History repeating itself?

12.12: The Day @ Seoul Spring (Korean; 2023)

Director: Kim Sung-su

South Korea had a tumultuous political past. After the end of WWII, the Korean peninsula was divided by the 38th parallel between the Soviets and the US. Small skirmishes led to the North Korean army attacking their Southern neighbours and the Korean War. The Americans elected their corrupt man, Syngman Rhee, president.

Student revolt brought him down. Dictators Park Chung Hee took over till he was assassinated in 1979. This film narrates the time after Park’s assassination and that time when two factions of the army try to gain control of the helm of the rule. Martial law is instituted after the demise of Park. One group feel it is not right for the Army to enter politics, while the other wants to form a new government.

The Prime Minister was elected to the post of President by default on 6th December 1979. Six days later, on 12.12, a coup d’etat by a rogue general, Chun Doo-hwan, brought the government down.

This type of unrest has been a common scenario in South Korea throughout its modern history. Despite this, South Korea continued progressing by leaps and bounds economically. A free election was finally held in 1987 after Chun was ousted by the citizens when he wanted to extend his tenure as President.

Just when you thought military rule was history, the unpopular sitting President shockingly declared martial history after the Parliament rejected his budget. In other democracies, the Parliament would suggest a vote of no confidence. Not in Korea. The fear of being attacked by North Korea was good enough a threat. After all, Yuen, the President reiterated, was battle-ready. It was sending troops to Ukraine!

P.S. The military law decree was voted out.

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Because the clairvoyant said so?

Zulfarhan Osman

A news report piqued my interest recently. The parents of a murdered college student prostrated in prayer right after the verdict was announced by the court of appeal that six accused would be hanged. Later, they told reporters they were showing their appreciation to the Almighty as justice was done. 

These types of news often leave me more perplexed than I already am. An overseeing Almighty who was cognisant of all the things going on with their loved one but procrastinated would typically get a cold shoulder. If He were a mere mortal, He would get a notice of professional negligence for napping on the job. His nemesis, the horned and tailed one, through His proxies in robes, would have a field day trying to act smart and reenact all the fraction of seconds when danger could have been averted. But deep inside, these Satan's representatives on Earth thrive on maladies like these. 

On one hand, we are products of the Original Sin, imperfect in every way and prone to being tempted to wrongdoings. However, we are still expected to bear the effects of our misdeeds. 

We are expected to forgive and forget like He forgives us every time we commit a sin. And we claim that the justice He metes is just. Yet we investigate, leave nothing unturned, exhume, and do a forensic investigation to the last foxhole to pin down the perpetrator and hurl the whole might of the law against him. We gain joy in seeing the accused squirm and hide in shame. We call this justice prevailed. 

On the other hand, we have an abundance of examples of the victims' families forgiving their aggressors. I covered this in another post. (See here.)

(P.S. For the curious, the abovementioned case happened in a military college in Kuala Lumpur. In 2017, six students, then 21, accused a 17-year-old junior of stealing a laptop computer. A seer had earlier identified the 17-year-old as the thief. The six students, together with 12 other friends, try to beat and torture the young boy to confess. They burnt his body and privates with hot iron. The perpetrators concealed him from the hostel warden, and delaying medical attention, the 17-year-old succumbed to his injuries two weeks later. The six accused were found guilty and sentenced to 18 years of jail. The accomplices were jailed for three years. The six were given sentences to hang at the Court of Appeal.)

(P.P.S. Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rope', based on an actual event, comes to mind. How two students of Chicago University in 1924 thought it was cool to snap the neck of a 14-year-old boy!)

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Time for a reboot?

It is said that ancient Indians had certain ethics in war. Fighting can only be done between dawn and dusk. So, a pre-dawn surprise attack is technically wrong in their book. Their code of conduct also dictates that a warrior of a certain stature could only engage in combat with someone of the enemy of a similar calibre. That is a foot soldier duels with another foot soldier, a warrior on the elephant battalion with another one on an elephant and so on. The commander does not watch the battle on the sidelines but gets his hands dirty by being in the thick of things. By convention, come dusk, both warring factions would lay down their arms and continue in natural light the following sunrise.

