The Singapore mutiny 1915 against british rulers by INDIAN army

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HISTORY - On #ThisDayInHistory, a Mutiny broke out among Indian soldiers in Singapore. It was known as 'The 1915 Singapore Mutiny' or '1915 Sepoy Mutiny' or 'Mutiny of the 5th Light Infantry'.

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The Singapore mutiny

Loyal subject: Indian Army gunners with howitzers in Jerusalem in 1917. According to the bbc.co.uk, official figures suggest that more than 64,000 Indian soldiers died in WWI, as the Indian Army fought in every major theatre of operations. — US Library of Congress/public domain
Loyal subject: Indian Army gunners with howitzers in Jerusalem in 1917. According to the bbc.co.uk, official figures suggest that more than 64,000 Indian soldiers died in WWI, as the Indian Army fought in every major theatre of operations. — US Library of Congress/public domain
Some 800 Indian soldiers rose up against their British officers in a bloody rebellion in the heart of Singapore.

On Feb 15, 1915, the first mutiny of World War I broke out, and it did not happen on the battlefields of Europe.
It happened in Singapore, when 800 soldiers of the Indian Army’s 5th Light Infantry Brigade emerged from their barracks and killed their British officers before spreading out through the city.
By the time the last mutineers were rounded up on Feb 20 by companies of the 1st/4th Battalion, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (Territorials) that had arrived from Rangoon (now Yangon), 47 British nationals were dead, 13 of them civilians. A French citizen and three Russians were wounded.
What sparked this outburst of violence? What prompted the sepoys (as Indian infantry were called) of the 5th Light Infantry to turn their guns on their officer corps, proceed through Singapore and lay siege to the bungalow of their commanding officer, Colonel E.V. Martin?
The trigger lay an ocean away with the Ghadar Party, formed in 1913 in the United States by Indian nationalist Har Dayal.
Ghadar” means “mutiny” or “rebellion” in Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi, and the party advocated, as its name suggested, an uprising, calling on Indian soldiers deployed overseas to support Indian independence and rise up against their British officers.
The party actively targeted British Indian regiments with its ideas, its first attempt being receptive soldiers in the 130th Baluchi Regiment in Bombay (now Mumbai) who were persuaded to mutiny on Jan 21, 1915. However, this plot was defused by British authorities, who reassigned the soldiers to different outposts.
According to the Gadar Heritage Foundation website, the Ghadar association was originally formed because 'Only people from a free country ... could live in dignity and fight for their rights in alien lands'. Among its plans then was the idea of spreading 'disaffection among Indian soldiers in the service of British Imperialism and prepare them to mutiny'. This Gurdwara, or Sikh temple, in Stockton, California, was one of the centres of activity in America in 1912. - gadar.homestead.com
According to the Gadar Heritage Foundation website, the Ghadar association was originally formed
because ‘Only people from a free country ... could live in dignity and fight for their rights in alien
lands’. Among its plans then was the idea of spreading ‘disaffection among Indian soldiers in the
service of British Imperialism and prepare them to mutiny’. This Gurdwara, or Sikh temple, in
Stockton, California, was one of the centres of activity in America in 1912. — gadar.homestead.com
This, however, could not be done in Singapore with the all-Muslim 5th Light Infantry, which was made up of Ranghars, or Rajput Muslims, and Muslim Pathans; the Muslims became the target of Ghadar Party propaganda when the Ottoman Empire entered World War I on Germany’s side. Mehmed V, the empire’s Sultan, was widely regarded as a leading authority in the Muslim world, so when he issued a fatwa calling for all Muslims to oppose the British, it carried a lot of weight.
Factor in the activities of local religious leader Nur Alum Shah and a pro-Turkey Gujerati coffee shop owner, Kassim Mansur – both of whom fed the sepoys with anti-British ideals – and the stage was set for an uprising.
All the situation needed was a match to set Singapore alight ...
On Feb 15, 1915, the General Officer Commanding Singapore addressed the regiment’s farewell parade – and did not mention that it was headed for Hong Kong. This triggered the camp rumour mill, with three Indian officers, Subedar Dunde Khan, Jemedar Christi Khan and Jemedar Ali Khan, fanning speculation that the soldiers would be deployed to Europe or, even worse, against Ottoman forces.
At 3.30pm on the same day, four of the eight companies of the Light Infantry rose up, along with 100 men of the Malay States Guides Mule Battery, and killed two British officers who tried to restore order. Dividing themselves into three groups, 100 proceeded to kill 10 British guards as they raided the Tanglin Barracks for ammunition, with three British men escaping to raise the alarm.
The mutineers also tried – mostly in vain – to persuade the 309 Germans interned there to join them.
The soldiers then moved to Keppel Harbour and Pasir Panjang where they killed 18 civilians, while another group laid siege to Col Martin’s home, blocking the route into Singapore town.
In response, the British imposed martial law, and marines from HMS Cadmus were deployed along with British, Malay and Chinese Volunteer units and a small number of British regular troops; Vice-Admiral Sir Martyn Jerram also sent out a radio call for help from any allied warships near Singapore.
By daylight the next day, Feb 16, British troops had successfully retaken the regimental barracks and the mutineers had scattered, fighting sporadic skirmishes with volunteers, sailors and marines.
By Feb 17, three allied ships had arrived: the French cruiser Montcalm, the Russian auxiliary cruiser Orel, and Japanese warships Otowa and Tsushima. With the added deployment, most of the mutineers were killed or wounded, prompting the rebellion to lose direction.
In the aftermath of the mutiny, which finally ended on Feb 20, a court of inquiry was held. The court ran until May 15, and concluded that agents had incited and swayed the mutineers using nationalistic and religious sentiments.
Following this, 200 sepoys faced court-martial, with 47, including Kassim Mansur, executed publicly by firing squad at Outram Prison, in front of over 15,000 spectators. Some 73 more were given terms of imprisonment ranging from seven to 20 years while 64 others were transported for life, bringing to an end one of the more curious episodes of the Great War.

