A Sri-Lankan in the “Die Hards” – Private Cyril Lorenz Mellonius, a Somme Veteran of the Middlesex Regiment

By John D Ellis

Exploring the lives of soldiers of Black and Asian origin in the Crown regiments of the British Army during the First World War (1914-1918), is following in the footsteps of giants: Stephen Bourne, Ray Costello and others have blazed a trail exploring the service of Black veterans who served in the Great War.^[1]Bourne, S. “Black Poppies: Britain’s Black Community and the Great War”. (The History Press, 2014). Costello, R. “Black Tommies: British Soldiers of African Descent in the First World War”. … Continue reading Families, like those of George Arthur Roberts and projects such as “Hidden Heroes: Soldiers from the Empire” (between Eastside Community Heritage and Middlesex University) have generated a wealth of information.^[2]See www.georgearthurroberts.com and www.hidden-histories.org Whilst the digitisation of records held by The National Archives (TNA) and placed online at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk, ancestry.co.uk and findmypast.co.uk, means that the service records of Black and Asian veterans who served up to and including the First World War are identifiable and accessible within minutes.

This article explores the service of one soldier, Cyril Mellonius of the Middlesex Regiment.^[3]The Middlesex Regiment is an antecedent regiment of the ‘Princess of Wales’s Regiment’. The regiment’s most recent Victoria Cross recipient is Johnson Beharry of Grenada. In doing so, it will also reference other Black and Asian soldiers in the same regiment, and the same battalion. This article will show that the presence of such men was more widespread than critics of attempts to recognise their contribution would have people believe.

Cyril Lorenz Mellonius was born in Columbo, Ceylon, (modern Sri Lanka) in 1887. He was one of 14 children of James Francis and Evangeline Gertrude (nee’ Andree) Mellonius. Between 1914 and 1918 Ceylon raised, equipped and paid for contingents of volunteers to travel to Britain, specifically to serve on the Western Front. In 1915 the Times of Ceylon reported that eighteen volunteers had arrived in England, under the auspices of the ‘Times of Ceylon War Passage Fund’, with five joining the Royal Artillery and thirteen the Colonials Infantry Regiment.^[4]Englishman’s Overland Mail, 22^nd October 1915. findmypast.co.uk As late as July 1918, and almost certainly aware of their likely fate, fifteen ‘Ceylonese’ were enlisted for “active service on the Western Front”.^[5]Englishman’s Overland Mail, 16^th August 1918. findmypast.co.uk The volunteers appear to have been of European, Ceylonese and mixed-heritage. These groups were in addition to individual Ceylonese who travelled to Britain: Charles Hans Kale, born c.1877, travelled to Britain in early 1915. On arrival he placed a notice in the Leamington Spa Courier, thanking the Times of Ceylon, and Mr AC Hayley, “a leading resident of Galle, Ceylon…for the encouragement and assistance which they gave him to come to England.”^[6]Leamington Spa Courier, 5th March 1915. findmypast.co.uk For Charles Hans Kale see: TNA WO 363. After serving in the Army Veterinary Corps (AVC) in 1915 and 1916 (including in the Dardenelles), he … Continue reading

In December 1915 Cyril Mellonius was one of a contingent of Ceylonese volunteers under the command of Captain WM Tyler travelling on the French steamer SS Ville De La Ciotat from Shanghai to Marseilles.

On either the 22^nd or 24^th of December 1915 (dates differ), 105 miles south-west of Cape Matapan in the Mediterranean, the ship was torpedoed by the German submarine U-34. Accounts vary as to the number of casualties, there may have been as many as 82 fatalities, including 14 of the Ceylonese volunteers.^[8]The website www.wrecksite.eu suggests either no fatalities or 82 fatalities. The Northampton Mercury suggested 14 Ceylonese volunteers were killed in the sinking. See Northampton Mercury, 18th … Continue reading After four hours adrift in lifeboats and on rafts, the survivors were rescued and taken to Malta – with U-34 reportedly circling the rescue ship.

Arriving in England in January 1916, the story of the torpedoed Ceylonese volunteers captured the imagination of the British public. Several newspapers carried photos of four of the Ceylonese greeting “British Tommies fresh from the Trenches” and The Daily Mirror published a photo of Cyril Mellonius (rendered as “Mellonin”) meeting a British policeman.

