HQ Signals. A few promising
players were selected for teams at the national level. Naik Mohan Singh and
Naik Nambiar played in the Services team in 1963 and 1965 respectively.
Havildar Gulzar Singh played in the Indian team in the Bangkok Asiad in 1966.
In 1969 Havildars Karnail Singh and Ajit Singh and Lance Naik Mewa Singh were
selected to represent Delhi State in the National Championship.
Volleyball
Volleyball was not included among
games in which Corps teams were raised in 1953 viz. Hockey, Football,
Basketball and Shooting. In 1955 the proposal to raise a Volleyball team was
placed before the Corps Committee but not agreed to. Apparently the team was
raised soon afterwards and started showing good results. Lance Naiks Sri Ram
Yadav and Jaikaran were members of the Services team which won the National
Volleyball Championship in 1960-61. After the creation of the Corps Sports
Control Committee in 1962, it was decided that Corps teams would be maintained
in Hockey, Football, Basketball and Volleyball. For selection and training of
the team, the Corps Sports Control Committee would be assisted by the
Volleyball Sub Committee, as for other games.
The strength of the Corps Volleyball was fixed at 15, with an officer or
JCO to be included as team captain.49
The Corps Committee during its 14th
Meeting held in March 1962 sanctioned a sum of Rs. 500 for the team. In the
next meeting held in February 1964, the Committee felt that the Corps teams
could do better if properly organised, encouraged and trained. The locations of
the teams were also decided. The Volleyball and Basketball teams were to be
located in Delhi, one each with 1 Army HQ Signal Regiment and Delhi &
Rajasthan Area as decided by CSO Western Command. The Committee also sanctioned
Rs. 1000 each for the Volleyball and Basketball teams, specifying that if the
CSO/Commandant needed additional financial assistance, he could bid for more,
and the further allotment would be considered provided the performance of the
team was satisfactory.
The report of the Commandant Army
HQ Signals on the performance of the Corps Volleyball Team was discussed during
the 18th Meeting of the Corps Committee held in February 1967. The Chairman commended the performance of the
team and Havildar S.R. Yadav who was selected for the National team for the
Fifth Asian Games at Bangkok. The requirement of Rs. 1667 projected by
Commandant Army HQ Signals for the maintenance of the team for the year 1967-68
was also discussed. The Committee
sanctioned an amount of Rs. 1000 tentatively.
Any unspent balance from the allotment for the previous year as
considered necessary by the SO-in-C would be deducted from this amount of Rs.
1000 now sanctioned.
In 1969 the team produced
commendable results, winning the Butlerian, Shastri Memorial and several other
tournaments. Havildar Banwari Lal was
awarded the Services Colours while Naik Daniel was declared the best volleyball
player in the All India Young Players Volleyball Tournament held at Jullundur
and was given a special prize. In 1970
the team participated in seven tournaments winning four of them. The team won the Delhi Area Volleyball
Championship for the 12th year in succession in appreciation of
which this trophy was permanently awarded to Army HQ Signals. Six members of the team were selected to
represent Western Command in the Services Championship held at Kota.
The two most well known players of
international standard produced by the team were CQMH Sri Ram Yadav and
Havildar Jaikaran, who participated in the Asian Games at Jakarta in 1962 and
Bangkok in 1966, winning the bronze medal.
Triangular
Sports Meet
The
Triangular Sports Meet was held every year from 1960 onwards, between the Corps
of Engineers, Regiment of Artillery and the Corps of Signals. Teams comprising
selected officers and ladies competed in three games – squash, tennis and golf,
the last being added only in the second year i.e. 1961. The event has a very interesting history,
which has been described by Major H. A. Marley (Engineers) in the following
words:-
Once upon a time the
top brass of the Regiment of Artillery, the Corps of Engineers and the Corps of
Signals met to talk over means of fostering the spirit of camaraderie among the
three Arms. The main outcome of their
deliberations was to pass the buck to their staff officers. And so ……….
On a historic Saturday
in 1959 (the 25th of April, to be exact), and having nothing better
to do between their post-breakfast elevenses and pre-lunch twelveses, (this was
at Army HQ, you must know), three officers got together in a room at Kashmir
House (that’s where the Engineers hang out) in New Delhi, and began to discuss.
