WITHIN ACE OF DEATH

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVII, Issue 4458, 17 October 1933, Page 6

WITHIN ACE OF DEATH

BRAVE BRITISH WOMAN. STORY OF COOL COURAGE. A splendid story of the cool courage displayed by a British officer's wife in India was revealed at the court-martial at Poona on Jan Singh, lance-corporal of the Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners, who, on December 30 last, shot at and seriously wounded Captain R. L. Thompson, of the same regiment. Mrs. Blake, wife Of Captain Blake, the adjutant of the regiment, described the dramatic sequence oi events. It was revealed for the first time that she *was holding Captain Thompson's young baby at the time of the outrage. In court she was dressing in a morning frock ol light green, with not hat. Her husband sat beside her to the left of the court, with seven other officers. In a clear voice, Mrs. Blake related: "I was holding Captain Thompson's baby when the Sikh arrived at the bungalow and asked for the sahib. I went inside and said, 'Captain Thompson, a man with a gun wants to see you.' 'Gun,' Captain Thompson exclaimed in surprise, and walked past me outside. "I saw the soldier make a movement, there was a deafening report, and I saw Captain Thompson crumple up on the verandah. I ran to the side door in order to call someone from the officers' mess. I caught a glimpse of the Sikh looking down his rifle barrel and taking aim at me."

Mrs. Blake, with her arm outstretched, gave a dramatic representation of the would-be assassin's position.

"I was still holding the baby close to me," she continued, "and I stopped. There was a second deafening report as the man fired." This was apparently the shot that was reported to have passed near Mrs. Blake's head.

' Mrs. Blake continued: "I ran back inside the house, and found Captain Thompson staggering in. His wife rushed to his assistance. I handed the baby to the ayah and ran back to the door. I saw the Sikh approaching another bungalow. I jumped into Captain Thompson's car, but it refused to start, so I abandoned the idea and ran openly to the officers' mess, where I raised the alarm." Mrs. Blake was asked whether she could use firearms. "No," she replied, "but I shall in future. I believe the only reason why the soldier shot at me was because I went to try and obtain help." When Lance-corporal Jan Singh was captured and charged after a dramatic man hunt in the jungle lasting five days, he declared before the magistrate that he had intended to kill the colonel of the regiment and the subadar major. This was as a protest to the new arrangement that Sikhs of different casts were to mess together.