Shortly after, the Ceylonese contingent appear to have been disbanded, being distributed between the Coldstream Guards, Royal Fusiliers and Middlesex Regiment.^[12]Northampton Mercury, 18th February 1916. findmypast.co.uk One Ceylonese Coldstreamer has been identified: Oliver de Livera was born in Columbo, Ceylon c.1898. He had previously served in the … Continue reading The three regiments recruited in the City of London, and therefore it is likely this dictated the destination of the Ceylonese.

Remarkably, there is surviving Pathé news footage of the men arriving to enlist. Cyril Mellonius is almost certainly one of the men shown (you will be able to skip any irritating adverts after a few seconds):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7JHDAuy94M

No.3240 Private Cyril Mellonius enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment in London on the 6^th of January 1916. A motor-driver/chauffeur by occupation, he was 29 years old, 5 feet 2” tall with two tattoos – a lady on his right forearm and a dragon on the left. He identified as a Roman Catholic and named his father, in Columbo, as his next-of-kin.^[13]TNA WO 363.

The nickname of the regiment, “the Die Hards”, originated from the Battle of Albuera (1811), during the Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815), when the mortally wounded Commanding Officer of the 57^th (the West Middlesex) Foot entreated his men to “Die hard, 57th. Die hard!”

The Middlesex Regiment was formed in 1881 from the 57^th Foot and the 77^th (the East Middlesex) Foot. The Black bandsmen of the 77^th had nursed the African-American boxer Tom Molineaux, as he lay dying in the band room of the regiment in Galway in 1818.^[14]Ellis, JD. “The Black, the Red and the Green: Black Red-Coats and Ireland during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.” Irish Sword 23, no.323 (2003): pp 409-25. See www.academia.edu The 57^th Foot had enlisted Black soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars, including John Maria of Guinea, Africa, who enlisted in 1809, and William Nash of Martinique, who enlisted in 1812.^[15]For John Maria see: TNA WO 25/427. For William Nash see: TNA WO 97/1160/91 and WO 116/30. Both were described as having “black” complexions. Whilst the East Middlesex Militia briefly employed Israel Waterford, an African-American recruited from Portchester Prisoner of War camp, between 1811 and 1812, before he transferred to the 74^th (Highland) Foot, eventually returning to his native Pennsylvania by 1820.^[16]Ellis, JD. “The Travels of Israel Waterford: Free born Black Seaman, Prisoner of War and Soldier”.  www.academia.edu

Cyril Mellonius undertook basic training with the 24^th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment in Northampton. The arrival of the Ceylonese appears to have caused a stir in the town. In February 1916, the Northampton Mercury reported that the “officers and men are very kind to them” and that the people of Northampton treated them nicely.^[17]Northampton Mercury, 18^th February 1916. findmypast.co.uk A Private Misso described the perilous journey and the U-Boat attack (indicating he had travelled with Cyril Mellonius), and said he “liked England very much”.^[18]Northampton Mercury, 18th February 1916. findmypast.co.uk Private Charles V Misso subsequently served in the Middlesex Regiment and Royal Engineers. He survived the war and claimed both the British … Continue reading The Northampton Mercury informed its readers that “All members of the Ceylon Party who are in Northampton have been well educated in the Western manner and speak English well.”^[19]Northampton Mercury, 18^th February 1916. findmypast.co.uk

The Ceylonese were not the only ‘soldiers of colour’ in Northampton. An unidentified ‘Parsee’ (sic Parsi), soldier, (who claimed “to be the only Parsee who is serving in the British home forces”), described as “a fine soldierly-looking fellow” who spoke “perfect English”, recounted a journey from China (where he was employed by the British Government), “by way of Siberia, through Russia, Norway and Sweden to get to England”.^[20]Ibid.

The Northampton Mercury concluded its piece declaring that “The presence in our town of these brothers of different colour, race and faith…should bring home to us, as few things can do, the fact and vitality of the Empire now threatened, and it is hoped that while they are with us they will be treated with that hospitality and kindness to which they are richly entitled by the true patriotism they are displaying”.^[21]Ibid.

