Badlu Singh VC (13 January 187623 September 1918) was an Indian recipient of the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
forces.
He was born in village Dhakla, district Rohtak (now
Jhajjar
Jhajjar is a town in Jhajjar district in the Indian state of Haryana. The city is situated on the road connecting Rewari to Rohtak (NH-352), Loharu to Meerut (NH334B), Charkhi Dadri to Delhi and Gurgaon to Bhiwani. Jhajjar is located west o ...
),
Haryana
Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. His father was Lal Singh.
VC Badlu Singh was born in the village Dhakla of Rohtak now Jhajjar District, Haryana. After which he joined the British Army. He was a
Risaldar
Risaldar, meaning the commander of a ''risala'' or ''risalah'' (a body of horse, regardless if troop or regiment) in Persian, is a mid-level rank in cavalry and armoured units of the Indian and Pakistan Army. In other arms, such as the infantry, t ...
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
when he performed the deed on 23 September 1918 at Khes Samariveh, Jordan River,
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
for which he was posthumously awarded the VC.
The citation reads:
He is commemorated on the Heliopolis (Port Tewfik) Memorial in the
Heliopolis War Cemetery
Heliopolis War Cemetery (which includes the Heliopolis (Port Tewfik) Memorial and the Heliopolis (Aden) Memorial) is a war cemetery in the Heliopolis district of Cairo, Egypt for British and Commonwealth service personnel. It is maintained by the ...
, Cairo, Egypt. The VC medal is currently in Red Fort Museum, his family gave up the medal to the Government. Today the descendants of VC Badlu Singh reside in Dhakla, Haryana.
See also
*
Jat Regiment
The Jat Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, of which it is one of the longest-serving regiments.Prominence of Jats and Haryanvis in military
*
Orders, decorations, and medals of India
The Indian honours system is the system of awards given to individuals for a variety of services to the Republic of India. The categories of awards are as follows:
Civilian awards
Bharat Ratna
The Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of Ind ...