Interview with Lt. Col. Brian Frederick Montgomery [sound recording]

Summary: Transfer to Indian Army, 1935. Comparison of Indian Army with Kings African Rifles. Absence of corporal punishment in IA. Accounting for practice ammunition. Mixed classification system of regimental organisation. Composition of Baluch Regiment; commensality of different communities in wartime. Postings to Karachi and Fort Sandeman. Karachi: popularity of the posting; local training facilities; action in aid of civil power; attitude of officers to Congress.

Promotion prospects for Indian troops; honorary commissions; Indian attitudes to promotion. Fort Sandeman: column duties. Raymak: sniping at troops; punitive raids; role of bombing. Existence of Redshirts on eastern side of Indus. Quetta Staff College: character of course; potential enemies; Montgomery's move to Camberley, 1939; use of reinforced tents; memories of Sir Oliver Leese. Lack of impact of war on India at first.

Improved military equipment with war outbreak. Memories of Slim. North-West frontier: anti-British character of Fakir of Ipi; size of campaign; morale of Imperial forces; appearance of wounded rebels; use of captives for mine detection. Retreat from Rangoon: Japanese road-block tactics; encirclement, at Sittang River; anti-British attitude of Burmese; route taken; poor condition of force on arrival in India. Duties at Quetta College.

Staff College: Montgomery's jungle warfare lessons. Return to India, 1945: offensive against Japanese; performance of Sepoys in jungle; motivation of Sepoys; their attitude to Japanese; Japanese attitude to captivity; failure of some to surrender after August 1945 capitulation. Burmese insurgency, 1945-46: rebel 'uniform' and arms. Reorganisation of Baluch Regiment on return to India 1946. Rawalpindi: British prestige despite Partition disturbances.

Partition: division of Indian Army; transference of Hindu troops from Waziristan to India.

Lt. Col. Brian Frederick Montgomery - British Army 1923-35. Indian Army 1936-47: 10th Baluch Regiment; saw service on North-West Frontier, Quetta Staff College, retreat from Burma, offensive against Japanese in Burma in 1945, and action against Burmese insurgency in 1945-46.

Sound recording currently unavailable at SOAS Library due to preservation reasons. Researchers can access a copy of this audio recording at the British Library Listening & Viewing Service. For more details see www.bl.uk/listening or contact listening@bl.uk / 020 7412 7418.

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Copyright held by British Library

Recorded as part of the ’Memories of the British in India’ project by India Office Library & Records [subsequently the Oriental and India Office Collection, British Library]. This recording was previously held at SOAS Library as part of the 'British in India Oral Archive Project' collection [Reference OA2], removed from this collection in August 2014 to reflect the recording’s alternative provenance as part of the ‘Memories of the British in India’ project.

Original sound recording of interview available at British Library Listening & Viewing Service [Reference: C63/47-51]