The claim that the Ceylonese and other Black and Asian soldiers were well received and welcomed by everyone in the town appears to have been erroneous. Jeffrey Green and Frances Oakley identified a letter written, in the form of a petition, to the Colonial Office and signed by six “coloured men serving in the Army” with the Middlesex Regiment in Northampton in early 1916.^[22]jeffreygreen.co.uk/218-badly-treated-black-infantrymen-in-the-middlesex-regiment-1916/ The six, (two from British Guiana, one from Jamaica, two from West Africa, and one from Ceylon), declared that service in Northampton was “intolerable” because their colleagues refused to associate with them and would not share their accommodation.^[23]Ibid. As for the people of Northampton: The “householders do not want us”.^[24]Ibid.

Jeffrey Green identifies contributory factors: “The absence of barrack accommodation (hence billets in private homes), the failure of the officers to stem the negative views of white soldiers…”^[25]jeffreygreen.co.uk/218-badly-treated-black-infantrymen-in-the-middlesex-regiment-1916/ In Northampton, on the 25^th of May 1916, Cyril Mellonius received the only sanction of his service: 5 days “CB” (Confined to Barracks) for “not complying with an order”.^[26]TNA WO 363. In defence of both Northampton and the Middlesex Regiment, Jeffrey Green observes that Walter Tull, (a Black British soldier), played football for Northampton Town from 1911, enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment in 1914, was a Lance-Sergeant in the 17th Battalion in 1916, and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the regiment in 1917.^[27]jeffreygreen.co.uk/218-badly-treated-black-infantrymen-in-the-middlesex-regiment-1916/

Private Cyril Mellonius did not complete his period of confinement. Three days after sentencing, he was one of a draft of soldiers who left Northampton to join the 16^th (Public Schools) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment in France.^[28]TNA WO 363. Two other ‘soldiers of colour’ accompanied him: Privates Peter De Silva, (from Ceylon), and Francis Owen Gittens (from Jamaica).^[29]For Peter De Silva see: www.historycalroots.com/our-boy-peter-private-peter-de-silva-missing-in-action-at-the-somme/ For Francis Owen Gittens see: … Continue reading

On arrival at their new battalion the three men would have almost certainly been aware of, at least by sight, an Indian soldier who had been in the 16^th Middlesex since its establishment: Karesasp Ardeshir Dadabhai Naoroji (‘Kish’ Naoroji), from Gujarat, India, had enlisted in September 1914. On enlistment he was 5 feet 10 and ¾” tall, and described as having a dark or sallow complexion, dark brown eyes and black hair. His religion, under the heading ‘Other Protestants’, was given as “Parsee” (Parsi).^[31]For Karesasp Ardeshir Dadabhai Naoroji see: TNA WO 363. He appears to have enlisted with Nusserwanjee Sorabjee Pudumjee, born in Poona, Bombay c.1893. Pudumjee enlisted in the 16th (Public School) … Continue reading He had been promoted to Sergeant in April 1916.

It is possible that the presence of Kish Naoroji helped the integration of the new arrivals. For Cyril Mellonius, his presence was certainly a welcome sight – they had both attended Trinity College, a prestigious fee paying school in Ceylon.^[33]http://www.trinitycollege.lk/2018/10/10/a-kings-gift-the-captured-german-machine-gun/

Despite the problems in the 24^th Battalion in Northampton, on active service the battalions of the Middlesex Regiment do not appear to have shied from pushing ‘racial boundaries’ and did not baulk when it came to appointing Black and Asian non-commissioned officers. In addition to Kish Naoroji and Walter Tull, George Arthur Roberts (born in Trinidad c.1890), was also promoted to the rank of sergeant. Roberts served with the Middlesex Regiment in both the Dardenelles and France. His specialism being ‘bombing’, i.e. the throwing of grenades accurately and over a long range (up to 74 yards).^[34]Bourne, S. “Black Poppies: Britain’s Black Community and the Great War”. (The History Press, 2014). www.georgearthurroberts.com Also livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/story/40114 A skill honed bringing down coconuts from the palms in his native Trinidad, would have meant the difference between life and death in battle.^[35]Ibid.

Also serving in the Middlesex Regiment in France, in the 21^st Battalion, was Lance-Corporal Joseph Harnam Singh, a Sikh from the Punjab.^[36]For Joseph Harnam Singh see: TNA WO 364. The regiment had numerous battalions, numbering thousands of officers and men, serving in France and elsewhere in 1916. For example, Private Kamal Chunchie, (‘Kamall Athon Chunchie’, born in Kandy, Ceylon c.1886), was serving in the 3^rd Battalion Middlesex Regiment, firstly in Egypt and then on the Salonika Front (where he stayed until the end of hostilities).^[37]Kamall Athon Chunchie served on the Salonika Front until the end of the war. He settled in England when he was discharged from the army. For Kamall Athon Chunchie see: TNA WO 363. 