The Kurukshetra War (circa 3000 BCE, dates debated) is said to have ended all the codes of war. When cousins and uncles go for each other's carotids, niceties are expectedly put aside. As the cyclical nature of time was pushing to Kaliyuga, anarchy is what one just expects. With battles sometimes going beyond the stipulated times and deceit taking charge, the gentlemanly behaviours of wars are cast aside. Drona, the archery teacher of both Pandavas and Kauravas, was fighting on the side of the Kauravas. He and his son, Ashwatthama, were charging gallantly and needed to be neutralised. A white lie was told to Drona that Ashwatthama had been killed, to shake Drona's concentration. In actual fact, an elephant christened 'Aswatthama' was purposely killed. This type of deceitful 'below the belt' manoeuvres became acceptable.  

Fast forward to the 21st century, nothing is sacrosanct anymore. There is no gentlemanly conduct in war. It is a free-for-all, no-holds-barred kind of affair. Women are taken as spoils. Children are used as human shields, to be sacrificial lambs for sympathy and to paint a bad picture of the opponents. Media is used and abused to algorithmically influence people's minds about a particular perceived agenda. Everybody seems to have a truth. At which point of history one wants to take as the beginning of the truth is the bone of contention no one can agree. 

Is there any way to curb all these, or is it merely an inevitable end to complete the cyclical of time to restart and reboot civilisation as we know, as it had happened many times before, again and again, and yet again!

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Nostalgia is not a bad word!

von Trapp family

More often than not, I have been told right on my face not to live in the past. I have been cajoled into coming out occasionally, taking a depth of fresh air and smelling the roses. They fear I may soon become an ancient relic that only deserves to be admired in the museum. They ask me to burst my comfortable bubble of the past, leave the sunrise and head towards newer horizons. 

They even tell me that 'nostalgia' is a negative word. The suffix 'algia' denotes pain for a reason. Not too long ago, the term 'nostalgia' was a medical term used interchangeably with melancholy and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

So, if I were to believe all that was told to me, nostalgia would be avoided at all costs. I think nostalgia in the modern context is more romantic, re-imagining a time if it actually did when things were hunky-dory, and the world was safe. All these are, of course, mere bunkum. We were just too naive to realise that evil was lurking right under our noses at all times.

Nostalgia is not a bad word; this I realised during my last visit to Austria. Imagine a country just living in the memory of its glorious past. Austria is a country that thrives on the glory of its historical past. Its selling points are the laurels of the House of Hasburgh through the times of the Austria-Prussian and Austria-Hungarian Empires, its glorious musical culture and more recently, the razzmatazz of Hollywood's 'Sound of Silence'.

The brutality of imperialism brought with its enormous amount of sorrow, pain and loss of lives. Nevertheless, its negativity seems to have been cancelled with the so-called 'civilisation' it brought. The only trouble is that nothing civil was done in the process. The victors justified their actions by scribing and immortalising their version of the truth. The 'real truth' remains buried behind with the corpses and unheard screams of the fallen.

The victors proclaimed that, and that is proof of modernity. Pop sprang the gargantuan monuments to boast of their greatness. Their leaders' fondness became the trademark of the kingdom. Musicians who jumped to the beck and call of the victors became national heroes. Mozart came to be worshipped as a child prodigy composer.

In the same vein, the German's failed attempt at creating the Third Reich adds to the world's positive narrative. At a time when Hollywood was controlling how the world should think, the mega-blockbuster 'The Sound of Music' came to the fore. This coming-of-age plus anti-Nazi film became part and parcel of baby boomers in their formative years. Capitalising on this nostalgia, recreating an alternative universe of the doe-eyed teenage that never exists, Austria continues prospering by selling dreamers this dream. They proudly claim an annual inflow of 3 million tourists to visit and re-live the life of the von Trapp household.

The country thrives on nostalgia. The nation lives in the memory of the past to plan for the future. Nostalgia cannot be all bad.

Outside Von Trapp villa

Sankt Gilgen - part of Sound of Music tour

Salzburg after dark.

The fields scream to the sound of music.

I 

That will bring us back to 'Do'.

Recreating the royal courtyard. Even musicians and composers have subtle ways of showing the monarchs that all is not well in paradise. 'The Marriage of Figaro' showcasing servants rising up and outwitting their masters – outraged the aristocracy. 

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Like a surgeon! Rapid and precise.

