Man Bahadur Rai: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

{{Use Indian English|date=July 2019}}

A member of a Rai family in the Darjeeling district, Rai enlisted in the [[British Indian Army]] on 17 July 1930, joining the 1st Battalion of 10th Gurkha Rifles.<ref name="recipients"/>

During the Second World War, Rai was promoted to ''[[jemadar]]'' (now ''[[naib subedar]]'') on 1 December 1941.<ref name="Indian_Army_List_45">{{cite book|pages=1818b|title=Indian Army List for October 1945 (Part II)|publisher=Government of India Press|year=1945}}</ref> As an acting subedar (paid), he fought in the Burma Campaign, during which he won the Indian Distinguished Service Medal (IDSM).<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=36382|date=15 February 1944 |page=827|supp=y}}</ref><ref name="IDSM_cite">{{cite web |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7364066|title=Recommendation for Award for Manbahadur Rai |website=The National Archives (UK)|publisher=UK Government |access-date=28 July 2019}}</ref> The citation (which was not made public), reads as follows:

Subsequently promoted to war-substantive subedar, Rai was awarded the Military Cross (MC) on 8 October 1944.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=37151|date=26 June 1945 |page=3382|supp=y}}</ref><ref name="mc">{{cite web |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7366958|title=Recommendation for Award for Manbahadur Rai |website=The National Archives (UK)|publisher=UK Government |access-date=28 July 2019}}</ref> He received the decoration for, among other actions, his command of his company during the [[Battle of Imphal]] in the area of [[Bishnupur, Manipur]]. Taking command after his company commander had been killed and while he and his unit were pinned down by Japanese machine-gun fire from several bunkers, Rai conducted a reconnaissance mission and located all of the nearby enemy bunkers. After throwing five grenades at the nearest bunkers, he devised a plan of attack and led his company in an attack which eliminated the first line of bunkers.<ref name="mc"/> In the full citation, which was not published, Rai was commended for:<ref name="mc"/>