THE MAHRATTA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11731, 22 June 1916, Page 4

THE MAHRATTA.

CINDERELLA OF INDIAN ARMY. The Cinderella of the Indian Army here, writes Mr Edmund Candler, tho representative of the British Press with the Expeditionary Force in Mesopotamia, is undoubtedly the Mahratta. Ono heard liitlo or nothing of him in France. Yet it was a Mahratta who earned the Medaiile Militaire—l bslievc the first bestowed on an Indian --for an unobtrusive littlo bit of work at Giveuehy on December 11. 191-1. We took a German saphead that day and drove the Germans down their communication trench, and then we had to sap'back to our own lines wliilo another sap was being driven forward to meet us. For twonty-threo hours \the small party was cut oft' from the rest of the line, and they woiked steadily with their backs to the. enemy, bombed at and fired on tho wholo lime. Supplies and ammunition ran short, and we threw them a rope with a stone on it, and they dragged ammunition and food and bombs into the trench, bumping over the German dead, and the Mahratta took his turn at the traverse, covering the party as cool as a Scot. Up to and 'including Gtesiphon no Mahratta battalion was given a position to attack which it did not take. At Ctesiphon they covered themselves with glory. The British regiments brigaded with them all speak well of these hard-bitten many a villager of Norfolk, Dorset, or Oxford will remember the Mahratta and think of him as a person one can trust. Tho Mahratta battalions are not. strictly speaking, class regiments, for they each contain a double company of Dekkani Mohammedans. _ These, but for their inherited religion, are not very widely separated from the Mahrattas. They* too. have brought honour to the Dekkan, At Ctesiphon a double company of tliera were attacking a position. They lost all five officers—the British subaltern, killed; two Jamadars wounded, two Subadaxs killed; ono Subadar. Mirza. Ru&tum Beg, was wounded twice in the attack, but went on and received his deathwound within twenty-five yards of the enemy, Tlie rest of the company went, in.'led by the havildars, and took tho trench at the point of the bayonet. That is not a bad record for a class of 'sepoy who has probably never been mentioned in the newspapers during tho war. But it has been a war at "surprises." and one of the morals or i Mesopotamia is that one ought not ».o I be surprised, at anything. .