Social media was also abuzz with war cries and victory calls by cricket fans of both countries. It didn't occur to many that exactly a hundred years ago, on February 15, 1915, people from their country had brought Singapore to a standstill in what was one of the darkest episodes in that country's history—the Singapore Mutiny.
READ ALSO: Singapore Mutiny of 1915 — a standalone episode not linked to freedom struggle
In early 1915, the First World War was at its height in Europe. The eight-company-strong 5th Light Infantry Regiment had been stationed in Singapore since October 1914 and had seen growing unrest among its rank and file. The men came from areas in modern-day Punjab, Haryana and Delhi NCR, and many of the men either had blood relations or came from the same village or locality.
Though all the companies were predominantly Muslim, religion was hardly a uniting factor. British sources claim, and this is highly possible, that there was intense jealousy and rivalry among the men of the left wing — mostly Pathans — and right wing — mostly Muslim Rajputs. So when a Pathan was promoted as a Viceroy's Commissioned Officer, the Rajputs took offence. This may have been one of the reasons for the mutiny but it was definitely a minor one. Real trouble broke out when the commanding officer announced in a parade that the regiment was being sent to Hong Kong to take up imperial duties.
It's highly possible that the men didn't quite understand what the CO said. But there were rumours that the regiment was either being packed off to the Middle East to fight the forces of the Caliph or to Europe to fight the Kaiser's troops—both caused great anguish among the troops.
On February 15, one sepoy Ismail Khan of C company fired at an ammunition lorry from the quarter guard near Alexandra Barracks. Soon, sepoys, NCOs and VCOs of the right wing looted weapons and ammunition from the armoury, and ran amok, firing their weapons at any white officer who came their way. Over the next one week, they killed European officers and civilians, and even liberated the crew of the German warship SS Emden that had bombarded Madras in September 1914. The British Empire in the Far East was rattled.
To many British, it brought back memories of the Revolt of 1857. The Empire reacted quickly and, let's say, rather brutally.
A multinational force was assembled and assistance from every vessel that could float and every European who could hold a gun was sought. Over the next one week, Singapore witnessed pitched battles between rebel sepoys and others, leading to much bloodshed. We don't have any memoirs left behind by the rebels, but there are first-hand accounts by Europeans in Singapore, including one by a German PoW who later took credit for inciting the sepoys to rebel. However, one account from the British perspective has recently come to the public domain.
Penned by a "colonial couple", Edwin and Mary Brown, for their daughter in 1925, this diary recently transcribed and released as a book to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the mutiny. "Edwin was an officer in the Volunteers and kept notes during the mutiny, which he wrote up for his daughter in 1925. A copy was kept at the Imperial War Museum and we have transcribed it for the first time. Although short, and naturally very partisan, this first-person account does offer a fascinating insight into the revolt from the British perspective," said Philip Tatham, the publisher.
Going by the account, the family, like many other Europeans, had a tough time in the immediate aftermath of the mutiny. They took refuge in the famous Raffles Hotel and lived to tell the tale. Many others weren't so lucky—12 British officers and 14 European civilians were killed.
By February 22, the uprising had been put down, and quick trials and summary executions followed. A total of 47 sepoys were executed and many others were handed down prison sentences, including transportation for life. So, how much does the Indian Army remember it? "I don't think there's much to remember. I certainly cannot feel patriotic about a mutiny. As an officer of the Indian Army, I wouldn't want my Johnnies to shoot at me. And whatever nationalist propaganda we're handed today, I don't think the sepoys who mutinied really thought about freeing the country," said a retired Army veteran.
But another officer sees it differently: "We can't really dismiss the urge to be free that the people of that age felt. The poor soldier's needs were the same as today. So it's important to understand why the Singapore Mutiny actually happened. There should be a history of that, without a tinge of nationalism or vilification. Let's hope the hard truth would emerge someday. But for that, Indians will have to be more proactive. How many of us actually remembered February 15 or even 22? We were busy with the India-Pakistan and India-South Africa cricket matches."
Sadly, that "hard truth" may never emerge.
(Write to this correspondent at manimugdha.sharma@timesgroup.com)
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