I am posting in OTHER again because I am not sure of where the best place to post this. However it does follow up somewhat perhaps the mad captain post topic that I started.

On April 23, 1930 the Indian Army under British officers of course attempted to suppress a general strike in the city of Peshawar that a non-violent sect formed in the late 1920s had organized. For 6 hours between 11 and 5 PM Indian soldiers fired into unarmed civilians killing some estimates have it as many as 400 city citizens. Amongst the fascinating consequences of this sad event is that at least one platoon of the Garhwal Rifles refused to fire and were all disarmed and court-martialled. Does anyone know where I can read the BEST detailed and archivally referenced account(s) of this? No one apparently has responded yet to my query about the humanity of British Imperial (including "colonial") men and officers during the war. Just a couple of days ago I came across this fascinating incident. The man who organized this 1930 event was a great friend of Ghandi and he was a Muslim called Abdul Ghaffar Khan.
I do hope people will respond with good details. Although the civilian prisoners were quickly released after negotiations the military prisoners (that is the disarmed and then court-martialled Garhwalis all served their full sentences).
Tx
John

John,
PM me as I have the History of the Garwhal Rifles which mentions this incident.
Lionboxer

If this is the part of the demonstration that ocurred in Qissa Khwani Bazaar, just down from Kabuli Gate, there were two armoured cars involved - not Indian Army. To the best of my recollection, there is a British Official History published.
I am away from my references but will look into them when I get back.
I doubt very much that "400" were killed. The memorial there to the incident does not mention that figure.

Chris Henschke

"Official History of Operations on the NW Frontier of India 1930-35" gives a full detailed account of the incident.

I have to say that it is completely different to your statement of events and having just read the report the troops showed considerable restraint. No doubt, an Indian myth has grown around the incident. Estimates of 400 dead are way over the top, the crowd was certainly not unarmed or peaceful stikers. They were trying to free 2 arrested men from a police station and troops were called when the police were attacked by the mob.
The rioters were given chances to withdraw and the order to fire (given by a senior police officer) was given after a British soldier had been dragged away, beaten and set on fire (killed) and Indian soldiers attacked. The shooting was limited and used to rescue the crew of an armoured car which had been set on fire.

17 men of No. 4 Platoon, 'B' Coy, 2/18th Garwhals refused to obey the order to fire and were court martialled.

But the facts have never stood in the way of a good myth!

Steve

Can you please give the FULL bibliographical details of the official history that you refer to?
Thanks,
John

John,
I can't believe it. I've had this book for sometime now and when my first opportunity to use it for info comes along things go wrong!! Firstly it wouldn't fit the scanner and now my digi camera won't download the page photos. Can you bear with me please 'til I can sort something. I could manually transcribe it all but it would take forever with my two fingers.
Briefly, nos 1 and 4 platoons of A company 2/18 Royal Garhwal Rifles were involved and refused to embuss on lorries to Pesharwar after the previous days trouble when shots were fired at a hostile mob. 2nd KOYLI were there as well as an armoured car. The Garhwalis fired three or four rounds per man, the armoured car fired ten rounds and the KOYLI fired twenty four rounds so it's hard to see how four hundred casualties were caused. The instigator of this all was the Subedar of 4 platoon but his sentence is not recorded. The NCO's of 2 and 4 platoons were sentenced to penal servitude for life through to three years vigorous imprisonment. The riflemen were all dismissed from service. The rest of the battalion were recorded as having carried out their duties in an exemplary manner.
The History is obviously more detailed than the above but I hope it will suffice until I can email you the full text.
Lionboxer

Thank you anyways for your consideration and prompt responses. I am definitely interested in obtain as full an account from the regimental history and/or the official history of operations on the nw frontier 1930 -1935.
Thanks,

John

Philip Mason in "A Matter of Honour" states that he was imprisoned until 1939. He apparently was disciplined earlier, and had a grudge. Moreover, the British officer was in hospital after being hit by a brick, and his successor was ineffectual.

There was a thorough investigation, but no evidence of political activism was found.

Moreover no demostration in Peshawar was "peaceful" at that period.

The figure of 400 sounds like a confusion with the Jalianwallah Bagh incident in 1919.

John,

The official history volume was published by the government of india in the late 1930's and had a very limted run.