Information sourced from eresources.nlb.gov.sg (tinyurl.com/p3ftwph) and history.com (tinyurl.com/ofsvw97).



British Empire: The Map Room: Asia: Malaya: Images: World War I
finally they were arrested by the brutal British army and executed by firing as seen in this photo;on february 15 -1915


1915 Singapore Mutiny

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The 1915 Singapore Mutiny, also known as the 1915 Sepoy Mutiny, or Mutiny of the 5th Native Light Infantry was a mutiny involving up to half of 850 sepoys (Indian soldiers) against the British in Singapore during the First World War, linked with the 1915 Ghadar Conspiracy. The mutiny, on 15 February 1915, lasted nearly seven days and resulted in the deaths of 47 British soldiers and local civilians, before it was finally quelled by British forces and Allied naval detachments.

History

See also: Ghadar Mutiny
The Ghadar party (Ghadar is an Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi word for "mutiny" or "rebellion") was formed in the United States in 1913 by Har Dayal, with the aim of ousting the British from India, by armed revolution. The Ghadrites anticipated that Indian soldiers posted overseas would ally with them in their cause, and actively targeted them with propaganda, encouraging them to mutiny against the British. A few months after the outbreak of the First World War, the Ghadrites had attempted to incite elements of the 130th Baluchi Regiment at Bombay to mutiny, on 21 January 1915. The authorities had become aware of the plan however, and had taken preventive action by reassigning the soldiers to other outposts.[1] The Ghadrites then turned their attention to Singapore, whose regular garrison at this time consisted of only a single regiment of Indian soldiers plus a few British artillerymen and Royal Engineers, protecting British strategic interests.

