Lance-Naik Islam-ud-Din (1925 or 1926 – 12 April 1945) was a soldier of the British Indian Army during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for sacrificing his own life to save others. He was serving in the 6th Battalion,

9th Jat Regiment The 9th Jat Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army, moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. World War II The Regiment saw a g ...

, when on 12 April 1945 at Pyawbwe, central

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, a live grenade went astray and threatened to cause a large number of casualties in his unit. Islam-ud-Din threw himself on the grenade at once, showing no hesitation. Saving the lives of his comrades, he was killed instantly, aged only 19 or 20 and leaving behind a widow in India. He was described as steadfastly courageous and a good leader by his superior officers after his death. He was gazetted on 5 October 1945.

References

Indian recipients of the George Cross Indian Army personnel killed in World War II 1945 deaths 1920s births British Indian Army soldiers Deaths by hand grenade {{India-mil-bio-stub