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'''James William Massey''', (born 1877), commanded 184 troops of the 1st garrison battalion, [[Somerset Light Infantry]], at Amritsar in 1919.

==Career==
James Massey was born in 1877.<ref name=Perkins.189>Perkins, pp. 189-191</ref> He was at first commissioned in the [[Royal Hampshire Regiment|Hampshire Regiment]].<ref name=Perkins.189/> In early 1900 he sailed to South Africa, where he served with the [[East Griqualand Commando|East Griqualand Mounted Rifles]] during the [[Boer War]] and received a [[brevet]] rank of captain in 1901.<ref name=Perkins.189/> In 1915 he rejoined the Hampshire,<ref name=Perkins.189/> and was appointed captain in October of that year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Memoranda |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29328/page/10160 |access-date=17 March 2026 |issue=29328 |date=15 October 1915 |page=10160}}</ref>

In February 1917 Massey sailed from [[Plymouth]] to India with the [[Somerset Light Infantry]].<ref name=Perkins.189/><ref>{{cite news |title=War Office |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29928/page/1169 |access-date=14 March 2026 |work=The London Gazette |issue=29928 |date=2 February 1917 |page=1169 |quote=Capt. J. W. Massey (Hamps. R. Spec. Res.) is apptd. to a Bn. 18 Jan. 1917, but with seniority from 18 Oct. 1915}}</ref> By the end of 1918, he was stationed in Amritsar, commanding a small garrison of 184 troops from the 1st Garrison Battalion.<ref name=Perkins.189/><ref name=Wagner.33>Wagner, p. 33</ref><ref name=Datta.39>Datta, pp. 39-40</ref><ref name=Wagner.70>Wagner, pp. 70-74</ref> On 11 April 1919, upon [[Reginald Dyer]]'s arrival at Amritsar, Massey was replaced with Major MacDonald.<ref name=Collett.236>Collett, pp. 236-242</ref>

Having served in the army throughout the Punjab disturbances and martial law, though not present at Jallianwalla Bagh on the 13th April, Massey testified at the Hunter Inquiry.<ref name=Perkins.189/><ref name=Swinson.101>Swinson, p. 101</ref> After [[Reginald C. A. Plomer]]'s testimony and before [[Henry "Jullundur" Smith|Henry Smith's]], Massey told the committee that Amritsar remained largely calm before the Rowlatt Bill, with only politically conscious and educated Indians showing concern, while the wider population became agitated only after the arrests of [[Saifuddin Kitchlew]] and [[Satyapal]] on 10 April 1919.<ref name=Perkins.189/><ref name=Wagner.225>Wagner, p. 225</ref> In November 1920 he was noted Captain with the 3rd Hampshire.<ref>{{cite news |title=Special Reserve of Officers |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/32282/supplement/2773 |access-date=14 March 2026 |work=The London Gazette |issue=32282 |date=5 April 1921 |page=2773 |language=en}}</ref>{{efn|According to medal collector Roger Perkins, Massey did not return to his regiment but moved to [[Bahawalpur]] to join in the service of Nawab Sir [[Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V]].<ref name=Perkins.189/> There, he converted to Islam.<ref name=Perkins.189/> By 1933, he had been promoted to Colonel, commanding the 1st Bahawalpur Sadiq Battalion, and several of his medals were inscribed with his new name, Abdul Rahman Massey.<ref name=Perkins.189/> He died in 1936 and was buried at [[Ahmedpur East|Dera Nawab]].<ref name=Perkins.189/>}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |title=Report of the Committee Appointed in the Government of India to Investigate the Disturbances in the Punjab, Etc: Amritsar |date=1920 |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5cE1AQAAMAAJ|volume=I-III |language=en|pages=45-50}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last1=Collett |first1=Nigel|author-link=Nigel Collett |title=The Butcher of Amritsar: General Reginald Dyer |date=2007 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=1-85285-575-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XuQC5pgzCw4C|language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Datta |first1=V. N. |last2=Datta |first2=Nonica |author1-link=Vishwa Nath Datta|title=Jallianwala Bagh: A Groundbreaking History of the 1919 Massacre |date=2021 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=Gurugram |isbn=978-0-143450337 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OnEhEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Perkins |first1=Roger |title=The Amritsar Legacy: Golden Temple to Caxton Hall, the Story of a Killing |date=1989 |publisher=Picton Publishing|location=Chippenham |isbn=0-948251-44-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CiduAAAAMAAJ|language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Swinson |first1=Arthur|author-link=Arthur Swinson |title=Six Minutes to Sunset: the story of General Dyer and the Amritsar Affair |date=1964 |publisher=Life Span Publishers and Distributors |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uoR0AAAAMAAJ|language=en|isbn=
978-81-939094-3-0}}
*{{cite book |last1=Wagner |first1=Kim A.|author-link=Kim A. Wagner |title=Amritsar 1919: An empire of fear & the making of a massacre |date=2019 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-24546-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bziIDwAAQBAJ|language=en}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Massey, James W.}}
[[Category:1877 births]]
[[Category:Jallianwala Bagh massacre]]
[[Category:Somerset Light Infantry officers]]
[[Category:Year of death missing]]

James W. Massey - Revision history

KennyReveley866: Added Initial Details First Draft