The officers were
Brigadier Shiv Dial Singh (the Brigadier, Engineer Staff), Brigadier Apar Singh
(the Deputy Director, Signals) and Lieutenant-Colonel RS Seth (the Officiating
Deputy Director, Artillery). And their
terms of discussion were : ‘A proposal to further foster and develop the
traditional association between the Artillery, Engineers and Signals by having
a get-together for their officers and their wives on the lines of a sports meet
to be held at least once a year’.
The proposal was
discussed and agreed to in two minutes flat.
The representatives of the three Corps then called for tea and settled
down to a game of rummy, thereby inaugurating what was in fact the very first
Triangular Meet, if rummy can be considered to be a sporting event.50
Actually, the proposal had already
been formally considered a month earlier by the top brass of the three Corps.
During the Corps Committee Meeting held on 19-20 March 1959, the SO-in-C read
out a letter from the E-in-C’s Branch which proposed that to foster and further
strengthen the historic association and friendship between Artillery, Engineers
and Signal, sports meetings in Cricket, Tennis and Squash be held annually in
rotation at Deolali, Mhow and Kirkee.
The teams were to be raised from officers volunteering for a particular
sport and no organized and lengthy training was envisaged. The main idea was to have a social
‘get-together’. The Corps acting as the host would look after the accommodation
and feeding of the visiting teams. Other
expenses would be met by the respective teams from their own resources. The Chief of the Army Staff had been apprised
of the proposal and had also been requested for some financial assistance from
his funds. The Committee examined the proposal from all angles but was not
fully convinced of the real value of the scheme in view of the expenses
involved. However, it approved of a
trial for games like Tennis and Squash.
The 1st Triangular
Sports Meet was hosted by the Corps of Engineers at CME, Kirkee in 1960, when
only Tennis and Squash were played. Golf
was introduced during the 2nd Meet at held Deolali in 1961. The 3rd
Meet was hosted by the Corps of Signals at Mhow in February 1962. Thereafter,
it became a regular feature and the Triangular Sports Meet was held in rotation
at Kirkee, Deolali and Mhow. The expenditure in connection with the Meet held at
Mhow was initially paid from the Signals Sports Fund. Subsequently, the Corps
Committee decided that it should be debited to the Headquarters Mess Fund.
During the 1st
Triangular Sports Meet which commenced at Kirkee on 25 January 1960, the Corps
of Signals was represented by Lieutenant-Colonel and Mrs. R.N.R. Sawhny, Major
H.L. Pandit, Captains Kalyan Singh, B.P. Murgai, R.P. Singh and S.C. Choudhuri
and Lieutenants Pran Nath and Nagrajan.
The ‘sparrows’ were well and truly beaten in all matches except one
–Sawhny won his tennis singles match against a Gunner. In squash, the Sappers played the current
National champion, the runner-up for the National title, the Southern Command
champion and a Services semi-finalist and won all their matches. The social events were plentiful, leading the
Signallers and Gunners to suspect that it was planned to tire them out before
the games! The night before the first
day of the sports programme the visitors attended the Republic Day Dance at the
Rajendra Sinhji Institute in Poona. The
remaining days were filled up by a visit to the National Defence Academy at
Kharakvasla, a variety entertainment by the CME music circle, a cinema show at
the CME open air theatre, a ride on the “Puffing John” (the CME circular
railway), a rowing meet on the Mula Rivera and a supper and dance at the
Officers’ Mess of the Bengal Engineer Group.
On 28 January, the visitors joined the Corps of Engineers in celebrating
their Corps Day, the major event being the Corps of Engineers’ Dinner. 51
The 3rd Triangular Meet
was held at Mhow from 13-15 February 1962. This being the first Meet being
hosted by Signals, which also coincided with the Corps Day, the functions were
planned with meticulous care. The SO-in-C, Major General R.N. Batra was also a
participant. In tennis, the Corps was represented by Major and Mrs. J.C.
