Editing Parkash Singh (section)

==Biography==

Parkash Singh was born on 31 March 1913 in Sharikar village, in the [[Faisalabad|Lyallpur]] District of what was [[British India]] (now modern [[Pakistan]]) into a [[Jat]] [[Sikh]] family. He enlisted in the 8th Punjab Regiment of the [[British Indian Army]] on 21 November 1936,<ref name="Indian_Army_List_46">{{cite book|pages=1508a|title=Indian Army List for October 1946 (Part II)|publisher=Government of India Press|year=1946}}</ref> seeing service on the North-West Frontier.  During the [[World War II|Second World War]], Singh was a 28-year-old [[Havildar]] serving in the [[Universal Carrier|Bren Gun Carrier]] Platoon of 5th Battalion [[8th Punjab Regiment]], [[British Indian Army]] (now 5th Battalion The [[Baloch Regiment]] of [[Pakistan Army]]). In January 1943, his battalion was engaged in fighting on the Mayu Peninsula in the [[Rakhine State|Arakan]], [[Burma]], against Japanese forces, when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:

:On 6 January 1943, the Bren Gun Carrier Platoon of 5/8th Punjab was attacked by a strong Japanese patrol near Donbaik on the Mayu Peninsula. The Platoon Commander was wounded and was forced to retire, handing over the command to Havildar Parkash Singh. Parkash Singh noticed two other carriers bogged down in a ''[[nullah]]'', and under heavy Japanese fire. He immediately rushed to the rescue of the stricken carriers; calling on their crews to abandon the vehicles and run for safety while he provided covering fire. When his Bren gunner was wounded, he took control of the gun from him, and charged towards the enemy. Driving with one hand and firing the Bren gun with the other, he drove them out of their fixed positions. As he returned to pick the crews of the stranded carriers, he came under heavy enemy fire, but calmly rescued all eight men. On 19 January, the battalion carriers again came under heavy anti-tank fire in the same area, and several of them were destroyed including that of the Platoon Commander. The crews of the destroyed vehicles were given up for dead, and the rest of the carriers withdrew. But Parkash Singh wanted to see for himself if there were any survivors among the burning wrecks. Driving down the beach under intense enemy fire, he found the officer and his driver in their badly damaged carrier. The men were too badly injured to be moved, so Parkash Singh decided to tow their vehicle to safety. Despite the order of his Platoon Commander to go back and save himself, the fearless [[Non-commissioned officer|NCO]] rigged a makeshift tow chain and secured it to the damaged carrier, all the time exposed to enemy fire, and then towed it back to safety. For his feats of cool courage and selfless devotion on 6 and 19 January 1943, Havildar Parkash Singh was awarded the Victoria Cross although the initial recommendation was for a VC and Bar.<ref>Ahmad, Maj Rifat Nadeem, and Ahmed, Maj Gen Rafiuddin. (2006). ''Unfaded Glory: The 8th Punjab Regiment 1798-1956''. Abbottabad: The Baloch Regimental Centre. pp. 312-13.</ref><ref name=VCref>{{London Gazette |issue=36013|date=11 May 1943  |pages=2141–2142 |supp= y}}</ref>
 
On 15 August 1943, Singh was commissioned in the VCO ([[Viceroy's Commissioned Officer]] - the present-day [[Junior Commissioned Officer]]) rank of ''[[jemadar]]'' (now ''[[naib subedar]]''), with the war-substantive rank of ''[[subedar]]''.<ref name="Indian_Army_List_46"/> Singh remained in the [[Indian Army]] post-Independence, transferring to the Sikh Regiment as 8 Punjab had been allotted to the [[Pakistan Army]]. Effective 19 July 1948, he was selected for a short-service commission in the rank of lieutenant (seniority from 19 July 1946), and received a regular commission in the same rank on 6 October 1952.<ref name="commission">{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=241  |date=28 September 1957 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> He was promoted to captain and then to [[Major (rank)|major]] on 19 July 1961,<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=232  |date=2 September 1961 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> retiring on 21 November 1968 after 32 years of service.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=515  |date=18 April 1970 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> He died in 1991 aged 77, whilst undergoing heart surgery in [[England]], at [[Ealing]], [[London]]. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the [[Imperial War Museum]], London.