Dogra Heroes and Heritage

DOGRA HEROES #2 GENERAL BAJ SINGH  Baj Singh was born in 1847 in the family of Santokh Singh, who was the jagridar of Barhori ( near Vijaypur in Samba District). He started his job as a Naik and rose tothe rank of General due to his excellence in battlefieds. During his military career, Baj Singh was sent for several important missions to Gilgit and Ladakh, the last of which was to assist the British agent in Gilgit.  General Baj Singh, an able administrator and a great soldier was martyred on March 3, 1895 at Chitral. He was so famous for his valour that several Ballads were sung in praise of this great Dogra Soldier.  "General Baj Singh, a fine old soldier and gentleman, who was always keen to be in the thickest of a fight, and whose keenness had now led him to the front when by rights he should have been more in rear, was shot down on one side of Captain Townshend, while Major Bhikam Singh, another brave old Dogra officer, was mortally wounded on the other...

 DOGRA HEROES #1 PRAKASH SINGH CHIB The only VICTORIA CROSS recipient of Jammu and Kashmir.  Prakash Singh Chib was born to Udham Singh and his wife, Giano, on April 1,1913 in Kana Chak village, Kathua. He enlisted as a boy soldier into the 13th Frontier Rifles, formerly the Punjab Infantry. With the outbreak of Second World War, his regiment was assigned to the 100th Indian Infantry Brigade and part of the 20th Indian Division. This Division joined the Burma Campaign in 1943. (Brian Best)  On 16/17 February 1945 at Kanlan Ywathit, Burma (now Myanmar), Jemadar Prakash Singh Chib was commanding a platoon which took the main weight of fierce enemy attacks. He was wounded in both ankles and relieved of his command, but when his second-in-command was also wounded, he crawled back and took command of his unit again, directing operations and encouraging his men. He was wounded in both legs a second time but he continued to direct the defense, dragging himself from p...