Dhamija, and Captains S.S. Das, N. Kovoor and P.V. Banker. In tennis, Engineers
stood first, Signals second and Artillery third. The Signals golf team
comprised Major General R.N. Batra, Brigadier R.Z. Kabraji, Major M.S. Sodhi,
and Captains S.C. Roy and S.C. Khurana. This event was also won by Sappers,
with Gunners being runners up and Signals standing third. The squash matches
were conducted at the recently renovated Akehurst Squash Court. The Signals
team consisted of Majors S. Ghosh and R.A. Rajan, and Captain B.P. Murgai. In
this game, Gunners came first, beating the Sappers, who had to be content with
second place. Signals again took third
place. There were a large number of social and cultural events. These included
an evening party at Berchha on 13 February, a DR Display followed by band
performance and Beating Retreat by the Pipes and Drums, culminating in a gala
dance at the Central India Club on 14 February and the Corps Dinner on 15
February.52
The 6th Triangular Meet
was held at Mhow from 4-6 October 1967, just after the College Anniversary on 1
October. Lieutenant General A.C. Iyappa, now the Chairman and Managing Director
of Bharat Electronics Ltd., flew down from Bangalore to participate in the
event. The SO-in-C, Major General I.D. Verma also came down from Delhi to play
for the Corps. The Signals team in golf comprised General Iyappa,
Lieutenant-Colonel Phalwant Singh, and Majors V. Khanna and O.L. Matta. When
the overall results came in, there was a tie between Artillery and Engineers
for the first position. However, the Gunners were announced the winners based
on their score for the first nine holes. In tennis, the Corps was represented
by General Verma, Major and Mrs. Inderjit Singh and Major N. Kovoor. The event
was won by the Sappers, with the Gunners coming in second. The squash team of
Signals consisted of Captain C. Dalal and Lieutenants Bansal and B.N. Khera.
The Sappers and Gunners had several Services players and vied for the top
honours. Finally, Engineers carried the day, with Artillery a close second. As
in the previous meet held at Mhow, there were several social functions,
including a dance at the Central India Club, a four act play staged by the
College dramatic club, an exhibition football match, a DR display, a band
display and the social in the headquarters mess. The dinner was followed by a
suckling barbecue at 2 a.m. and a sit down breakfast of eggs and ham at 4 a.m.,
and that too because the SO-in-C had to catch his train from Ratlam.53
The 9th Triangular Meet,
the third time when Signals played host, was held in Mhow in October 1970. It
proved to be third time lucky for the Corps, which won two of the three
tournaments. The tennis team comprised Brigadier J.V. Pinto, Major S.S. Das,
Major and Mrs. Inderjit Singh and Lieutenant A.J.S. Bhalla. Signals made a
clean sweep, beating both Engineers and Artillery in all matches. The Engineers
came in second and Artillery was third. The Signals golf team had Brigadier
K.D. Bhargava, Colonel Y.S. Desai, Lieutenant-Colonel S.N. Vishawanath and
Major V. Khanna. In the overall results Signals and Artillery tied for first
place, but Signals were declared winners based on their victory in the medal
round. In squash, the Corps was represented by Major B.P. Murgai, Captain S.K.
Jain and Second-Lieutenant Girdhar. The Engineers team had the current National
Champion, Major K.S. Jain, while the Artillery team had the current Services
Champion, Captain V.K. Paul. The final placing was – Gunners, Sappers, and
Signals. The social events included a get-to-know supper at the Headquarters
mess, a diner dance at DSOI, (the erstwhile Central India Club) and a play Boeing Boeing staged by the Amateur
Dramatic Society.54
W.I.A.A. Reliability Trials
The
Western India Automobile Association (W.I.A.A.) began holding Reliability
Trials, which later came to be known as Motor or Car Rallies, soon after
Independence. The trials were a test of road worthiness of motor vehicles under
touring conditions normally available in India. It was based on similar
competitions in Europe, such as the Monte Carlo Rally and the R.A.C.
Rally. The competition was not a speed
race but a test of the ability to maintain a prescribed speed over different
sections of the route. Competitors were started off at intervals of about five
minutes and scheduled times of arrival at check points were laid down. Arrivals
and departures at check points earlier or later than one minute were penalised
by one point for each minute. Time lost or gained in one section could not be
made up or adjusted in the subsequent sections. (The format remained the same
when the author was a member of the Signals team in the Himalayan Rally from
1982-84, except that early arrival was penalized by ten points for every
minute)!
The
Indian Army took part in the event for the first time during the 6th
Reliability Trial held in 1959, with one team of staff cars and two teams of
motor cycles, the latter in the 350 c.c.
class. One of the motor cycle teams was entered by Southern Command Signal
Regiment and the other by Bombay Sub Area, which included Signals personnel
from 2 Company Southern Command Signal Regiment and 502 Coastal Battery Signals
Section (TA).
