BY LT. COL. GUNINDRA LAL BHATTACHARYA
Serendipity is ceaseless. Just the other day while re-arranging my father’s World War II papers I found an account he had typed for Deepanjali, his grand-daughter, on 15th August 1988, less than a month before he passed away on 4th September the same year. I am reproducing it below.
DEEPANJALI—MY MEMORY OF 15/8/1947
15 August 1988
0400 hrs.
It rained heavily last evening and through the night. As in earlier years I recall these days in 1947.
Then, since November 1945 I had been a Major, the Second-in-Command to the Signal Regiment (Eastern Command, “Q” L of C Signal Regt. Renamed Bengal and Assam Signal Regt) providing Signals cover to HQ Eastern Command, HQ Bengal Area and HQ Calcutta Fortress Sub Area, and their successor HQs.
In 1946 our Regiment had its HQ at 28 Theatre Road, the Officers Mess at Tivoli Park, where we had the TMO (Traffic Management Office) and the QM (Quarter Master) and his Stores also. At the entrance to Tivoli Park there were two cottages. For some time I had lived in one of them until allotted No. 1 Queens Park, First Floor, as our first home. Here we lived till October 1947. Pradip was born here on 19 June 1947.
The Transfer of Power on 14/15 August 1947 was a superb British success executed by Mountbatten. India had become a liability, and strategically unnecessary since the defeat of Japan following the American interest in South East Asia. After all it was American logistics and the Indian Army’s manpower that had ensured Japan’s defeat in Burma and South East Asia. Already the British owed India over £2000 crores of Sterling, the price of goods and services India supplied to the South East Asia Command.
As the 2IC I had served till 15 August 1947 under three Commanding Officers, Lt Col R.B. Grey, Lt Col N.E.I. Pocock, Lt Col Ellison. I had known Lt Col Ellison in Rangoon in May 1945. He had come to study our operations (in S L of C Signals) for the landing in Rangoon, as he was to command the Signal Regiment for Operation “Zipper” planned for Singapore operations. I had been the Adjutant then at Rangoon to Lt Col J F Worth and had to brief Lt Col Ellison about the Regiment’s Operations and Plans. The Old Files had been of great help.
In August 1947 Lt Col Ellison was the C.O. The Regiment was the Bengal and Assam Signal Regiment. The Area Commander Maj Gen Rankin had just left. There was an officiating British Commander.
Our Regiment had Two Companies in Fort William, one at Bally and another at Kharagpur, with Detachments in Shillong, Dacca, Chittagong etc. We had about two thousand, including about 52 Officers (40 British), some 400 British Other Ranks, 100 or so WAC(I) (Women’s Auxiliary Corps India) Officers and enlisted girls and some 1500 Indian Other Ranks.
Since 1946 Lt Col Grey and other C.O.s had accepted my advice and we had Indian Adjutant (Capt. S.N. Mehta) for the first time, and two Indian Majors. One of them, Major Trimizi, opting for Pakistan was chosen to Command the Company that we had to sent to Dacca. Our Regiment was to be split, as was the country. The Punjabi Musalman Sections of Despatch Riders, Linemen, a few Operators were very unhappy as were all of us. But it had been decided that the Operational supervision of Dacca was to continue under us. There was to remain the Supreme HQ at Delhi under Field Marshal Auchinleck, even while the new Indian Army HQ and Pak Army HQ were being set up. That was to keep the operational command intact.
On 13 August 1947 it became clear that large scale disturbance (communal) was unlikely. The Eastern Command Intelligence Centre was still functioning from its Lower Circular Road HQ, and they in their Regular Broadcasts over the Army Frequency (our SCR 299 Set) confirmed peaceful conditions. The Army could “stand down”. It was a great relief.
On 14th evening I returned from Fort William. Everything in the Regiment was normal. The Union Jack had been hauled down at dusk for the last time by the British Infantry Regiment inside.
I went to South Calcutta (Gariahat). It was pleasant to find the Rashbehari Road quite crowded with happy men and women. I purchased a small silken National Flag. Then had a haircut!
On 14th August 1947 at the Regiment’s office, in Nissen huts, outside Fort William, near the present Officers’ Institute, and just out of the Fort William Exchange, we had Lt Col Habibullah visiting us. He was to go to take over Shillong Sub Area. We sent off for him a Wireless Message to Shillong for his reception and accommodation. When I visited him after two weeks, with new Cipher Codes, flying this time to avoid Pakistan, I found the Lt Col a Brigadier. He and his wife were bitterly anti-Pak.
