THE PUNJAB UNIVERSITY BRIGADE SIGNAL SECTION IN WORLD WAR I

THE PUNJAB UNIVERSITY BRIGADE SIGNAL SECTION IN WORLD WAR I

By

Maj Gen VK Singh

      Few people, even in Punjab, know the role of the Punjab University Brigade Signal Section in World War I. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the section was raised in 1917, and disbanded just two years later in 1919, after the end of the Great War. The section saw active service on the Karun Front in Mesopotamia (now called Iraq), and performed exceptionally well. During that time, the Signal Corps was almost completely staffed by Britishers. Indians formed a minuscule percentage, with the first four signal companies having been raised only in 1911. This unique contribution by the students of Punjab has gone almost unnoticed by military historians, and needs to be recognised.

      Early in 1917 it was decided to raise a signal company comprising students drawn from colleges in the Punjab. Second-Lieutenant JL Cowan of the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry (Signals Service) was selected to raise the company, which was to be called the "Punjab University Brigade Signal Section". The qualifications laid down for enrolment were only two - the candidate should have been a student in one of the colleges in Punjab, and passed the Matriculation examination. The raising of the section was actually a bold experiment, since it was to be composed entirely of Indian other ranks, unlike other signal units in which at least one third of the personnel were British. 

      Raising commenced at Ferozepur on 7th May 1917 and volunteers were asked for. Of the 96 students who presented themselves, finally 60 were selected - 19 Mohammedans, 23 Sikhs, 15 Hindus and 3 Christians. Most of the rejections were on account of defective vision, since at that time visual signalling was an important means of communications. Training commenced on 22nd May 1917, and continued for the next two months under the watchful eyes of British instructors. The residents of Lahore contributed 400 rupees to purchase sports gear for the students, so that they could play hockey and football during their leisure time. After two months rigorous training, the section, which now had a strength of only 50, left for Poona on 28th July 1917, where they were to undergo further training at the Signal Service Depot.

      By December 1917 the men had made such excellent progress that the section was considered fit for active service, and it was decided to send them overseas. Some more men had joined the unit in Poona, but a few had left due to various reasons, and when the section left Poona on 2nd February 1918 it had a strength of 50, excluding drivers and followers, with about 15 men being left behind for further training, and to act as reinforcements. Muhammad Munir Khan was selected for promotion to the rank of Jemadar and became the first Indian Officer of the section. The section embarked on the H.T. Tortilla at Karachi on 7th February and reached Basra on the 13th, where they were to await their posting orders, which arrived after about ten days. Leaving Basra on 23rd February, the section sailed up the Karun River and arrived at Ahwaz, the Headquarters of the Karun Front, on the 28th. For the next one year, the section remained at Ahwaz, as part of the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force.

      Immediately after their arrival at Ahwaz, the section took over the communications on the Front  and was officially named the "Karun Front Signal Section". Their job was to maintain telephone lines between the Headquarters and various outposts, which were located at distances of 30 to 50 miles. The local telephones at the Headquarters were also part of their responsibility. The section had to construct several new telephone line routes, as the requirements of the Karun front increased. This included the erection of an airline (raised telephone line using poles) to a new outpost located about 80 miles away, which a detachment of 20 men from the section completed in ten days. This was considered a stupendous performance, considering that the job was done during the summer months in intense heat.

      The personnel of the section worked very hard, and their performance was well appreciated. Unlike British soldiers, who suffered from the extreme heat, most of the men of the section maintained good health and only four had to be repatriated to India on account of ill health. In September 1918, two NCOs, Havildar Rachpal Singh and NaikHarnamDass were sent to Baghdad to undergo training as Assistant Instructors of Army Signalling. Both qualified on the course with credit and rejoined the section after three months. In October 1918 JemadarMunir Khan and Lance NaikPritam Singh left for India to join the Temporary School for Indian Cadets (TSIC), which had been opened at the Daly College at Indore to train cadets who had been selected for grant of King's commissions. Incidentally, Field Marshal KM Cariappa, the first Indian C-in-C of the Indian Army, was also trained at the Daly Cadet College.

      After World War I ended, orders were received for the section to return to India. Three men elected to remain in Mesopotamia, and were transferred to other departments. Havildar Gopal Singh and Lance NaikRandhir Singh were transferred to the Agricultural Department in Baghdad, while Lance NaikAmolak Ram joined the Works Department in Basra. The remaining 51 men embarked on H.T. Bamora at Basra on 17th January 1919. The section was given a welcome by the reception committee when they reached Karachi on the 22nd. Next day, they embarked on H.T. Chakdina and sailed for Bombay. Disembarking on the 25th, the section left the same day for Poona, where they were accommodated in the Signal Service Depot. The section was finally disbanded on 31st March 1919.