Indian 5th Light Infantry

The 5th Light Infantry Regiment of the Indian Army arrived in Singapore from Madras in October 1914. They had been sent to replace the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, which had been ordered to France.[2] The regiment was a long established one dating from 1803. Unusually for 1914-15 it was an entirely Muslim unit. The 5th LI mainly comprised Ranghars (Muslims of Rajput origin) and Pathans, commanded by British and Indian officers. Poor communication between the sepoys and their officers, slack discipline and a weak leadership meant that the troops' were disaffected, and propaganda from the Ghadar Party in India, campaigning for Indian independence from British rule, further disaffected the troops stationed in Singapore.
The specifically military grievances which led to the mutiny of the 5th LI, centred on the personality of the commanding officer at the time of the mutiny, Lieutenant-Colonel E. V. Martin. He had been promoted from major in the regiment, although the previous colonel had reported that he was unpopular with his fellow officers and that he inspired little respect among the men. His appointment led to disunity amongst the British officers, which was in turn reflected by division amongst the Indian officers over the promotion to commissioned rank of a colour-halvidar. These issues, which might under ordinary circumstances have been of limited impact, were aggregated by disruptive external influences arising from both the Ghadar Party propaganda noted above and the entry of Turkey into the War.[3]

Incitement

Mehmed V, the Sultan of Turkey, was one of the three emperors of the Central Powers during the First World War
Mehmed V, the Sultan of Turkey, who sided with Germany after the First World War broke out, was widely regarded as the leader of the Muslim world. When Britain declared war on Turkey, the Muslims, including those in Singapore, were urged to oppose the British by a fatwa issued by the sultan.[4] A pro-Turkey Gujarati coffee-shop owner, Kassim Mansur, visited the sepoys and even invited them to his home. Together with Nur Alum Shah, a religious leader, Mansur instilled anti-British feelings in the sepoys, and told them it was their religious duty to rise up against the British.[5]

The mutiny

On 27 January 1915, Colonel Martin announced that the 5th Light Infantry was to be transferred to Hong Kong for further garrison duties, replacing another Indian regiment. However, rumours were circulated among the sepoys that they might instead be sent to Europe, or to Turkey to fight against their Muslim co-religionists.[6] Three Indian officers, Subedar Dunde Khan, Jemedar Christi Khan, and Jemedar Ali Khan, were later to be identified by a court of enquiry as key conspirators in this matter.[7] When the final order to sail to Hong Kong aboard the Nile arrived in February 1915, these and other ring-leaders amongst the sepoys decided that it was time to rebel. On the morning of 15 February the General Officer Commanding Singapore addressed a farewell parade of the regiment, complimenting the sepoys on their excellent turn-out and referring to their departure the next day, without mentioning Hong Kong as the destination. At 3:30 pm on the afternoon of the same day, four Rajput companies of the eight companies making up the 5th Light Infantry[8] with 100 men of the Malay States Guides Mule Battery mutinied. The mostly Pathan sepoys of the remaining four companies did not join the mutiny but scattered in confusion. Two British officers of the regiment were killed as they attempted to restore order. The mutineers divided themselves into three groups. A party of 100 went to obtain ammunition from Tanglin Barracks, where 309 Germans, including crew members from the German light cruiser SMS Emden, had been interned by the British. The mutineers fired on the camp guards and officers without warning, killing ten British guards, three Johore troops present in the camp and one German internee. Three British and one German wounded survived the attack as did eight Royal Army Medical Corps personnel in the camp hospital, including one who managed to escape under heavy fire to raise the alarm. The mutineers tried to persuade the Germans to join them, but many of the latter were shaken by the sudden violence and reluctant to do so. Some German sailors and reservists wanted to join with the mutineers but the majority of internees adopted a neutral stance, refusing to accept rifles from the Indians.[9][10] Thirty-five Germans escaped but the rest remained in the barracks.[6]
As it was the middle of the Chinese New Year, most of the Chinese Volunteers Corps were on leave, leaving Singapore almost defenceless against the mutiny. The British government was caught unprepared, and other mutineers went on a killing spree at Keppel Harbour and Pasir Panjang, killing 18 European and local civilians. Martial law was imposed and marines from HMS Cadmus went ashore to join with British, Malay and Chinese Volunteer units and the small number of British regular troops forming part of the garrison.[11] British Vice-Admiral Sir Martyn Jerram sent a radio message requesting help from any allied warships nearby.[6]
A group of mutineers laid siege to the bungalow of the commanding officer of the 5th Light Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel E. V. Martin, which effectively blocked the route into Singapore Town. Colonel Martin and a detachment of the hastily mobilised Malay States Volunteer Rifles held out through the night of the 15th, under sporadic fire. Loyal sepoys who tried to join them were ordered to "go to a safe place" to prevent their being confused in the dark with mutineers. With daylight the defenders were successful in retaking the regimental barracks but the action cost one killed and five wounded.[12] The mutineers scattered, and despite sniper fire the general population stayed calm while the volunteers, sailors and marines fought sporadic skirmishes with the mutineers.