Uri: The Surgical Strike (Hindi; 2019)


It happened a couple of times before. Rogue parties have often made mischiefs previously. Like the Malay proverb goes, 'Baling batu, sembunyi tangan' - the perpetrator would start trouble by throwing stones, but with a sleight of hand, he would fold his hands behind and join the crowd acting innocent. 

It is an exercise of futility cracking our heads, doing the conventional way, trying to be fair, exhausting all avenues in attempting to mete justice. Many a time, we have to depend on gut feeling and God-given intellect to deduce and do the right thing. Like the hand of a traditional surgeon, he uses his senses, makes a diagnosis, makes a precise surgical incision and removes the offending ailment and returns the patient back to health. Time is of the essence. Dilly dallying with formalities and pusillanimous inertia will just tip the feeble to the point of no return.

In recent history, at least twice the Israeli integrity was put to a challenge. In 1972 Munich Olympics, when a Palestinian terrorist group held Israeli athletes hostage, the German police killed five of the eight kidnappers. Hostages perished in the massacre. The prisoners were later exchanged when a Lufthansa flight was hijacked by the same group a month later. The Israelis did not wait for natural justice to take place. Neither did it remain idle for the international community to deliberate and drag its feet to condemn and advise. The following year, the Israeli Army retaliated by bombing Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. The Mossad hunted down to last remaining kidnapper and killed them in broad daylight in the 'Operation Wrath of God'. The last of the kidnappers died in a planted car bomb in 1988.

Another enviable rescue mission carried by the Israeli intelligence was 'Operation Entebbe'. An Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Paris was rerouted to Entebbe, Uganda. The 100-over Israeli passengers were held, hostage. Israel managed to sneak in their commandos under the cloak of the night. How they outmanoeuvred the Ugandan radars (Idi Amin supported the terrorists) still remains an enigma till date. There are many unverified reports of how they deployed the expertise of Uri Geller and his psychic powers. In 90 minutes, the Israeli commandos killed all hijackers and rescued all but 3 of the 106 hostages.

Uri Geller - the spoon-bending psychic spy.

This 2019 film follows the same direction as many of the new movies that are coming out of Bollywood. It combines excellent cinematography with new young actors and a new narrative as told by the young minds of New India. 

The India-Pakistan enmity has been going on like forever. Pakistani dirty interference has been implicated in many upheavals and terrorist activities in India. This film is about one of them. When a military barrack in Uri, Jammu-Kashmir was attacked, and nineteen of Indians soldiers were killed, India had to rise to the occasion. This story is about how the Indian Army, with the help of the latest surveillance equipment, modern warfare machines, espionage and a little help from Pakistani turncoats, managed to hunt down the perpetrators of the Uri Massacre and flatten their launchpads in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

A high octane movie of high standards. The fighting scenes are believable. The actors are young and built well for their roles. The deployment of fighter planes and military strategies appear convincing enough. 4.5/5.

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Shanthi by Ashanthi?

The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives

Zbigniew Brzezinski (1997)

Everybody wants peace on Earth. The political leaders wish for peace in their land. Believers of all faiths, without fail, include in their daily prayers call for eternal peace on Earth. We all know this type of bliss, smiling from ear to ear without an iota of worry in their minds, stays only as a figment of our imaginations.

Like in the narration of Kali and the state of the world, life is a constant battle without the weak and the mighty. It is a continual flux of turn of tides of the interplay between the powerful crumbling down to become weak and the downtrodden rising from the ashes. Empires may crumble, and slaves may turn emperors.

This book is the perspective of President Jimmy Carter's National Security Advisor. Written in 1997, when the USA was the lone superpower, Russia and China were weak, and Islamic Jihadism was unheard of, some of the strategies that made a lot of sense then seem inappropriate now. Even Brzezinski seem to change his viewpoint.

From time immemorial, big kingdoms underwent the same fait accomplis. The Persians, Romans, Chinese, Russian all grew too big, immersed in imperial power and subsequently break apart due to internal fatigue, decay, hedonism, loss of central control and military creativity.