The presence of Black and Asian soldiers in the Middlesex Regiment should be viewed within a numerically proportionate context, thousands of men served in the regiment, and most of them were White. But, the Black and Asian “Die Hards” served in addition to others serving in the British Indian Army, British West Indies Regiment, the Royal Navy, Royal Flying Corps/RAF, many “colonial units” and those supporting the war effort in civilian roles.

On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, (1^st of July 1916) the 16^th Battalion Middlesex went ‘over the top’. The battalion was tasked with taking the Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt. The events of the first day of the Somme have been well documented, and do not require recounting, other than to explore the experience of the 16^th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment. The 1^st Royal Fusiliers and 2^nd Lancashire Fusiliers, as the first wave of attack, preceded the battalion, however, their attack faltered under heavy machine gun and artillery fire.^[38] Both regiments are antecedents of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. 

Consequently, the attack of the 16^th Battalion was delayed. When the battalion finally attacked, in broad daylight and within sight and range of the German guns, the results were inevitable: Within 48 hours over 500 men of the battalion had become casualties (wounded, missing and dead), including most of the officers. As a result, no entries were made in the ‘Battalion War Diary’, and therefore there is some ambiguity as to what happened: The battalion suffered heavy casualties from artillery and machine gun fire as soon as they left the trenches. Elements appear to have reached the barbed wire in front of the Hawthorn Ridge Crater, and a number of men managed to make it to the lip of the crater before the ferocity and effectiveness of the German defence forced them to withdraw to their own lines. The documentary film The Battle of the Somme (1916) shows a distant group of soldiers, identified as being from the 16^th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, reaching the crater on Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt and then retreating.

The 16^th Battalion were withdrawn from the line on the 3^rd of July, but the battle continued until mid-November 1916. Cyril Mellonius’s involvement was ended by a gunshot wound to the face on the 3^rd of July 1916. Evacuated to Britain he was to spend 49 days in hospital. Kish Naoroji had been evacuated the day before, with a gunshot wound to the right wrist.^[40]Kish Naoroji survived the war and was later commissioned in the British Indian Army. He subsequently resigned his commission in protest at the preferential treatment given to White officers. He later … Continue reading Both were more fortunate than Peter De Silva and Francis Gittens, who fell on the first day of the battle (the latter being killed after reaching the Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt). Joseph Harnam Singh survived the Somme, but was evacuated to Britain suffering from myalgia shortly after the battle ended.^[41]Joseph Harnam Singh was later discharged on a pension due to myalgia, directly attributable to his military service. TNA WO 364. Records on both ancestry.co.uk and findmypast.co.uk indicate that he … Continue reading

The war film ‘1917’ (2019) prompted much debate about the presence of Black soldiers in British Army regiments in the First World War. The decision of the filmmakers to include Black soldiers and a Sikh Sepoy serving alongside White soldiers, as opposed to being in “colonial units”, being viewed by some as tokenism, disproportionate and “woke”. At best, it was seen as historically inaccurate.

However, it is now a matter of historical fact that at the Battle of the Somme, the Middlesex Regiment had at least six Black and Asian soldiers in its ranks: De Silva, Gittens, Mellonius, Naoroji, Singh and Tull (plus Roberts, who is also believed to have served in the battle). As volunteers from the Ceylonese contingent joined both the Coldstream Guards and the Royal Fusiliers, there is no reason to believe that there was not a similar presence in those regiments: Ajit Anil (‘Jick’) Rudra, served as a sergeant in the Royal Fusiliers at the Somme. A friend of Kish Naoroji, he later served as an officer in both the British Indian Army and the Indian Army.^[42]Palit, Maj.Genl. DK. “Major General AA Rudra: His Service in Three Armies And Two World Wars”. (Reliance Publishing House, New Delhi. 2000). His biography identifies several Asian soldiers in the Royal Fusiliers and other British Army units.

