1st Jaipurs - Lt Col Edward Walker DSO

I was given To War with the Walkers by Annabel Venning (Hodder, 2019) by my brother-in-law, who had noticed it in his local bookshop. He thought it would interest me as the four male siblings had all grown up in Devon and been educated at the same school as me. It is a fascinating account of the six Walker children[1], born between 1909 and 1919, and their experiences in the Second World War. I was drawn to look in more detail at the career of the eldest, Edward, as he served in the latter stages of the Italian Campaign. Edward commanded the 1st Jaipur Infantry, which was part of the Imperial Service Force, and not called upon until the closing stages of the war when the composition of the 8th Army had become increasingly international. I was curious to know more about this battalion, where in Italy it served and how it was employed by the British Army. Through Edward’s story I hoped my questions would be answered.  

Edward was commissioned into 1/8th Punjab Regiment in 1929 and apart from a posting to Hong Kong he served in India until 1944. He attended Staff College at Quetta in 1940 and then served on the staff in Bareilly and Delhi. As Annabel Venning says:

He was impatient to go to war……..he wanted to put into practice 15 years of training, the field exercises in Multan and Hong Kong, the drills and the marches, the leadership techniques and battlefield techniques he had learned at Quetta……..it was all very well inhabiting the corridors of power, but men younger and less experienced than he were now being given command of battalions, leading men into battle……..he wanted to fight, to lead, to triumph, to put his courage and military acumen to the test. With Walter now fighting the Japanese, and Peter their prisoner, Edward wanted a chance to strike back at Britain’s enemies, whether in the east or the west.

In May 1944 Edward was posted as a Major to a battalion of the 8th Punjab Regiment in Iraq but was swiftly selected for promotion to acting Lieutenant Colonel and given command of the 1st Jaipur Infantry, as yet untested in battle. 1st Jaipur Infantry was part of the Imperial Service Troops raised by the princely states of the Indian Empire and were available for service alongside the Indian Army when requested by the British Government. The battalion had been raised personally by the Maharajah of Jaipur, a polo playing prince known as ‘Jai’, whom Edward had met in India. The Jaipurs were to take their place in the 8th Indian Division which was fighting in Italy.

The 8th Indian Division had landed in Italy in September 1943 and had taken part in 8th Army’s operation to cross the River Sangro later that year. Under the command of Maj Gen Dudley Russell it had formed part of the Op Diadem breakout force through the Liri Valley and had then liberated Florence. By late 1944, when Edward and the Jaipurs arrived 8th Indian Division was attacking the Gothic Line as part of 5th US Army. The Jaipurs were initially employed as divisional troops reflecting their different origin to the Indian Army units in the division, however in October they took their place in 17th Brigade and as the Divisional history recalls “these splendid state troops were in action for the first time”. They captured Casalino Ridge and liberated San Godenza as the Division fought its way across the Apennines towards Forli. A halt was called to the Op Olive offensive when both Alexander’s armies had fought themselves to a standstill in the harsh winter mountain weather. It was for this period of the campaign that Edward received the award of the DSO with the citation saying:

Having recently taken over command of 1 Jaipur Inf, Lt. Col. S.E.C. WALKER brought this Indian State Force battalion to join this Division in August 1944 preparatory to its first experience of action against the enemy. Efficiently handled and gradually introduced into battle the unit acquitted itself well during its initial battles North of the SAN GODENZA sector of the GOTHIC LINE in October. This was due to the untiring energy, gallantry and devotion to duty of Lt. Col. WALKER who himself performed the task of several officers.    

Interestingly Annabel Venning indicates that when Edward took command, he was the only British officer in a battalion of 865 men. There then ensued an operational pause as a result of the severity of the winter weather and the requirement to reset for a spring offensive. During this period the other two brigades in the Division were rushed 100 miles west to reinforce 92 (US) Division north of Lucca to defeat the German 14th Army’s counterattack.

8th Indian Division was reconstituted by end February 1945 on the Adriatic coast ready for Operation Buckland. On 9th April 1945 as spring arrived the 8th Indian Division led the advance across the River Senio north of Faenza. The Jaipurs were not in the first wave of attacks but by mid-morning Edward and his men were across the river and advancing towards the fortified town of Lugo. They swept in from different directions advancing on the main square where the mayor emerged to welcome Edward and his men. The mayor was carrying a white flag in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other! The townspeople had suffered under a winter of German occupation and were keen to demonstrate their relief and joy at finally being liberated. A memorial exists in Lugo to this day commemorating the town’s thanks to the 1st Jaipur Infantry. For Edward, however, the day was probably most remembered for being blown up later on one of the many landmines that had been laid by the retreating Germans. Fortunately, he was unhurt, just stunned and disorientated for a few hours. Good progress was made towards the River Santerno with large numbers of prisoners being taken. The clearing of other towns in the Po Valley continued during over the coming days as 8th Indian Division advanced towards Ferrara. News came of the German surrender on 29th April with it taking effect in Italy on 2nd May, a week before the end of the war in North West Europe.      

In researching the members of the Jaipur Infantry who had lost their lives, I was surprised to find through the Commonwealth War Graves website only 38 commemorations in Italy. The dates of their deaths confirm the battles I have described in Autumn 1944 and Spring 1945. The majority of soldiers are commemorated on cremation memorials in the cemeteries at Faenza, Forli and Ravenna. A significant number are also recorded at the Cassino Memorial, possibly because they died of wounds at field hospitals in the rear. The majority of the soldiers would have been Hindus and therefore cremated but the small numbers when compared to Indian Army units involved in the same battles are remarkably few. Further research is needed to discover more accurate casualty numbers.

For Edward the war was over. He handed over command of the Jaipurs but remained with them long enough to witness the Maharajah’s visit to the Regiment, when he was invited to command the ceremonial Jaipur Guards, who were preparing to fight the Japanese. He therefore returned to India, however war in the Far East was concluded before the Jaipur Guards were committed, and Edward found himself returning to Hong Kong as their Commanding Officer. Post War opportunities for Indian Army officers were reducing significantly and for family reasons Edward left the Army and returned to Britain, where for many of his type, life was not without its challenges. Commanding the Jaipurs on active service was to be the highpoint of his life, although perhaps he did not appreciate as much in the winter and spring of 1945.

[1] The dates of birth of the six children were Edward (1909), Beatrice (1911), Walter (1912), Peter (1914), Harold (1917) and Ruth (1919).