After the WW2, it was basically a power play between the Communist and the Capitalists. The Soviet Union was on one side, together with the Eastern Block of Europe and China, who had issues with Big Brother Russia, versus America as the leader of the free world. Strategic partnerships were built by America with countries in the so-called 'buffer zones' to curtail each others' advancement and their spread of influence. After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, China, which all the while been the underdeveloped poor communist cousin of the Soviet Union had awoken from its slumber. There was a need to monitor their prowess and keep them under the US radar. Germany and France help to maintain equilibrium in Europe. The Japanese, whose wings were clipped after their WW2 fiasco, is now at the mercy of the US and the world at large. The newly liberated East European countries ranging from Ukraine, Poland, Hungary and the Baltic nations make another wall of defence just in case the mighty Russians, under the leadership of Putin, who yearn for the glory days of Soviet Union decide to dominate the world. At the back of these, the main agenda is the control of oil lines across the middle of Eurasia.

Eurasia which makes up more than two-thirds of the land mass of Earth draws the attention of all world power as most of the world population, economic and natural resources are found. In the author's opinion, for the USA to stay as the lone super-power of the world, it is crucial no other challenger dominates Eurasia.

Like a Chess Master, American places all the pieces in essential places, all with vital reasons with the ultimate goal of winning the board game. In that process, necessary sacrifices had to be made.

/http://www.hangthebankers.com/zbigniew-brzezinskis-grand-chessboard-plan-failing/

Crouching tiger and balding eagle?

Crouching Tiger (Documentary, 2015)
Director: Peter Navarro

China, through their foreign envoys, continues to try to impress upon the rest of the world that they are a peaceful nation. From the time in history, they have been a nation of trade. They expanded their shipping fleet and extended their influences the world over in pursuit of peaceful trade until the Ming Dynasty's closed-door policy when they decided to introspect with their own brand of realisation and Confucianism. Apparently, this system failed to satisfy the masses. Recent changes in their economic outlook had awoken the tiger from a long slumber.

Nehru, as the head of a newly independent democracy then, thought the best way to foster relationships with another great civilisation was through commerce. Unfortunately, he found out the hard way, that China has their own way of doing business when both countries engaged in a war in 1962 and India lost Tibet causing the Dalai Lama to abdicate.

Singapore, in the 90s, did the same only to leave with a bad after-taste and burnt fingers, deciding to look elsewhere for bilateral trade deals.

Back home, our country is trying to relive the 15th-century dynamics when China was the 'taiko' (Big Brother), and Malacca was the subservient servant as history tell us. The leaders have gladly given the gentlemen's handshake, inked the document and literally given a blank cheque to China's mysterious long-term plans as a force to be reckoned with.

This documentary, directed by one of President-Elect Donald J Trump's economic advisors, takes a paranoid view at the rise of China as an economic power. He interviews many US Military and Strategic advisors who paint a very bleak view of China's intentions to do business. They foresee China as also wanting to excel as a military force, expand their territory and eventually to exert their hegemonic power over the rest of the world.

In five one-hour episodes, the director discusses possibilities of US war with China, the world at the mercy of the Chinese might, the place of North Korea, Japan and Taiwan in the equation of the global military power balance.

A Greek philosopher, Thucydides, said that the rise of power and the increase in the might of one country would intimate its neighbours. Many leaders in history have stayed true to this policy. Whenever a country becomes strong, its neighbours take it upon themselves to strengthen themselves so as not to be usurped by their neighbouring nation. This has been the law of nature. War is a necessary evil to propel our race to greater heights. America, as a newly independent nation then, decreed the Monroe Doctrine to keep the European powers out of the Caribbean Islands and South America.

Now China is preparing a two-island strategy, from the southern tip of Japan all through Taiwan till the South East Asia island strips, to create a war of defence and power over much of East Asia and the Pacific. After centuries of humiliation by foreign forces, the British, the French, the Russians and even the Japanese, they had their territories carved away a bit by a bit. Sea commerce had always been their strong point. Now, the question is whether the strengthening of the Chinese fleet is for the protection of its routes or for world domination? Can it rise safely or will it grow up like an autistic child with a dangerous toy to play and would not heed to advise? With their ability the produce low-cost defence equipment and anti-access strategy, are we heading for a headlong collision?