You can now but the three volumes that make up the official history of N. W. Frontier of India 1920-25 (parts 1,2 &3) have been reprinted by the Naval & Military Press in association with the Imperial War Museum I think last year. Its a softback volume and can be ordered from the N&M website. The volume in question has ISBN of: 1843427648 and costs £24 plus p&p - see www.naval-military-press.com

Regards,

Matthew B.

Demonstrations in Peshawar are not peaceful today either.

Thanks Matthew. Found these volumes and yes they have all been reprinted by the N & M Press from London,UK. The regimental history apparently pages 16 to 21 were scanned and sent to me and I am planning to post them asap to this forum for everyone's use.
Thanks all,
John

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How does this compare to the Nanking Massacre or Krystalnacht?

In what context? Casualties, reasons, methodology, political background?
Lionboxer

The context would seem to be imperial aggression and internal repression.

Casualties would be a good start.

Here here sir! Good focal points! Careful though when it comes to cross or inter-cultural comparative history! Thanks for the input!

I think I can see where this one's going, more revisionist Brit bashing!! I haven't time at the minute - late for work again, but will post tonight with my very limited knowledge of those events.
Lionboxer

How do you compare the incidents in any way at all?

A mob attacking a police station to free arrested men. The army called out, in quite small numbers in fact, to keep order. A British soldier beaten to death and set on fire. Situation breaking down, a police officer gives the order to fire to restore order and rescue the crew of an armoured car that has been set on fire by the mob. The casualty figures according to a journalist were put at "about 20" civilians.

As regrettable as the 20 deaths were, where is there any comparison with the other two events?

Steve

In memory of Pte Harold Bryant, Royal Tank Corps. Beaten and burnt to death by a mob during the riot - the first death.
He was buried at Peshawar - "Private Harold Bryant. 1st Armoured Car Company. Royal Tank Corps. Killed 23rd April 1930. Aged 25 years. Erected by the officers, NCOs and men of the 1st Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps."

Thank you for your consideration and your wise perspective. Also thank you for bringing up the name and the disposition of one of the British casualties in this event. I still wish that the modern Indian historians of Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his Red Shirts were somehow represented. I do NOT know how they came up with cloase to 400 dead!
John

I have limited knowledge of the Nanking massacre though I do believe that thousands died at the hands of the Japanese. Sheer brutality. Krystalnacht was a politically motivated effort of ethnic cleansing. We all know about the Holocaust. The Peshawar incident has absolutely no comparrison to either of the previous. A summary of the History of the Garwhal Rifles. The Red Shirts had been agitating for sometime and because of the appeasement policy of the authorities the situation got out of hand. Things came to head when twelve of the leaders were arrested by the police. A hostile mob surrounded the police station and the Deputy Commissioner was hit on the head by a brick as was Capt. Ricketts. A British motorcycle despatch rider ( who we now know was Pte Bryant ) was killed and petrol poured over the armoured car. The order was then given to open fire and two bursts of tens rounds were fired by the armoured cars which dispersed the crowd for a while. The Garwhalis were used as it was thought it would be less inflamatory to have Indian troops restore order. They were then subjected to a fusilade of missiles and when one of the Garwhalis was felled by a packing case his rifle was taken from him by the mob. The platoon commander Jemedar Luthi Sing Rowat drew his revolver and eventually managed to shoot two of the mob after a struggle. This is the only mention of casualties but presumably there were more considering the ammunition expended.
In my humble opinion this tragedy came about whilst trying to restore order and stability in a very hostile environment. No wanton brutality and no ethnic cleansing, no internal repression but the policing of a riotous assembly.
Lionboxer

I omitted that the Garwhalis had been briefed earlier of the situation and were under orders not to fire or take offensive action unless directly ordered to do so by a British officer or if their lives were in danger or unless authorised in writing by a magistrate.
Lionboxer

"I still wish that the modern Indian historians of Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his Red Shirts were somehow represented. I do NOT know how they came up with cloase to 400 dead! John"

John, it is not hard to imagine how it happened. Imagine reports on the war in Afghanistan written by the British Army and the Taliban. You would come away with two very different version of events and casualty figures. Nations that struggle for independence tend to come up with their own "creation" myths that paint their past as a wholly heroic affair. The 1919 Amritsar Massacre was fully reported and has been the subject of several books. Yet the Peshawar riot is largely unknown. The reason being that it was an insignificant public order incident.

Steve