Allied forces

The Montcalm (1898–1926), an armoured cruiser of the French Navy, responded to Vice-Admiral Jerram's call for help
On 17 February, the French cruiser Montcalm, followed by the Russian auxiliary cruiser Orel, and Japanese warships Otowa and Tsushima arrived.[13] The allies' marines were immediately mobilised, and advanced on the mutineers. A fierce battle ensued in which many of the mutineers were killed or wounded. Lacking strong leadership, the mutiny started to lose direction – a large number of the mutineers surrendered immediately, and the rest scattered into the jungles, to wage a sniping war on the allies. Many tried to cross the Strait of Johore, but were quickly rounded up by the Sultan of Johore's army.[14]
On 20 February, companies of the 1st/4th Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry (Territorials) arrived from Rangoon, to relieve the sailors and the marines. They succeeded in quickly rounding up the last of the mutineers.

Trial and public executions

The public executions of convicted sepoy mutineers at Outram Road, Singapore, c. March 1915
On 23 February 1915 a Court of Inquiry was held, at first in secret but then publicly, to ensure that a fair trial was seen to have been carried out in the crown colony. It lasted until 15 May 1915. Although extensive discord amongst both officers and men of the 5th LI was identified, the cause of the mutiny was not conclusively established. However the inquiry agreed that insidious agents had incited the mutineers, who were swayed either by nationalistic or religious sentiments, to band together to fight against their perceived injustice.[15]
More than 200 sepoys were tried by court-martial, and 47 were executed, including Kassim Mansoor. Nur Alam Shah was not put on trial, although he was exposed as an active Indian nationalist with links to Ghadar.[16] Instead he was detained and deported, as the British did not want to stir up trouble among their Muslim subjects. Sixty-four were transported for life, and 73 were given terms of imprisonment ranging from 7 to 20 years. The public executions by firing squad took place at Outram Prison, witnessed by an estimated 15,000 people. The Straits Times reported:this photo removed probably by the firing squad country-Great(est) Britain,may be feeling guilty for the killings now.
An enormous crowd, reliably estimated at more than 15,000 people, was packed on the slopes of Sepoy Lines looking down on the scene. The square as before was composed of regulars, local volunteers and Shropshire under the command of Colonel Derrick of the Singapore Volunteer Corps (SVC). The firing party consisted of men from the various companies of SVC under Captain Tongue and Lieutenant Blair and Hay.[17]
The remnants of the 5th Light Infantry, numbering 588 sepoys plus seven British and Indian officers, left Singapore on 3 July 1915 to see active service in the Cameroons and German East Africa. They were not accompanied by Colonel Martin, who was heavily criticised by a court of inquiry and then retired from the Army. In 1922 the 5th Light Infantry was disbanded.[1] Much the same fate befell the Malay States Guides; they were sent to Kelantan in Malaya to quell Tok Janggut's uprising at Pasir Puteh in April 1915. Afterwards the Guides were sent to fight in Africa and were disbanded in 1919.[18]

