Story of Courage, Sacrifice, Honour and Friendship

Subedar Manta Singh of the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs was fatally injured and gave his life at Neuve Chapelle, World War I while rescuing his officer Capt. George Henderson. It was his deep sense of Honour that probably led Manta Singh to rescue the life of Henderson. This selfless sacrifice led to three generations of friendship between the two families.

Manta Singh was born in the village of Selampur Masanda in the district of Jalandhar, Punjab. His father was Khem Singh, an influential landlord of the area. He was the eldest of 5 brothers. After finishing his schooling in 1906, he joined the Indian Army and was eventually promoted to the rank of Subedar (rank equivalent to Captain). He was part of the Jalandhar Brigade of the Lahore Division when he left for Europe in 1914 as part of the Indian Expeditionary Force.

Subedar Manta Singh and Capt. Henderson arrived in Europe and took part in the first battle of Neuve Chapelle. They faced inimical weather conditions, stayed in a harsh terrain, lived in trenches for almost 8 weeks, gave a strong opposition to Germans and held their lines. The Indians fought bravely, they had depleted ammunition and used to periodically charge to the German lines with their bayonets and earned the respect of their enemy.

Subedar Manta Singh also took part in the 2nd battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915. Fierce fighting took place, an officer described the experience as ‘foretaste of hell’. It was estimated that 3,000 shells fell on a single day and due to heavy bombardment, Indians sustained heavy casualties.

On the afternoon of 12 March, Subedar Manta Singh and Capt. Henderson were part of an assault party that advanced towards Neuve Chapelle. They were not provided enough cover and an enemy bullet hit Capt. Henderson. Manta Singh saw him lying down injured, in pain and without any consideration for his own safety, he took a wheel barrow and rescued Capt. Henderson to safety while being under heavy fire. While rescuing him, in the open and under enemy fire, Subedar Manta Singh was struck by a bullet on his left leg. Inspire of the injury and heavy bleeding, Manta Singh brought Henderson to safety in their trenches.

Henderson survived, but the badly wounded Manta Singh was sent to Kitchner’s hospital, England to be treated. His leg developed gangrene, even though the leg was amputated, he died as the infection had spread to other parts of his body. He was cremated at South Downs.

Capt. Henderson felt his duty to help Manta Singh’s family in India. He went back to India and ensured that Manta Singh’s son Assa Singh received proper education and helped him in securing. a spot in the Indian Army. Assa Singh eventually joined the Sikh regiment and served in the 2nd World War along with Henderson’s son Robert. They both became friends and served in France, Italy, and North Africa. The friendship continued to the 3rd generation, Robert’s son Ian Henderson and Assa’s son Jaimal Singh Johal remain friends till today and every year attend the memorial service at the Chattri Memorial, Brighton, England.

In the picture, Subedar Manta Singh and Capt. Henderson.