Page 172 - Leadership in the Indian Army

such statements in future. He dismissed the case and ordered that Surat
Singh’s weapon should be returned to him.
Sam thought that this was the end of the episode and retired to his tent.

However, after some time Subedar Balwant Singh again came in and told
Sam that he had made a mistake by letting off Surat Singh, who would
certainly kill him during the night, since his weapon had been returned to
him. Sam sent for Surat Singh and in front of the JCO, told him that tonight,
he would work as his orderly and should sleep outside his tent. He
dismissed him, after ordering him to wake him up at 5.30 in the morning
with a cup of tea and hot water for his shave. That night, Sam could not

sleep a wink out of fear. But he knew that if the men came to knew that he
was afraid, he would never be able to command them. Next morning, at
5.30, Surat Singh entered his tent with a mug of tea and hot water for his
shave. For the rest of the war, Surat Singh followed Sam like a puppy and
became one of the most disciplined soldiers in his company.
Sam was a captain, but was made acting major since there was an acute

shortage of officers during the war. Soon afterwards, his battalion took part
in the battle of Sittang Bridge, during which he was severely wounded. He
took nine bullets in the lung, liver and kidneys, and no one thought he
would survive. It was here that he was awarded the Military Cross for
gallantry. The medal was given to him on the spot by Major General
Cowan, who was then the Deputy Commander of the British Forces.
Cowan, who later commanded 17 Indian Division during the retreat through

Burma, probably thought that Sam’s chances of survival were slim, and
since the MC cannot be given posthumously, decided to award it on the
spot. Sam was evacuated from the front line in a serious condition.
Sam would have died had not his faithful Sikh orderly, Sepoy Sher Singh,
carried him in his arms and, collaring a doctor, forced him to attend to his
wounds. The Australian surgeon initially declined to operate on Sam, since

he saw little chance of his surviving. However, Sher Singh would not take
no for an answer. By now Sam had regained consciousness. When the
surgeon asked what had happened to him, Sam replied: ‘A bloody mule
kicked me.’ The surgeon laughed, and said: ‘By Jove, you have a sense of
humour. I think you are worth saving.’ He removed much of Sam’s
intestines and sitched him up. Later, his father wrote to him at the hospital:
‘Son, if you smoke or drink now, you are finished.’ According to Sam, he

did exactly that and that is why he lived!