The
route covered a distance of 314 miles, starting from the National Sports Club
in Bombay and passing through Thana, Igatpuri, Nasik and Bhiwandi, finishing at
Thana. The first section between Bombay and Peint (314 miles) was to be
completed in 3 hours 54 minutes; the second section in the ghats between Peint
and Ponda (36 miles) was to be covered in 3 hours 36 minutes; the third section
between Ponda and Pardi (17 miles) was to be done in 34 minutes; and the final
stretch from Pardi to Thana (114 miles) was to be completed in 3 hours 15
minutes. The Southern Command Signal Regiment team was extremely unlucky, all
three drivers suffering breakdowns, one just six miles short of the finish. The
Bombay Sub Area team fared much better, all three entries finishing in good
time, Signalman Abdul Khader of 502 Coastal Battery Signal Section (TA) on a
Matchless was adjudged the best in 350 c.c. class and awarded a handsome
trophy. Signalman K.B. Rangaih of 2 Company Southern Command Signal Regiment
was awarded a certificate of good performance. Thanks to these two signallers,
Bombay Sub Area won the trophy for the best motor cycle team. 55
The
7th Reliability Trial held at Poona on 26 November 1960 had 23 cars
and 24 motor cycles taking part. The Army entered one team of three cars and
four teams of three motor cycles each in the 251-350 cc. class. Two motor cycle
teams of the STC took part, representing the Corps of Signals. On team was
entered by Bombay Sub Area from signal units in Bombay and one by Southern
Command Signal Regiment. The course for the event covered 293 miles, starting
from the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in Poona to Lonand, Satara, Koyna
Nagar, Poladpur, Mahableshwar and Wai, finishing at the AFMC after going over a
driving test circuit at the Golibar Maidan. The performance of the Signals
teams was much better than in the previous year. Out of 12 despatch riders who
started, 11 completed the course, including Signalman P.L. Veluswamy who
sustained injuries when his motor cycle hit a boulder. In spite of injuries to
his face and arms he decided to continue after first aid. Naik Ram Nath won the
first prize in 251-350 cc. class as well as the prizes for the best rider and
best motor cycle. The Corps B Team from STC comprising Havildars Dev Raj and
Perumal and Naik Isaiah won the prize for the best motor cycle team. 56
Buoyed by the success in the
W.I.A.A. Trials, it was decided to hold similar trials at the STC, to select
the best despatch riders in the Corps and train them. In February 1961 five
teams – one each from Southern, Western and Eastern Commands, Army HQ and STC -
took part in the motor cycle trials at Jubbulpore. Motor cycles were provided
by the STC, after drawing lots. Competitors were thereafter responsible for the
maintenance of their machines and were allowed to practice on the actual route.
The trials commenced on 14 February after an inspection of the motor cycles by
an EME team. The first event was a flexibility test, in which riders had to
drive in slow and fast time, stopping at the designated stop without using the
brake or clutch. This was followed by a 23 kilometre course which included two
timed sections, three observed sections and one map reading section. The final
event was the cross country course of 8 kilometres which consisted of stony
ground, loose sand, mud and rock, with steep ascents and descents. The course
was to be completed in 20 minutes. When the final results were tallied, the STC
team consisting of Havildar D.G.S. Sandhu, Naik Ram Nath and Lance Naik Chanda
Singh came first. The first three places in individual rankings went to Lance
Naik Chanda Singh, Naik Ram Nath and Lance Naik Manohar Singh. 57
The 8th W.I.A.A.
Reliability Trials were held at Bombay on 9 December 1961. Four teams from
Signals took part, two from the STC and two from Southern Command Signal
Regiment The distance of the course was 263 miles, covering Bombay- Thana-
Bhiwandi – Vada- Kasa- Jawahar - Mokhada– Jarwar Badrukh – Trimbak – Nasik –
Ghoti – Igatpuri Shahpur – Thana. Company Havildar Major Dev Raj of STC won the
title of best motorcyclist, winning the individual championship for himself and
the Noble Shield for his motor cycle. The title for the best team performance
was won by the STC A team, led by Company Havildar Major D. Govindaswamy Naidu.
58.
