[WATCH] Abdul Hamid - A Forgotten Legend Of 1965 War

Source : wikipedia India Central TV| Image Courtesy : rediff

Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid, PVC (1 July 1933 – 10 September 1965) was a soldier in the 4th Battalion, The Grenadiers of the Indian Army, He destroyed 7 Patton tanks of the enemy and went down fighting in the Khem Karan sector during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 in the Battle of Asal Uttar, and was the posthumous recipient of the Republic of India’s highest military decoration, the Param Vir Chakra.

Abdul Hamid was born in a Muslim family at Dhamupur village of Ghazipur District of Uttar Pradesh on 1 July 1933, the son of Mohammad Usman.

The bust of Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid at the Grenadiers Regimental Centre.

Abdul Hamid was enrolled into The Grenadiers infantry regiment as army number 239885 on 27 December 1954. He was later posted in the 4th Battalion of the regiment where he served all his service life. During his service, Abdul Hamid served with his battalion in Agra, Amritsar, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi, NEFA and Ramgarh.

A plaque announcing the location of his memorial near Amritsar.

During the Sino-Indian War of 1962, Hamid’s battalion was part of 7th Infantry Brigade commanded by Brigadier John Dalvi, and participated in the battle of Namka Chu against the Chinese. Surrounded and cut off, the battalion had made a fighting breakaway into Bhutan by foot and then to Misamari. A young officer, 2 Lt GVP Rao had been awarded a posthumous Maha Vir Chakra, the highest gallantry medal received by the battalion since Independence till Hamid’s own award eclipsed it.