Madan Lal Vaid

2020-04-25T13:50:40Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2014}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2014}}
{{Infobox military person
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|name = Madan Lal Vaid
|birth_name = Raizada Major Madanlal Vaid
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|unit = [[Jammu and Kashmir Rifles]]
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[[File:Hermonsnow.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Now serene, Mount Hermon was part of the WWII warzone]]


'''Raizada Major Madanlal Vaid''' ({{lang-ur|رایزاده میجر مدن لال وید}}) was an officer in the [[Jammu and Kashmir Rifles]] regiment of the [[British Indian Army]] until the Independence of India in 1947, and subsequently first in the Jammu-Kashmiri Army and then in the Indian Army (after the Jammu-Kashmiri Army was integrated into it). For his bravery in [[World War II]], he was awarded the [[Military Cross]].

==Second World War==
He deployed in the Middle Eastern combat theater during WWII. He won the Military Cross for combat bravery [[Syria]] in July 1941, in the fight for the Jebel Mazar mountain close to [[Mount Hermon]], during the fierce [[Syria-Lebanon campaign]]. Jebel Mazar ([[Latitude]] 34.61667N, [[Longitude]] 38.28333E) is a {{convert|5000|ft|m|sing=on}} mountain dominating the Damascus-Beirut route that the enemy was using very effectively to prevent [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] (British, Australian and Indian) troops from advancing to [[Beirut]]. His actions as recorded in the medal commendation (from the British National Archives, verbatim without corrections):

::''In the operations carried out by the 16th Infantry Brigade in the [[Damascus|DAMASCUS]] Sector on 10th July, 1941, the 1st (Indep) "J" & "K" Mountain Battery, I.S.F., was under the Command of [[The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)|2nd King's Own Royal Regiment]] in their attack on the JEBEL MAZAR feature.''

::''At an early hour on the morning of 10th July - the Commander, 2nd King's Own Royal Regiment was out of touch with his two forward Companies whom he knew to be held up in their advance on Points 1404 and 1455. He decided that a Forward Observation Officer should be sent forward to bring supporting fire to the Company on Point 1404. Lieut. MADN LAL VAID was detailed for this purpose, and although the Commander, 2nd King's Own Royal Regiment was unable to instruct him exactly where to go and find the Company himself. He took his Forward Observation Officer's party across an open valley, swept by Machine Gun fire where no movement had taken place since first light, made contact with the [[Officer Commanding|Company Commander]], and established line communication from the Forward Observation Post to the [[Artillery battery|Battery]] Position, thus giving the Battalion Commander communication with his forward Company.''

::''Immediately on his arrival at the Company position he engaged [[Mortar (weapon)|Mortars]] and [[Machine gun|Machine Guns]] which were causing casualties, and in spite of the proximity of our own troops to his targets, he carried out extremely effective shoots and destroyed one Machine Gun and one Mortar. Our troops on this feature were surrounded on three sides and were under continuous M.G. and Mortar fire, and it was very largely the quick and effective shooting by Lieut. MADAN LAL which enabled the company to retain its hold on this position in spite of heavy enemy pressure, both by reason of its damage to the enemy and its encouraging effect on the morale of our own troops.''

==References==
*"History of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, 1820-1956," Maj. K. Brahma Singh, Lancer International, New Delhi, 1990.
*"Muhiyals: The militant Brahman race of India," T.P. Russell Stracey, 1911.
*[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7658066&queryType=1&resultcount=1 The British National Archives Online ]
*British Army Website on the 2nd King's Own Regiment (Duke of Lancaster's Regiment), https://web.archive.org/web/20060920105838/http://www.army.mod.uk/lancs/history/index.htm

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[[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross|Vaid, Madan Lal]]
[[Category:Punjabi people|Vaid, Major Madan Lal]]

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Madan Lal Vaid