The Chinese military capability has dwarfed the US might of late. Their DF21 delta styled anti-aircraft carrier missiles, their torpedo sea-mines, their new generation 'silent' submarines all send chills down the spines of the Yankees. The next world war would probably be fought in space, outer space and cyberspace! With the Chinese prowess to steal intellectual properties, US military secrets, the Americans are basically sitting ducks. China, under their thumb, just may have the power to disrupt financial markets, destroy critical infrastructure, satellites, banking sector, water, power grid and other essential amenities. If the next war may be fought in outer space, is not an irony that the US is wrapping its space program while China is going gangbusters into space dominance?
North Korea, the spoilt little kid with a nuclear warhead, continues to pose a security threat to the US. It is under the direct patronage and protection of the Chinese and helps to keep US interference in the Pacific rim in check. Taiwan, on the other hand, is US counterbalance of the Chinese. History has shown, from the example of British PM Neville Chamberlain's faux pas in 1938 of signing a 'grand bargain treaty' with Hitler only to have the Germans attack Poland, not to trust the enemies.

China will never forget Japan's 'Rape of Nanking' before the onset of World War 2. Their territorial disputes over Senkaku/Dioyu Islands and Okinawa stays till date. Okinawa was part of China long ago, before modern history. The trouble is these strategic locales are important in China's two-island defence plan but ICJ does not entertain claims of control before 1890. Hence, China could pick up a fight if it wants to!

With these paranoid ideas which would probably border on conspiracy theories, this offering provides yet another reason to lose your sleep and reaffirm the scriptures' nihilistic outlook on mankind and the human race on the whole. Every new beginning starts with a bang. Think about it.

https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson 

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/riflerangeboy/!

A feeble attempt to justify a just war!

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Yet another American glorifying Muslim bashing terror slashing military procedural film which looks at American problems as world problems. Their gung ho way of handling terror is through more violence and more might and fire-power!

I was quite surprised that this movie received many rave reviews and praises from critiques. Personally, it is just another lob sided depiction of terror without addressing the issue holistically but from a very miopic unintelligent view of a jaundiced American vision. I guess this type of 'patriotism' is gaining momentum of late. 

History tells us that Hollywood plays its stellar 'tour of duty' role whenever the going gets tough in America. During WW2, the silver screen played its role as a morale booster when the war was heading nowhere. It cushioned the sad news of the fall of their young soldiers by trumpeting American's just fight for liberty and freedom. After its faithful duty all these while, now, of buffering its economic recovery, what better way can there be then to fan nationalistic sentiments. Evidence of this is evident in the number of patriotism reminiscing movies by big directors - like this one by Kathryn Bigelow, Lincoln by Spielberg, Django by Taratino (but looking at US history in a rather cynical way).

Kathryn Bigelow who, in 2009, received many accolades for her other patriotic flick 'Hurt Locker', did this movie in the same fashion. Fighting in a just war, trying to protect their homeland from invaders who do not their idea of liberty and freedom, Maya, a green horned CIA agent, who was head hunted from high school, goes on personal vendetta on a crusade to hunt down terrorists with the information obtained through her interrogations of suspected terrorists. The interrogation techniques which were in the news for all the wrong reasons like violent torture, water boarding and 'walking the dog' are shown here. 

This story is a semi historical narration of the events which precede and subsequently ended with the death of Osama Bin-Laden. Stereotyping of Muslims are its fullest heights here. I wonder why all the leaders who were crying foul over the depiction of their counterparts in 'Vishwaroopam' are mum here. Well, we all know that all the hullabaloo which preceded its launch was business in origin, not religious in origin. What better way to stir emotions for personal reasons than to fall on racial and theological sentiments?   

James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano of the series 'Sopranos') plays a memorable role as a CIA chief here. His way of acting is exactly like how he acted in 'Sopranos' as a mob boss- with the arrogance, attitude and the explicit superlative expressions. Guess they are all the same - law enforcers and law breakers, only that one uses the law as a shield whilst the other shield themselves from the law with lawyers!

Maybe because I do not particularly fancy purposeless shooting of people just because they wear a turban! And it is quite difficult to fathom civil servants fighting their superiors because of public interest.

Gems galore!

Thanks to RS for this collection of pictures starting from a time more than 150 years ago...

Sikh Cavalry Officers, British India Army, attending Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1873 in London, England.

circa 1919..

Photograph by Randolph Bezzant Holmes (1888-1973), India, North West Frontier,

Indian army camel corp in Miran shah..

