Major Gonville's Honor Finally Restored in India

New Cantonment Cemetery, Allahabad Now Looks Like This

Major Gonville's Grave Now

New Cantonment Cemetery, Allahabad in February 2010 Before its was Mentioned in My Blog

Broken Memorial of Major Gonville alongside the Regimental Memorial of 24th Regiment

Major Gonville's Grave in February 2010

Graves of Many Other Soldiers

Major Gonville Bromhead, V.C.

Its gives me immense satisfaction to covey to my readers that the Honour of Major Gonville Bromhead, V.C. has finally been restored in India. The story goes back to February 2010 in the heart of military cantonment of Allahabad when I had the opportunity to visit the New Cantonment Cemetery where many fallen soldiers of the Indian Army have been buried alongside their Regimental Memorials. One such soldier was Major Gonville Bromhead who fought bravely in the famous Battle of Rorke's Drift (Natal, South Africa) in the Anglo-Boer War on 22-23 January 1879. Setting a fine example and conducting himself with great gallantry in most trying circumstances during the defense of Rorke's Drift, Bromhead was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to Commonwealth countries.

Interestingly in the same battle a total of 11 Victoria Cross were awarded. The battle was also enacted in India at the famous Agra Fort to demonstrate military commanders how it was fought. Many historians wrote books on the battle and also a feature film titled Zulu was made in England.

To read full account of the battle and Film, readers may refer the link as :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorke's_Drift

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOV63yLPYEA&feature=related

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulu_(film)

The officer finally died in India on 9 February 1892 due to typhoid at Camp Dabhaura, Allahabad and was buried at Plot B-1, Grave 66, New Cantonment Cemetery, Allahabad. A memorial with a plaque in the Havard Chapel and his name on the colour pole in Brecon Cathedral was also placed. Alongside the Grave at Allahabad Cemetery is the 24th Regiment (of Major Gonville) Memorial with the engraving of other veterans from the Anglo-Zulu War. The Cemetery also contain Graves and Memorials of fallen Indian Army soldiers who fought unto their lives to defend the honor of nation as far as South Africa, Egypt, East Africa, Burma, Afghanistan, NWFP....It is endless.

Unfortunately, when I visited the Cemetery, Major Gonville's grave was in complete ruins surrounded by animal waste and the memorial broken. The caretaker there was not interested the his work and was rather using that historical space for selling milk. I took the photographs of all that and published an article in the blog.

Original Articles in My Blog:

http://theindiananalysis.blogspot.com/2010/01/recipient-of-victoria-cross-major.html

http://theindiananalysis.blogspot.com/2010/02/once-dead-always-forgotten.html

The issue was picked up by the British media and Zulu War Forum and the British Administration also took a serious note of it. The article was also republished in the famous British Daily The Independent as:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/rorkes-drift-heros-grave-lies-in-ruins-1884349.html

The Zulu War Forum as:

http://1879zuluwar.talk-forums.com/t1659p30-bromhead-s-broken-grave#7032

Finally, a team from the Commonwealth War Grave Commission arrived in India and has fully restored the Cemetery; a work which an Indian Army Division stationed there could have easily done without such an effort. But.... that doesn't seems to be its Key Result Area or in military terminology known as the KRA!!!

Plight of Few Good Women from the Indian Army

Lady officers granted commission in the Indian Army in 1997 and who were due for discharge on 7 March 2011 can now, have a sign of relief; as the Honorable Supreme Court has restrained the Army from discharging them, pending a decision on grant of permanent commission.

It must be noted that the Indian Army had challenged the Delhi High Court verdict allowing women the grant of permanent commission in the armed forces (women officers till date are taken on SSC for a maximum period of 14 years only unlike their male counterparts who have the option of permanent commission during the short service tenure itself ). Though, the other two services went ahead with the decision, Army expressed reluctance siting various reasons and had appealed against the court judgment

The Supreme Court had last year stayed initiation of contempt proceedings against the Army on account of non-implementation of the HC orders when the government promised that it will dispassionately examine the issue of grant of permanent commission to women officers.

Despite being obtained the immunity from contempt proceeding, the Army continued discharging the lady officers and did not bother about the orders of the court. It was finally shown the might of the judiciary that no institution is above the law of the land.

Government of India has also instituted a high-powered committee headed by a Lieutenant General to examine the issue and on 11 January 2011 had sought six weeks to revert back to the court.

A lady officer, who had been discharged earlier due to non-implementation of the HC judgment, had accused the Army of suffering from gender bias in not granting permanent commission to the women who work shoulder to shoulder with other similarly placed gentlemen officers in non-combat arms of armed forces.