- Saturday, April 27, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE northern Israeli coastal city of Haifa on Thursday (7) paid tributes to the Indian soldiers who were martyred in the region during the First World War (1914-18) to liberate the city from the Ottoman rule in what most war historians consider “the last great cavalry campaign in history”.
Every year, the Indian Army commemorates September 23 as Haifa Day to pay tributes to three Indian Cavalry Regiments – Mysore, Hyderabad and Jodhpur Lancers – that helped liberate Haifa following an adventurous cavalry action by the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade.
Indian Captain Aman Singh Bahadur and Dafadar Jor Singh were awarded the Indian Order of Merit (IOM) in this battle while Captain Anop Singh and Second Lieutenant Sagat Singh were awarded the Military Cross.
Major Dalpat Singh, widely popular as the Hero of Haifa, was awarded a military cross.
Addressing the gathering at the Indian cemetery in Haifa, India’s Ambassador to Israel Sanjeev Singla described the daring charge led by the Indian soldiers as “probably one of the last of classical cavalry actions in an era that saw the ushering in of industrialisation and large-scale mechanisation of war”.
Indian cavalry regiments armed with spears and swords had displayed the highest tradition of valour and cleared the enemy from the rocky slopes of Mt. Carmel, Igal Graiver, a local historian, told Press Trust of India.
“Over one million Indian soldiers served and fought in World War I in distant lands far away from their homes. Today, we commemorate the courage and sacrifice of many such Indian soldiers who laid down their lives, as their loved ones back in India longingly waited in the hope of their safe return,” Singla said.
Noting that these soldiers represented all major faiths and regions of India, the Indian ambassador said this “tribute shows that their courage and their sacrifice will never be forgotten and continue to inspire us for all times to come”.
“This is a day of remembrance and thankfulness, and to acknowledge our eternal debt to those who have served our country,” he said.
In a symbolic gesture of friendship with Israel, India renamed the iconic Teen Murti Chowk, a war memorial, during the visit of former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Delhi in January 2018 to Teen Murti Haifa Chowk. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to the Haifa cemetery during his visit to Israel in July 2017 and unveiled a plaque commemorating Major Dalpat Singh.
“I am deeply honoured to stand here today to salute the valiant Indian soldiers, who laid down their lives for the liberation of Haifa during the WW I,” Modi had written in the guest book.