For some reason, the Corps did not
enter a team in the W.I.A.A. Trials for the next six years. In the 11th
W.I.A.A. Trials held at Bombay in 1967, a total of 29 motor cars and 17 motor
cycles took part. Southern Command
entered three unit teams each of three despatch riders in both individual and
team events in the 151-350 cc. class. The teams were drawn from Southern
Command Signal Regiment, 2 STC and Q Communication Zone Signal Regiment. The
course was 410 miles, covering Bombay (Flora Fountain), Panvel, Kashedi, Khed, Rajapur, Savantwadi,
Dodamarg, Bicholim, Ponda, Old Goa and Panjim. Of the nine despatch riders
fielded by the Corps, eight reached the finish point in the order in which they
had started. Naik Popat Deshmukh of Q Communication Zone Signal Regiment won
the first prize in the 251-350 cc. class and the Ruperal Trophy and cup for the
best rider amongst all classes. The trophy for the best motor cycle team was
won by Southern Command Signal regiment, comprising Havildar P.K.P Kamet, Naik
V.N. Chellapan and Naik S. Swamynathan. 59
The Trials in 1968 were conducted at Ahmedabad by the Gujarat Branch
of the W.I.A.A. This was the first part
of the Trials, the second being planned later in the year at Nagpur. It was
done at short notice and four teams were hurriedly organised and sent to
Ahmedabad. Two teams were drawn from the Corps DR Display Team which was then
performing at Poona, and the other two were from the Southern Command Signal
Regiment and Q Communication Zone Signal Regiment. The route selected was Ahmedabad-
Baroda- Narbada Bridge – Kodara and back to Ahmedabad. The distance was about
350 miles, and 30 cars and 28 motor cycles took part. Lance Naik Raghbir Singh
of 1 STC won the Ruparel trophy and individual cup by W.I.A.A. for the best
driver in the Trials. The Southern Command Signal Regiment team was awarded the
special trophy for the best team performance. The team comprised the same
members who had won the team event the previous year.60
CONCLUSION
The
regimental institutions covered in this chapter reflect the character of the
Corps, and the changes that have taken place in the 25 years since
Independence. A few of these institutions, such as the Colonels Commandant,
Corps Emblem & Motto, Reunion and DR Display Team existed even earlier. However,
most of the institutions covered here came into being only after Independence,
when the Corps developed its distinct identity, quite different from that of
Royal Signals on which it was heavily dependent earlier. However, the influence
and contribution of Royals Signals, which provided the bulk of the officer
cadre and a large number of men during the pre-Independence period, cannot be
discounted. The Corps of Signals readily adopted the models already in
existence in UK, modifying them to suit Indian conditions.
Sports and games have always formed
an important part of daily routine in units. The participation of personnel in
pursuits such as trekking, mountaineering etc was on an individual basis. Their
development into regimental institutions reflects the growing influence of
sports and adventure in fostering pride and esprit
de corps. The teams that take part in these events act as flag bearers of
the Corps, their successes and failures affecting all ranks. There is little
doubt that the splendid performance of the hockey team and of stalwarts such as
M.P. Ganesh added inches to the chest of every signalman in the Corps, when it
was announced in the print media or on radio. It might also have helped in
drawing recruits to the Corps, though data on this subject has never been
collected.
ENDNOTES
TO CHAPTER 12
This chapter
is based mainly on the Minutes of the Corps of Signals Committee and its sub
committees; records available in the Corps Museum; articles in The Signalman;
and inputs from veterans. Specific references are given below:-
1.
Minutes of the 12th
Corps of Signals Committee Meeting,
19-20 March 1959.
2.
Minutes of the 18th
Corps of Signals Committee Meeting, 8-11
February 1967.
3.
Minutes of the 23rd
Corps of Signals Committee Meeting, 22 April 1972.
4.
Minutes of the 3rd
Meeting of the Indian Signals Committee (1st Meeting of the Newly
reconstituted Committee), 1-2 April 1948.
5.
Minutes of the 15th
Corps of Signals Committee Meeting, 14 & 17 February 1964.
6.
Article ‘Brigadier T.
Barreto’, The Signalman, April, 1966.
7.
School of Signal letter
No 0102009 HQ of dated 28 June 1963.
8.
Army HQ Letter No
04391/15/Sigs Adm dated 7 August 1963.
9.
School of Signals Letter No TB/CC/101 dated 13 August 1963.
10.
Army HQ Letter NO.
34770/GS/Sigs Adm dated 21 October 1948.
11.
Corps of Signal Liaison
Notes No 8 of 23 December 1948 & No 9 of 28 February 1949.
12.
Minutes of the 1st
Indian Signal Corps Committee Meeting, 10 September 1946.