In late November 1916 Private Cyril Mellonius returned to France. His prompt return was a testimony to the efficacy of the British Army’s medical services, who, with typical understatement described his injury as a “simple flesh wound”.^[44]TNA WO 363. He continued to serve in the Middlesex Regiment until he was killed in action on the 19^th of August 1917, during the ‘Third Ypres Offensive’.^[45]Ibid. He is buried in grave C.11, Somer Farm Cemetery, Belgium.

His posthumously awarded British War Medal 1914-1920 and Victory Medal were sent to his father in Columbo.^[47]TNA WO 363. WO372/13.

Afterword

Since this article was originally written three more names can now be added to the ranks of the Black and Asian ‘Die Hards’ during World War One.

George Paktsun

George Paktsun is the seventh Black or Asian soldier to be identified serving with the 16^th (Public Schools) Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment at the Battle of the Somme.

George Paktsun was born in Columbo, Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) c.1895. No photo of George Paktsun has been identified, and his military records contain no reference to his ethnicity.^[48]The National Archives (TNA) WO 363. findmypast.co.uk Also see: theyserved.fandom.com/wiki/George_Paktsun However, the names of his parents, (Lam Paktsun and Ho Mui Gnan) and siblings, and his military service indicate that he was of Asian origin. The fact that one of his brothers, Corporal Lam Chi Kow Pakstun, served in the ‘Ceylon Sanitary Company’ (a unit comprised of enlisted native Ceylonese and White officers), also suggests that George Pakstun was Asian.^[49]The ‘Ceylon Sanitary Company’ was a unit comprised of enlisted native Ceylonese and White officers. Attached to the Royal Army Medical Corps, it served in the Mesopotamian Theatre during the … Continue reading

George Paktsun enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment at Whitehall, London on the 25^th of February 1916. On enlistment he was 5 feet 6 and ¼” tall with a boil scar on back of his neck. A Chief Steward (no vessel was identified), he gave his residential address as 49 High Street, Poplar. He was not married, and his religion was identified as “Church of England”. His next of kin was named as Mr Lam (also rendered as ‘Sam’) Paktsun, 8 Reclamation Road, Pettah, Columbo, Ceylon. He had four brothers and six sisters. Whilst he is not believed to have been in the Ceylonese contingent that arrived in Britain in January 1916, he did undertake basic training in the 24^th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment in Northampton (alongside Cyril Mellonius, Peter De Silva and Francis Owen Gittens).

Posted to the 16^th (Public Schools) Battalion in June 1916, he saw action at the Battle of the Somme between July and October 1916, (also serving briefly with the 11^th Battalion before returning the 16^th Battalion), being transferred to Britain in October. His medical records indicate that the cause of his return to Britain was trench foot and malaria, for which he was treated at Shoreham by Sea, Sussex. He was re-admitted to hospital (in Chatham), suffering from malaria in September 1917.^[50]TNA WO 363.

George Paktsun was found Guilty of four disciplinary offences between February and November 1917. All of the offences were related to being absent from parades, and he received a total of 30 days ‘confined to barracks’ (‘CB’) and fined a total of 22 days pay.^[51]For context: These were relatively minor offences – lateness, or your superiors not knowing where you were at any one time were considered as being “absent”.  Desertion on active service was a … Continue reading

In late November 1917 Private George Paktsun returned to active service, with his records indicating that he was sent as a reinforcement to the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. On the 30^th of December 1917, he was one of amongst 610 personnel lost when HMT Aragon was torpedoed and sunk off the Port of Alexandria, by UC-34. Presumed drowned, and declared “Died at Sea”, Private George Paktsun is commemorated on the Chatby Memorial, Alexandria, Egypt.^[52]TNA WO 363. findmypast.co.uk  www.cwgc.org Soldiers Died in the Great War database @ Naval and Military Press Ltd 2010.

He was posthumously awarded the ‘British War Medal 1914-1920’ and the ‘Victory Medal’.^[53]TNA WO372/15. It is believed that a dependent’s pension was being paid to his father until 1958.^[54]UK, World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923. World War One Pension Records, The Western Front Association, England. findmypast.co.uk

