William J. Anderson | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom |
 British Indian Army | |
| Commands held | 25th Cyclist Battalion |
| Battles/wars | Third Anglo-Afghan War |
| Awards | India General Service Medal (1908) |
William John Anderson, was a British Sergeant attached to the 25th Cyclist Battalion, and the personal bodyguard to Reginald Dyer.
Career[edit | edit source]
On 13 April 1919 Anderson became eyewitness to the Jalianwalla Bagh Massacre.[1][2] That day he had travelled to Jallianwala Bagh in Reginald Dyer's car along with Captain Briggs, M. H. L. Morgan, and Dyer's other bodyguard, Arthur William Pizzey.[3][4][5]
From 23 May 1919 to 20 September 1919, Anderson served in the Third Anglo-Afghan War, for which he was awarded the India General Service Medal (1908).[6]
Recollection[edit | edit source]
Just after completing his book, Six Minutes to Sunset, Arthur Swinson was contacted by Anderson and interviewed.[7][8] Anderson confirmed that he was a sergeant in the 25th Cyclist Battalion and was Dyer's personal bodyguard.[8] He recalled that on 11 April 1919, he accompanied Dyer from Jalandhar to Amritsar by car, and that on 13 April, during the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, he stood a few paces behind Dyer as the firing began.[8] He described how the crowd first fell and then scattered, and that the shooting paused intermittently, with "low moans" audible from the crowd.[8] Dyer targeted the fire at specific areas, while Anderson noticed Captain Briggs tugging at Dyer's sleeve, as Dyer remained calm and composed.[8] Anderson reported feeling no fear and saw no immediate threat from the crowd.[8]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "London 25th Regt". www.25thlondon.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ Snow, Philip (1 January 2003). The Fall of Hong Kong: Britain, China, and the Japanese Occupation. Yale University Press. p. 451. ISBN 978-0-300-10373-1.
- ↑ Wagner, pp. 159-160
- ↑ Collett, pp. 258-260
- ↑ "London 25th Regt". www.25thlondon.com. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ War Office: Campaign Medal and Award Rolls 1793-1949 (. Kew: National Archives of the UK. 5 October 1921. p. 3.
- ↑ Ilahi, Shereen (2020). "Introduction". Imperial Violence and the Path to Independence: India, Ireland and the Crisis of Empire. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-350-15306-6.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Swinson, Arthur (1964). "Postscript". Six Minutes to Sunset: The Story of General Dyer and the Amritsar Affair. Life Span Publishers and Distributors. p. 210. ISBN 978-81-039094-3-0.
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Bibliography[edit | edit source]
- Collett, Nigel (2007). The Butcher of Amritsar: General Reginald Dyer. A&C Black. ISBN 1-85285-575-4.
- Wagner, Kim A. (2019). Amritsar 1919: An Empire of Fear & the Making of a Massacre. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-24546-2.