Aftermath

The 1915 Singapore Mutiny Memorial Tablet at the entrance of the Victoria Memorial Hall, Singapore
The episode persuaded much of the British community in Singapore that they could no longer depend on Indian soldiers to garrison the colony. Although Japanese, French and Russian sailors and marines had helped to suppress the mutiny there was increasing doubt as to whether reliance could be placed on Britain's wartime allies for future help in the perpetuation of their empire. Subsequently, all Indian nationals in Singapore were required to register, causing ill-feelings amongst a predominantly loyal community.[19]
In order to enhance Singapore's internal security, the British passed the "Reserve Force and Civil Guard Ordinance" in August 1915, requiring compulsory military service from all male subjects between 15 and 55 years of age who were not in the armed forces, volunteers or police.[18]
It has been argued that the mutiny was an event that not only caught the British off-guard but also shook the foundation of British rule in Singapore.[20] However the absence of involvement by the population of Singapore in an affair involving a battalion from India on temporary garrison duty in the colony makes this a doubtful contention.
Sensing weakness in Britain's handling of the mutiny, extreme Indian revolutionaries began to court overseas sepoys more aggressively, and cultivated a friendship with Japan for the overthrow of the British in India. Their plans bore fruit with the formation of the Indian National Army, led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, during the Second World War Japanese occupation of Singapore.

Commemoration

To commemorate the event and those British soldiers and civilians killed during the mutiny, two memorial tablets were erected at the entrance of the Victoria Memorial Hall and four plaques in St Andrew's Cathedral.[21] In addition, two roads were later named in memory of two of the casualties as Harper Road and Holt Road, after Corporal J. Harper and Private A. J. G. Holt respectively.[22]

References

Notes

  1. Sareen, "Preface".
  2. "Commentary on the Mutiny". The New York Times. 2 May 1915.
  3. Philip Mason, page 426 "A Matter of Honour", ISBN 0-333-41837-9
  4. Ban, p. 53.
  5. Sareen, "Report Section II" pp. 39–40.
  6. Sareen, pp. 11–14.
  7. Harper, R.W.E. (1984). Singapore Mutiny. Oxford University Press. p. 22. ISBN 0-19-582549-7.
  8. Philip Mason, pages 426-427 "A Matter of Honour", ISBN 0-333-41837-9
  9. R.W.E. Harper & Harry Miller, pages 62-71 "Singapore Mutiny", ISBN 0-19-582549-7
  10. Herbert, Edwin (2003). Small Wars and Skirmishes: 1902-1918 - Early Twentieth-century Colonial Campaigns in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Foundry books. p. 223. ISBN 1-901543-05-6.
  11. R.W.E. Harper & Harry Miller, pages 122-123 "Singapore Mutiny", ISBN 0-19-582549-7
  12. "Narrative of Their Doings in the Mutiny". The Straits Times. 26 April 1915.
  13. Sareen, pp. 14–15.
  14. "The Mutiny". The Straits Times. 26 March 1915.
  15. Sareen, "Report Section II".
  16. Ban, "Tales of Unrest", pp. 28–29.
  17. "Execution of Twenty Two Renegades". The Straits Times. 26 March 1915.
  18. Ban, pp. 56—58.
  19. Sareen, "Proclamation Under Martial Law", p. 822.
  20. Kuwajima, p. 1.
  21. "1915 Indian (Singapore) Mutiny". Singapore Infopedia. Archived from the original on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-14.
  22. Savage, p. 145, 150.

Bibliography

  • Sareen, T.R. (1995). Secret Documents On Singapore Mutiny 1915. New Delhi: Mounto Publishing House. ISBN 81-7451-009-5.
  • Ban, Kah Choon (2001). Absent History: The Untold Story of Special Branch Operations in Singapore 1915–1942. Singapore: SNP Media Asia. ISBN 981-4071-02-1.
  • Kuwajima, Sho (1988). First World War and Asia–Indian Mutiny in Singapore (1915). Japan: Osaka University.
  • Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2004). Toponymics–A Study of Singapore Street Names (2nd Ed). Singapore: Eastern Universities Press. ISBN 981-210-364-3.

Further reading




1915 Singapore Mutiny Memorial Tablet



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