Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second World War Burma operations M.M. group of six awarded to Acting Naik Rahim Ali, 19th (Maymo) Mountain Battery, Indian Artillery: the first Indian gunner to receive the M.M, in the 1939-45 War - an immediate award - he gallantry manned his wireless set under heavy fire in the Arakan in February 1944 and at one point was blown down a hill by the blast of a shell

Military Medal, G.VI.R. (43455 A. Naik Rahim Ali, Ind. Art.), officially impressed naming; India General Service 1936-39, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1937-39 (kDvr. Rahm Ali, 19 Mtn. Bty.); 1939-45 Star; Burma Star; War Medal 1939-45; India Service Medal 1939-45, number officially corrected on the second, contact marks and edge nicks, generally very fine (6) £600-800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Gallantry Awards to the Indian Army for the Burma Campaign 1944-45.

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M.M. London Gazette 18 May 1944. The recommendation - for an immediate award of the I.D.S.M. - states:

‘On 21 February 1944, Acting Naik Rahim Ali, 19 Indian Mountain Battery, 25 Indian Mountain Regiment, Indian Artillery, went forward along Long Ridge, east of the Kalapanzin river, with the F.O.O., supporting ‘C’ Company, 4-14th Punjab Regiment, as a wireless operator operating his own set. At 1400 hours heavy L.M.G. fire was opened at short range on the ridge on top of which Acting Naik Rahim Ali had set up his wireless set. Two men sitting within yards of him were wounded and his wireless set was knocked down the hillside into a chaung. He recovered his set and, in view of the enemy and under fire, put it in order, and re-established communication from the top of the ridge, thus enabling fire to be brought to bear as required by the Company Commander at a critical period.

At about 1445 hours on the same day an enemy grenade burst some three yards from the wireless set operated by Acting Naik Rahim Ali. One man within two yards of Rahim Ali killed and two others severely wounded. Rahim Ali and his set were blown by the blast down the hill, the aerial was broken off and one pair of headphones rendered unserviceable. Rahim Ali again carried the set up the hill and re-established communication with his battery.

This action was performed on a position fully exposed to the enemy and from which all others had been driven by enemy fire. By this action he got his fire orders through to the battery at a time when fire was required urgently to assist the infantry on to their objective.’

Rahim Ali was a Punjabi Mussalman from the village of Dalelpur in the Dalwal region of Jhelum district. As a Driver in 19th (Maymyo) Mountain Battery, Indian Artillery, he served in the North-West Frontier operations in June-September 1938 (Medal & clasp). An Acting Naik by the time his unit was deployed to Burma in 7th Indian Division in late 1943, his immediate M.M. was won for the above cited deeds during the Arakan campaign; sold with copied research.