HEROIC INDIAN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25660, 7 October 1944, Page 8

HEROIC INDIAN

GALLANTRY UNDER FIRE AWARDED VICTORIA CROSS RUGBY, Oct. 5. The Victoria Cross has been awarded to Rifleman (acting Corporal) Agan Sing Rai, Fifth Royal Gurkha Rifles, Frontier Force, Indian Army. The citation states that in Burma on June .25, after fierce fighting, the enemy, with greatly superior forces, captured two posts known as Water Piquet and Mortar Bluff. Their possession by the enemy threatened our communications, and a company of the Fifth Royal Gurkha Rifles was ordered to recapture the positions. About eight yards from the objective the company was pinned down by heavy and accurate fire from the enemy in the jungle and suffered many casualties. Rai, appreciating that more delay would inevitably result in heavier casualties, at once led a section under withering fire directly at a machinegun and charged the position, himself killing three of the machine-gun crew of four. Inspired by his coolness, the section soon routed the enemy from Mortar Bluff, which, however, was soon under intense fire from the position of Water Piquet. Rai and his escort at once again advanced and wiped out a machine-gun crew. They then returned to Mortar Bluff, after having suffered severe casualties, and joined up with the rest of the platoon, which was forming up for the final assault on Water Piquet. Once more Rai advanced through devastating fire, and with a grenade and bursts from a sub-machine-gun he killed another ma-chine-gun crew. The enemy became demoralised and fled, and the position was captured.