13.
Editorial, The Signalman, July 1950.
14.
Article ‘Re-Union-
Corps of Signals 1950’, The Signalman, July
1950.
15.
Article ‘Second Post-War Reunion- Corps of
Signals’, Reunion Supplement, 1954.
16.
Col I. D. Verma, ‘The
Editor’s Impressions’, The Signalman, April
1958
17.
Article ‘The Signalman
goes to the Reunion’, The Signalman, April,
1961
18.
Article ‘Fifth Corps of
Signals Reunion’, The Signalman, April,
1965
19.
Article ‘The Signalman
Goes to the Reunion’, The Signalman, April,
1970
20.
GHQ Letter No.
0311/4/Sigs 3 dated 10 June 1947
21.
Article ‘The Indian Signals War Memorial’, The Signalman, April 1961.
22.
Article ‘The Corps Museum’, The Signalman, April 1961.
23.
Army HQ Letter No.
50349/GS/Sigs 5 dated 14 September 1951.
24.
Article ‘The Corps Museum,’, The Signalman, April 1961
25.
Minutes of the 2nd
Indian Signal Corps Committee Meeting, 15 May 1947
26.
School of Signals,
Mhow, DO Letter No. 0160049 dated 12 June 1954.
27. Minutes of the 11th Signals
Committee Meeting, 14 February 1958.
28. Minutes of the 15th Corps of
Signals Committee Meeting, 14 & 17 February 1964
29. Annual Report on the Corps of Signals
Headquarters Mess for the year 1964-1965, dated 9 February 1965
30. Appendix A to Army HQ Letter No
37082/HQM/Sigs Adm dated 7 May 1965
31. Minutes of the 1st Indian
Signals Committee Meeting, 1-2 April 1948
32. Minutes of the 2nd Indian
Signals Committee Meeting, 24-26 May 1949
33. Corps of Indian Signals Bulletin, Issue
No 1, September 1949
34. Army HQ Letter No. 00602/A/Sigs Adm dated
23 March 1965
35. School of Signals Letter No. CH/101 dated
2 April 1965
36. Army HQ Letter No. 00602/A/Sigs Adm dated
26 April 1965
37. School of Signals Letter No. CH/GEN/101
dated 30 April 1965
38. Minutes of the 17th Signals
Committee Meeting, 1-4 March 1966.
39. Minutes of the 14th Corps
Committee Meeting, 16-17 March 1962.
40. STC Jubbulpore DO No HQ 1036/A/36 dated 1
December 1961.
41. HQ Western Command Letter No. TB/CC/101
dated 9 August 1962.
42. Commandant MCTE DO Letter No TB/CC/101
dated 7 July 1964
43. Minutes of the 6th Signals
Committee Meeting, 4-5 March 1953.
44. Corps Committee Directive No. 5 dated of
6 February 1964.
45. CSO Southern Command Letter No
PERS/SIGS/2 dated 18 February 1960
46. CSO Southern Command Letter No. 210126/
SIGS 4 dated 2 September 1962
47. School of Signals Letter No. TB/CC.101
dated 8 July 1964.
48. HQ Western Command Letter No. 2601/2/SIGS dated 12 October 1962.
49. Corps Committee Directive No. 5 dated 6
February 1964.
50. Major H.A. Marley, ‘How It All Began’, The Signalman, January 1967.
51. Article ‘The First Triangular Sports
Meet’, The Signalman, April 1960.
52. Article
‘The Third Triangular Sports Meet:
1962’, The Signalman, April 1962
53. Major Leslie Herbert, ‘The Sixth Triangular Meet:1967’, The Signalman, January 1968.
54. Article ‘Ninth Triangular Sports Meet’, The Signalman, January 1971.
55. Article ‘The Sixth W.I.A.A Reliability
Trial-1959’, The Signalman, October
1959.
56. Article ‘Seventh Western India Automobile
Association Reliability Trials-1960’, The
Signalman, January 1961.
57. Major W.V. Ferris, ‘Motor Cycle Trials’, The Signalman, July 1961.
58. Article ‘The Eighth W.I.A.A Reliability
Trials-1961’, The Signalman, April,
1962
59. Article ‘Signals in Eleventh WIAA
Reliability Trials, The Signalman, October,
1967
60.
Article ‘W.I.A.A Reliability
Trials-1968’, The Signalman, October
1968.
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