From an album, of 74 photographs compiled by Neville John Gordon Cameron, 

1st Bn Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders.

A British officer with his family, 1877, Mooltan.

Five Indian soldiers near Miranshah, Tochi Valley, Waziristan, 1898

Military encampment in the Razmak,1898

Indian soldiers and elephants, Multan, 1898

British and Indian soldiers with elephants, Multan, 1899

Hyderabad contingent regtl center band in Toochi..1895..

Churchill introduced to Sikh VCOs in Shillong,1945..

4th Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army. Group portrait of the Sikh officers and British captains of the 14th Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army. Multan, Punjab, India (Pakistan), 1919.

Guest: Son of Duke of Connaught.

1st Estab of Indian troops in out skirts of Nowshera (probably present day Risalpur),1907.

Payments by QM to COOLIE CORPS in Jamrood,1877.

The mutineers of 1857 were killed being tied to a cannon and blasted..these nations now teach us HUMAN RIGHTS and Geneva convention.

Abbottabad,1892..BUILDING????

Peshawar Punjab 1870

Photograph of Peshawar, with a view across the cantonment towards St John's Church and the distant mountains of the Khyber Pass, taken in 1878 by John Burke. John Burke accompanied the Peshawar Valley Field Force, one of three British Anglo-Indian army columns deployed in the Second Afghan War (1878-80), despite being rejected for the role of official photographer. He financed his trip by advance sales of his photographs 'illustrating the advance from Attock to Jellalabad'.

Football match 1903..(surprisingly RACE COURSE MURREE).

Officers of the 2nd Batallion, Worcestershire Regiment, Waziristan, British India, 1940. The vehicle is a Crossley "Indian Pattern" armoured car. These were developed in the interwar period for internal security duties in Northern India, based on a Crossley truck chassis. Substantial British and Indian Army forces were occupied in internal security in India during WW2, as the possibility of insurgency (encouraged by the proximity of Japanese forces from 1942) was a substantial concerrn. "Indian Pattern" armoured cars remained in service until Indian and Pakistani independence in 1947. The model here (like most others) was reconditioned in 1939, in the course of which the worn-out Crossley chassis was replaced with a Chevrolet truck chassis. Best regards, JR.

5th Sikh in Mardan,1895..after an operation in Tirah valley..

5th Sikh Regt in Mardan..1895..

Toochi,1895..

Punjab frontier cavalry,1878..D I KHAN..

Gurkha band in Quetta,1902

1/66 Punjabi's band in Abbottabad,1895..

Deputy Commissioner Camblepore with his tamed cheetah..1895.

Peshawar..???

Nicholson monument 1903..

Armoured corps boys wings barracks,Cherat,1930s..now HQ SSG..

Commander in Chief of India Gen. Monro + staff inspecting barracks Gharial, nr. Murree India 1917..General Monro served as C-in-C India from 1916 through 1920, and was in charge during the 3rd Afghan War of 1919. His career was tarnished by the Amritsar Massacre..

Indo-afghan border 1898..

1879..

Inside attock bridge,,

1902..

Military hospital Nowshera,1888,the largest and last major hospital during the AFGHAN campaign..1878..

Queen mother inspecting Indian troops Delhi,1903..during DEHLI DARBAR.

No.11 Light Battery (RFA) drawn up on a parade ground in marching order with full equipment. in quetta,1930..

Scenes with a marching column on Kohat-Tall road,the North West Frontier of India: Crossley (India pattern) armoured cars and crews parked-up during the march. All crewmen are wearing Royal Tank Corps issue overalls.

Scenes with a marching column on the North West Frontier: Men of a British infantry piquet in a sangar during a break for tea (in army slang having 'a brew and a wad') at mohmmand..

Military Service 1914 - 1939: Lieutenant-Colonel Montgomery, Commanding Officer of the 17th (Empire) Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers, with his officers outside a Bierstube in Durren during the occupation of the Ruhr.,from here he moved to command and staff college quetta as a DS,,

Military Service 1914 - 1939: Captain Bernard Montgomery DSO with a fellow officer of 104 Infantry Brigade, 35 Division, with which he served from January 1915 until early 1917. He was awarded the DSO for conspicuous gallantry on 13 October 1914 during the Battle of the Aisne in which he was wounded.