Here is an authentic account of a brief, momentous event that preceded India s Independence fifty years ago. This is a personal account by the author, a junior naval officer at the time, caught by chance at the centre of the disturbances in Bombay, and it indicates their far reaching implications the historic trials in New Delhi, when Nehru was one of the defence lawyers of the Indian National Army, Gandhi s philosophy of non-violence and the significance of India becoming the first Republic of Commonwealth.
In 1946, 20,000 non-commissioned sailors of the Royal Indian Navy mutinied. They were inspired by the heroism of the Azad Hind Fauj. But their anger was sparked by terrible service conditions, racism, and broken recruitment promises. In less than 48 hours, 20,000 men took over 78 ships and 21 shore establishments and replaced British flags with the entwined flags of the Congress, the Muslim League, and the communists. The British panicked and announced a Cabinet Mission to discuss modalities of transfer of power. By this time, Indian troops had refused to fire on the ratings, and the mutiny sparked revolts in other branches of the armed forces. The young ratings presented a charter of demands, even as they fought pitched battles against British troops. People thronged the streets in support, and hartals were followed by street fights between civilians and British soldiers resulting in over 400 deaths and 1,500 injured. To quell the rebellion, British commanded their powerful warship HMS Glasgow to sail rapidly from Trincomalee and ordered low sorties by the Royal Air Force fighter planes. In retaliation, the ratings trained the guns mounted on the captured ships towards the shore, threatening to blow Gateway of India, Yacht Club, and the dockyards. As violence escalated, telegrams flew between the Viceroy’s office and the British Cabinet. The British realized they could no longer hold India by force. While the communists continued to support the rebellious ratings, the Congress and the Muslim League persuaded them to surrender, promising they would not be victimized. Shamefully, years later, the governments of India and Pakistan refused to honour those promises after Independence. The mutiny caused public disagreements between Gandhiji and Aruna Asaf Ali, and between Sardar Patel and Nehru. Historians say it accelerated the transfer of power. But this seminal event, which inspired songs, art and theatre has been edited out of the popular narratives of the Freedom Movement.
This book presents a comprehensive history of the Royal Indian Navy (RIN). It traces the origins of the RIN to the East India Company, as early as 1612, and untangles the institution’s complex history. Capturing various transitional phases of the RIN, especially during the crucial period of 1920–1950, it concludes with the final transfer of the RIN from under the British Raj to independent India. Drawn from a host of primary sources—personal diaries and logs, official reports and documents—the author presents a previously unexplored history of colonial and imperial defence policy, and the contribution of the RIN during the World Wars. This book explores several aspects in RIN’s history such as its involvement in the First World War; its status in policies of the British Raj; the martial race theory in the RIN; and the development of the RIN from a non-combat force to a full-fledged combat defence force during the Second World War. It also studies the hitherto unexplored causes, nature and impact of the 1946 RIN Revolt on the eve of India’s independence from a fresh perspective. An important intervention in the study of military and defence history, this will be an essential read for students, researchers, defence personnel, military academy cadets, as well as general readers.
The book is written on the basis of historical background imbibing the facts of the final phase of India's liberation movement, valorous deeds of the teenaged Indian sailors in the uprising and has unearthed many notable events of the contemporary period. A condensed account of the entire episode written in a manner to throw light to the hidden glory of Indians struggling for freedom. RIN MUTINY: 1946 is laudable to all freedom loving people. It contains not only the most authentic version of a leading participant in the Mutiny but also those who were associated with him in the Strike Committee. The book has also covered International and National press reports, participating warships and naval establishments all over the country. Reviews ``The book is certainly a very good attempt for an authentic portrayal of hitherto unpopular but sensitive event of Indian history. There is sufficient material for the students of history and inquisitive readers as well as research scholars''. Dr B. C. Kalita, Review Projector (India), Vol. 9, No. 7–9. The author of this book was a participant in the historic uprising of the courageous sailors who wrote a glorious chapter in the history of our freedom movement. This reviewer congratulates the author for the painstaking work that he took in making his own contribution and bringing together other valuable material. E.M.S. Namboodiripad, People’s Democracy, June 25, 1989. ``The book under review is a noble attempt to draw attention of both historians and the patriotic people to the immortal heroes within the military personnel who fought and died during India's struggle for freedom. Biswanath Bose's work has done a remarkable job by vividly presenting the history of a glorious battle which our official historians ignore wilfully to shield our national heroes, somewhat unjustifiably''. P.N. Dhar, The Quarterly Review of Historical Studies, Vol. XXIX (4), pp. 59–62
A number of books have been written on the 1946 Royal Indian Navy Mutiny but the true story of this historic event remains untold with few facts deliberately suppressed. The Inquiry Commission report gave graphic details of mutinous acts at all the naval stations but it awarded no punishment to the guilty. It glossed over the bad conditions of service leading to the mutiny. It recommended no action against naval administration although bad service conditions were stated to be the root cause of mutiny in the Navy. It was an irony of British Naval Justice that the men voicing these bad service conditions were punished under the Naval Discipline Act. This book attempts to bring out a concise version of the composition and administration of the Navy including its sudden expansion during the World War II. The author's long association with naval counter intelligence has helped him to discern some unknown facts of this mutiny which are reflected in this book. It gives the build up and administrative background of Royal Indian Navy and details of mutinous acts in all stations because of which India did not have to fight any more for its freedom. The book, therefore, appropriately bears the title of 'Untold Story-1946 Naval Mutiny, the last war of Independence.'
A unique examination of the role of the Indian army in post-World War II India in the run-up to Partition. Daniel Marston draws upon extensive archival research and interviews with veterans of the events of 1947 to provide fresh insight into the final days of the British Raj.
This volume brings together a set of scholarly, readable and up-to-date essays covering the most significant naval mutinies of the 20th century, including Russia (1905), Brazil (1910), Austria (1918), Germany (1918), France (1918-19), Great Britain (1931), Chile (1931), the United States (1944), India (1946), China (1949), Australia, and Canada (1949). Each chapter addresses the causes of the mutiny in question, its long- and short-term repercussions, and the course of the mutiny itself. More generally, authors consider the state of the literature on their mutiny and examine significant historiographical issues connected with it, taking advantage of new research and new methodologies to provide something of value to both the specialist and non-specialist reader. The book provides fresh insights into issues such as what a mutiny is, what factors cause them, what navies are most susceptible to them, what responses lead to satisfactory or unsatisfactory conclusions, and how far-reaching their consequences tend to be.