Judah Judah Moses

No.G/27119 Private Judah Judah Moses was born in Calcutta, (Kolkata, India) in 1892. (It is possible given his name and that of his mother – see below – that he came from the Jewish community who had been resident in Calcutta since the eighteenth century). A Hatter by occupation (it was noted that he claimed to have been a Merchant in his native Calcutta), he enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment at Mill Hill on the 22^nd of December 1916. On enlistment he was 5 feet 4 and ½” tall and had previously served six years with a volunteer unit: B Company, 1^st Calcutta Volunteer Rifles. His residential address in Britain was given as 188 High Street, Harlesden. He named his mother as his next of kin: Mrs Rachel Moses Cohen of 35 Robert Street, Calcutta. He appears to have spent his whole service with the 6^th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, being discharged as “no longer physically fit for war service” in Hounslow on the 14^th of March 1917. On discharge he was 5 feet 5” tall with brown eyes and black hair. The entry for ‘Complexion’ was left blank in one document and noted as “Dark” in another, perhaps revealing an ambiguity regarding his ethnicity for the authorities. His ‘military character’ was described as “Good”. Whilst the initial physical examination had graded Judah Moses as “Class A”, this was clearly not the case, as shortly after enlisting he had been sent to a military hospital at Chatham, where it was noted by one medical officer: “Patient has a right sided inguinal hernia which is held up by a truss. There is no sign of organic disease present. But patient is always cold, complains of a multitude of symptoms and is generally unable to carry on with his duties. It is obvious that the climate is too much for him. He is not, in my opinion, fit for military service in this country”. His fate remains unknown.^[55]TNA WO 364.

 Ronald Ondatje

Ronald Ondatje was born in Ceylon c.1896-1897 (both years were given in records). A student by occupation, he enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridgeshire’s Own) at Whitehall on the 29^th of September 1915. On enlistment he was 5 feet 7 and ½” tall and described as a “coloured man”.^[56]For Ronald Ondatje (surname also transcribed as Omdatje) see: The National Archives (TNA) WO 363. … Continue reading He identified as Church of England and next of kin was his mother of 8 Greenlands Road, Havelock Town, Columbo, Ceylon. Given the regimental number #A2785 he undertook his basic training with the 24^th (Reserve) Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment at Northampton. As a private he arrived in France in April 1916 and was sent to serve with the 2^nd Company, 16^th (Public Schools) Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment.^[57]Ibid Serving in the same battalion were at least five other ‘soldiers of colour’: Peter De Silva (Ceylon); Francis Owen Gittens (Trinidad); Cyril Mellonius (Ceylon); Karesasp Ardeshir Dadabhai ‘Kish’ Nauroji (Gujerat, India); and George Paktsun (Ceylon).^[58]For Peter De Silva see: www.historycalroots.com/our-boy-peter-private-peter-de-silva-missing-in-action-at-the-somme/ For Francis Owen Gittens see: … Continue reading By the time the guns finally fell silent on the 11^th of November 1918, four of the six would be dead and the other two severely wounded – one of them being a Prisoner of War (POW). Also serving in other ‘operational’ (as opposed to training) battalions of the Middlesex Regiment were more ‘soldiers of colour’, including Walter Tull (Folkestone), George Arthur Roberts (Trinidad), Joseph Harnam Singh (Punjab) and Kamall Athon Chunchie (Ceylon). Those who criticised of the inclusion of soldiers of African and Asian ancestry amongst the ranks of a British regiment, (or simply sharing a vehicle with White British soldiers in the case of the Indian Sepoy) in Sam Mendes’ film 1917 (Universal Pictures, 2019), as historically inaccurate, might do well to reflect on the presence of ‘soldiers of colour’ in the Middlesex Regiment.

Private Ronald Ondatje would almost certainly have participated in the failed assault on the German held ‘Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt’ on the first day of the Battle of the Somme (1^st July 1916). He survived the assault, unlike France Own Gittens and Peter De Silva who both fell in action, and ‘Kish’ Naoroji and Cyril Mellonius who were severely wounded on the 2^nd and 3^rd of July 1916 respectively.

Sometime between the 11^th of July and the 23^rd of August 1916, Private Ronald Ondatje was captured by the Germans and became a POW. Three possible dates are given in his records, and there is also a suggestion that he was attached to the 22^nd (7^th City) Battalion of the Manchester Regiment at the time he was captured.^[59]TNA WO 363. For the WW1 POW Records of Private Ronald Ondatje see: Prisoners of the First World War, the International Committee of the Red Cross. TNA PA 6060. findmypast.co.uk What the records do agree on is that he had been severely wounded, having received one gunshot wound through the left shoulder and a second that had passed through the left thigh and damaged the urethra and penis.^[60]Ibid.