      Just prior to their disbandment, the men of the section decided to form a Union, which was to be called "The Punjab University Brigade Signals Union". The funds remaining in the sports fund were supplemented by a general subscription from all members, and NaikHarnamDass was elected the secretary. The Government of Punjab issued a Press Communique, which was published in the Civil and Military Gazette of 9th December 1919, giving out the history of the Punjab University Brigade Signal Section. The Lieutenant Governor of Punjab also lauded the performance of the section during the 42nd Convocation of the Punjab University. The record of the section must be viewed in the light of similar experiments with students of other regions. Bengal and Madras University Signal Sections were also raised at Poona at the same time, as part of 43 Signal Company under the command of Captain JB Reid. The sections never came to full strength due to lack of volunteers and remained in Poona till they were disbanded in 1919. 

      The names of the men who served with the Punjab University Signal Section at any time are given below, in alphabetical order: -

Ahmad Said Khakhar             Ahmad Shafi Butt                  Amolak Ram

Asghar Ali Khan                     Atma Singh Dhaliwal             Aziz Ullah Khan

Badan Singh Saini                  Bali, K.N.                                Balwant Singh

Basant Singh Sodhi                Bishan Singh Gill                    Dayal Singh Gharjakhia

Dan Raj Singh Bhindar           Fateh Muhammad Khan         FazalQadir

Ganpat Rai Dhami                  Gian Chand Khanna               Ghulam Hussain Ahmadi

Gobindar Singh Dulat             Gopal Singh                            Gopal Singh Arora

Gurbachan Singh Chima         Gurbaksh Singh                      Gurbaksh Singh Gyani

Hamid Ullah Khan                  Harbhajan Singh Sodhi           Hardev Singh

Harish Chandra Khanna         HarnamDassBhanot                Hayat Muhammad

Hukam Chand Dhawan          Indar Mohan Lall                    IsharDass Saini

Ishar Singh Brar                      Ishar Singh Gill                       JaganNath Chopra

Jala-Ud-Din                            Jaswant Singh                         Kartar Singh Gill

Khan Zaman Awan                 Labh Singh                              Lal Khan

Lazarus Alfred                        Mangal Singh Gill                   Muhammad Asghar Khan

Muhammad Bashir Khan        Muhammad Mehdi Qureshi    Muhammad Munir Khan

Muhammad Nur                      Muhammad Shafi Sheikh       Muhammad Shah Beg

Mulk Raj Basudeva                Narindar Singh Botalia           Natha Singh

Nawab Ali Qureshi                 Partap Singh Garewal             PrabhuDayalGulat

Pritam Singh Khashtria           QadirBaksh Gujar                   Rachpal Singh Ahluwalia

Raja Ram Sahgal                     RamjiLallDathi                       Randhir Singh

Sant Ram Sethi                       Sawal Paul Singh                    Shamshad Ali Khan

Sher Singh Ghumman             SikandarLall                            Sita Ram Ahluwalia

SundarLall Sudan                   Sunder Singh Arora                Teja Singh Girgla

UggarSain                               Ujjagar Singh Brar

      The subsequent careers of some of the members of the Punjab Signal Section may interest the readers. Muhammad Munir Khan and Pritam Singh, who had been granted King's Commissions after passing out from the Daly Cadet College, Indore, reached the rank of brigadier in the Pakistan and Indian Armies respectively. Shamshad Ali Khan, Harnam Dass Bhanot, Inder Mohan Lal and Partap Singh Garewal joined the Indian Civil Service, and became distinguished administrators. Harbhajan Singh Sodhi, Harish Chandra Khanna and Sunder Singh Arora joined the Forest Service. Incidentally, two of Sodhi's sons, Gurdarshan and Manohar, were commissioned in the Corps of Signals, with the second one (MS Sodhi), reaching the rank of Lieutenant General, and becoming the Signal Officer-in-Chief. Rachpal Singh remained in Signals till 1927, when he transferred to the department of Military Lands and Cantonments, retiring as the Director General. Mangal Singh Gill became a member of the Punjab legislature.

(The article is extracted from THE HISTORY OF THE CORPS OF SIGNALS  - VOLUME -I, published in 1975 by the Corps of Signals Committee)