My father, Capt. J D (Jock) Morton, commissioned into the Indian Army in 1942. I have recently acquired his Service Record and am trying to make sense of it. He arrived in India 25/7/42 and was appointed to his commission 22/11/42. I am assuming during that time he was attending OTS at Mhow before transferring to 10/6 RR 26/11/42. Would 10/6 RR have been based at the Delhi Cantonment? He transferred to 5/6 RR & reported for duty 10/11/43 - I'm assuming at Imphal. The London Gazette postings have been very helpful in tracking the regiment - or, I should say, 23 Div - but the Service Record has gaps in it. Does anyone know where 5/6 RR was between Dec/44 and Aug/45? Cheers, Cullen
Yes, Delhi Cantonment. 23 Ind Div was withdrawn from the front after the Imphal fighting, and, after re-quipping and training in India, were scheduled for the invasion of Malaya. They were overtaken by events, atomic bombs and the end of the war against Japan, and were then sent to Java where they remained until 1946, before returning to Malaya and disbanding in 1947.
5th (Napier’s) Battalion 6th Rajputana Rifles Deccan District – 3 September 1939 to October 1939 The battalion was designated to be Indianised in 1933 and was organized with ‘A’ (Punjabi Mohammedan), ‘B’ (Jat), ‘C’ (Rajput), and ‘D’ (Jat) Companies. It remained at Secunderabad until October 1939, when it was sent to Hong Kong. China Command – British Troops in Hong Kong – October 1939 to October 1940 The battalion served in Hong Kong from October 1939 to October 1940. Bombay District – November 1940 to April 1941 On arrival in India, it moved to Ahmedabad by November 1940, where it remained for six months. Khojak Brigade – April 1941 to November 1941 It moved to Baluchistan in April 1941 and was located at Shela Bagh under the Khojak Brigade. 49th Indian Infantry Brigade – November 1941 to 31 August 1945 It moved to Bolarum at Secunderabad in November 1941 and joined the 49th Indian Infantry Brigade, remaining with the brigade for the rest of the war. The battalion was mobilized under the 49th Indian Infantry Brigade in February 1942 at Bolarum. On March 24th, 1942, the battalion under command of the brigade moved to the Feni area of East Bengal. The brigade was organised into three battalion areas at Noakhali, Chandpur and Laksam (1/17th Dogras). On May 7th, 1942 the brigade was ordered to Imphal and the battalion began to arrive in the Palel area from May 11th. The brigade was ordered to block the minor approaches north and south. The battalion was sent to hold the route through Litan. One company was sent to Ukhrul but was later relieved by a company of the 3/10th Gurkha Rifles. At the end of June 1942, the 49th Brigade was located at Palel with the battalion in reserve at Imphal. Units were reduced during the monsoon season due to illness and the brigade was still located at Palel in September. During the autumn of 1942, the brigade moved down the main road to Tamu to cover road-making operations for the first Chindit expedition. Two companies of the battalion took over the forward position at Moreh on October 6th, 1942. The brigade was located in the area of Sibong near Tamu at the end of November and the road was opened on December 20th, 1942. The battalion was located at Minthami at the start of January 1943. The brigade was withdrawn to the Pantha area on April 10th, 1943 from the Tamu area. The battalion was sent to Wangjing in May 1943 and then to Shuganu to protect the Imphal Plain. It remained there until September 1943, when the 6/5th Mahratta Light Infantry relieved it. The battalion then joined the brigade at Imphal to train. In late January 1944, the brigade left Imphal for the area of Ukhrul and then Litan on January 21st. The 49th Brigade relieved The 50th Indian Parachute Brigade on March 12th. The battalion withdrew from the Ukhrul area on March 15th to MS 82 on the Tiddim Road with the 49th Brigade HQ and the 6/5th Mahratta Light Infantry. By the end of March, the brigade held covering positions at Torbung. The rest of the brigade moved to Kameng on April 22nd and operated at the ‘Sausage’ and ‘Pinnacle’ features. Into May, the brigade continued to hold its base and clear the surrounding hills. From May 13th-16th, the 23rd Indian Division, which included the brigade, took over from the 20th Indian Division and the battalion was attached to the 37th Indian Brigade at Shenam Heights. On the 15th/16th of June, the 49th Brigade withdrew through the Bishenpur position and held the road back to Imphal open. The battalion was in clashes with the Japanese on June 23rd. The 23rd Indian Division then organized to breakout of the Shenam position and the 49th Brigade advanced to Sibong ridge overlooking Lokchao Bridge. By July 27th, 1944, operations were over for the division. On August 10th, 1944, the 23rd Indian Division withdrew to Palel for a day’s rest and then moved to Shillong on August 24th. It left Shillong in December 1944 and the 49th Brigade moved to Kharakuasla Reserve near Poona. It moved to Nasik in January 1945 and remained there until it sailed for Malaya on September 1st, 1945.
10th (Shekhawati)(Training) Battalion 6th Rajputana Rifles The battalion had 5 companies, each associated with a regular battalion located under command of the Mhow Brigade Area at the start of the war. It moved to Delhi on May 16th, 1940. In 1942 it was renamed the 10th Battalion (Shekhawati) 6th Rajputana Rifles Training Centre and in 1944 it became the 10th Battalion (Shekhawati) 6th Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre. In 1946 it was called the Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre.