Initially he was held in a POW camp at Langensalza in Bad Langensalza, Thuringia in Central Germany.^[61]Ibid. Langensalza had the reputation of being a ‘dirty’ camp with harsh guards.^[62]www.crichparish-ww1.co.uk/ww1webpages/powmen.html In December 1917 he was one of approximately 70,000 British and French POWs transferred to camps in Switzerland, to improve their health.^[63]For the WW1 POW Records of Private Ronald Ondatje see: Prisoners of the First World War, the International Committee of the Red Cross. PA 6060. findmypast.co.uk In an agreement brokered by the Red Cross, the neutral Swiss government agreed to take seriously ill British and French POWs for the remainder of the duration of the war, it being hoped that the mountain air would be conducive to health. The Home nations were then responsible for paying the costs of their food, lodging and security. Controversially, whilst their new camps were an improvement on those in Germany, they were still in effect prison camps, with the POWs unable to leave, being subject to military discipline and expected to work.

Following the cessation of hostilities in November 1918, the British POWs were released, with Private Ronald Ondatje being repatriated to Britain in December 1918. During January and February 1919, he was a patient at the Queen Alexandra Military Hospital, Millbank. His medical records noted that he had been “wounded and taken prisoner to Saxony”, that the gunshot wound to his left shoulder remained only a very slight disability whilst the one to the left thigh, urethra and penis had improved but he had been left with a urethral stricture. Life behind the wire had also impacted on his health, with it being noted he “is debilitated as a result of being PofW”.^[64]For Ronald Ondatje (surname also transcribed as Omdatje) see: The National Archives (TNA) WO 363. … Continue reading Private Ronald Ondatje was discharged on a pension on the 9^th of June 1919, being physically unfit. His discharge address was given as 8 Greenlands Road, Havelock Town, Columbo, Ceylon. He was later awarded the British War Medal 1914-1920 and the Victory Medal.^[65]TNA WO 372/15.

No reference to Ronald Ondatje can be identified in the records held by either ancestry.co.uk or findmypast.co.uk until 1942. To say that the Japanese attack on Malaya in December 1941 came as somewhat of a surprise is an understatement, however, surprise rapidly turned to shock with the subsequent capitulation of the forces of Britain and its and empire on the 15^th February 1942. That an Asian nation should so comprehensibly defeat the forces of the British Empire was unthinkable. Amongst the defeated soldiers trudging wearily into captivity after the fall of Singapore was Sergeant Ronald Ondatje of the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC).^[66]For the WW2 POW Records of Private Ronald Ondatje see: War Office: Japanese Index Cards of Allied Prisoners of War and Internees, Second World War, 1939-1945. TNA WO 345/39. Prisoners of war, Far … Continue reading

A Warehouse Manager by occupation and resident of Singapore, Ronald Ondatje appears to have continued his military service, by enlisting in the Territorial Army. During the Malayan Campaign, Sergeant Ronald Ondatje was one of the RASC Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) soldiers attached to the ‘Navy Army and Air Force Institute’ (the ‘NAAFI’), responsible for running recreational establishments and providing goods to enlisted service personnel. From the time he was captured, until the cessation of hostilities in August 1945, Ronald Ondatje was a POW in ‘Work Group 4’, based at Thao Sao (‘Tarsau’) in Thailand and responsible for building a section of the Thailand-Burm Railway from Wang Pho to Kinsaiyok – the infamous ‘Hellfire Pass’.^[67]Ibid. Also see: 2nd4thmgb.com.au/camp/tarsau-tha-sao-125k-thailand/ He is known to have sent one official notification of his incarceration, to his brother Frank, care of ‘Ceylon Daily News’, Columbo, Ceylon. The notification confirmed his service details, date and place of capture (Singapore on the 15^th of February 1942), and the fact that he was an “Anglo-Indian”.^[68]Ibid.

Sergeant Ronald Ondatje was liberated from Japanese captivity on the 2^nd of September 1945. His service in WW2 would have entitled him to claim the Defence Medal and the War Medal 1939-1945. Thereafter, his fate remains unknown.

Notes

The British Army units mentioned: The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridgeshire’s Own) are an antecedent of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (Queen’s and Royal Hampshires). The Manchester Regiment are an antecedent of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment (King’s, Lancashire and Border). The Royal Army Service Corps is an antecedent of the Royal Logistic Corps.