On 14th August 1947 I kept on wearing the uniform just in case. The Signal Office was advising me from time to time about the situation reports that normally came to the HQ at night. Everywhere the situation was peaceful. Mountbatten had returned from Pakistan, a new dominion, with Mr. Jinnah the Governor General.
There was to be a special sitting of the Constituent Assembly and Pandit Nehru was to speak to it a at midnight 14/15 Aug 1947. The sitting was to be broadcast and relayed by the All India Radio.
I switched on the radio receiver that Capt. Peter Wing had left with me for a loan of Rs.400/-. He had several, having been our Wireless Officer. He had to go suddenly to Karachi, at 4 hours notice. He had fallen in love with an Anglo-Indian lady, a widow with two children. Col Allen, the British Chief Signal Officer, had wanted me personally to ensure that Peter was put on the train to Karachi the same evening. At the time I had been officiating in command, Col. Pocock being sick.
The transmission of the AIR was perfect. At midnight the Delhi sitting came on and Punditji was about to speak. There was a song first. It was clear soon: our Jana Gana Mana. I read later that Mrs. Sucheta Kriplani had been singing too. I was deeply moved. I got up from our Drawing Room, found Pradip asleep with his mother. She was talking to her cousin Nilimadi. I picked up Pradip against protests, but I was determined that he should listen to the sounds of the midnight service, the dawning of our Freedom. I sat next to the receiver with Pradip on my lap. I was engrossed. Later I realised that my son had wet my uniform. We went to sleep late.
15th August 1947 was bright and clear. I borrowed Capt. Sinha’s car. With Pradip and Probhat I drove to Fort William first. There was the National Flag on the ramparts, put up by the British Unit. Inside, the men who were yet to go to Dacca (the Rear Party) had put up the Pakistan Flag on their hutment (the old stables). I wished them well. They shook hands, but were sad. Inside, the British Other Ranks of our Regiment were all in grins from ear to ear. Most of them had the Indian Tricolour pinned to their bushshirts/shirts.
Returning from Fort William, about 10 A.M., I was pleasantly surprised at the milling crowds at Chowringhee. Trucks with both Indian and Pakistan flags flying had their passengers shouting joyous slogans. It was all unbelievable in view of extr4eme tensions till a few days earlier. It was the same story all along Chowringhee, the Lower Circular Road and Entally. Hindus and, more so the Muslims, were joyfully and unitedly celebrating the day.
I was happy too.
We went to No.8, Beniapukur Road for greeting the sisters there. I remember Mejdi (Miss Ghosh, the eldest sister then) rebuked me as Pradip was looking exhausted—all pink due to the heat, so she said. He was fussed over by all the sisters. Then we returned home to 1, Queens Park. Dropping Pradip and his mother, I returned Capt Sinha’s car with many thanks. He used to live nearby. The RAF officer and his wife, our ground floor neighbour, had left a few days previously.
Such then was the remarkable day, 15th August 1947 in Calcutta.
Many significant points went unnoticed.
The first: Indian leaders under Gandhiji had rejected the offer of Dominion status. In the Lahore Congress Pandit Nehru had demanded “complete Independence”. 26th January 1930 was the first Independence Day. I had hoisted the Congress Flag on our gate at 24, Queen Victoria Road, New Delhi. Yet, in 1947 the Congress accepted Dominion status of a partitioned India. The British abdicated power under a British Law supervised by the British Heads of the Armed Forces, Indian Civil Services and the Police. The Transfer of Power was primarily in the UK’s national interest, both financial and political/administrative. The Indian Armed Forces used to get FREE from Britain ALL the capital equipment, about Rs.400 crores worth annually. Once Mountbatten got the outstandings of salary and pension deducted from the sterling balances due to India, Britain had nothing to lose and everything to gain, including friendship from a grateful political party. While transferring power, Britain forgot its “Trusteeship” and concern for the Indian masses. Its enemy, the Congress, became its best friend owing to political reasons just as the service to the Indian masses had been primarily for political reasons.
Secondly, the British “ditched” the India Princes. In a cynical manner Mountbatten forgot all the “sacred” treaties between the Crown and the Princes. They were “advised” to join the nearest Dominion, India or Pakistan.