Haifa Liberation Day: Over a century-old war memorabilia rests in a family home connected with erstwhile Mysore royals

A sword that belonged to Bedouin leader Rizkalla Salim, known for most raids on Suez canal and disruption of the movement ships during the World War I, has been with the family of the late Risaldar Lingaraj Urs, who was part of Mysore Lancers

The role of Mysore Lancers in the liberation of Haifa, an important port city in Israel during World War I, has been well documented. Even as the Haifa Liberation Day is set to be observed on Monday (September 23, 2024), another slice of Mysuru’s connection to the history of World War I has largely remained in the shadows.

A war memorabilia is tucked away inside a family home connected with the erstwhile Mysore royals. The sword that belonged to Bedouin leader Rizkalla Salim, known for most raids on the Suez Canal and disruption of the movement of ships during World War I, has been with the family of the late Risaldar Lingaraj Urs that resides in Mysuru.

Though it has been in their home for over 100 years, it became public only recently. Those in the Urs community connected to the family knew of the sword of the Bedouin leader that was seized by Lingaraj Urs after killing him in a hand-to-hand combat. He had kept it as part of his personal belongings.

Lingaraj Urs was part of Mysore Lancers, that fought in the war as part of the Imperial army. They were posted in the Suez Canal area and assigned to guard it from the East Bank from the Ottomans and Germans, who were regularly attacking the canal area, says Traces of War, which tracks the war history.

“In October 1915, in the eastern parts of Kantarah area, Mysore Lancers saw 60 camel mounted Turkish troops, with a back up of 200 more, advancing. They were engaged, chased seven miles, eastwards. The notorious Salim was engaged in a hand-to-hand fight, and was killed by A. Lingaraj Urs. After Salim’s death, the attempts on the canal entirely ceased. For his act of bravery, Lingaraj Urs was awarded the Indian Order of Merit (2nd Class).”

Decorated for bravery

Lingaraj Urs, however, could not be part of the jubilant returning troops that received a royal welcome. Just before the World War I ended, a fight broke out at Aleppo in current day Syria on October 25, 1918, between the British army and the Ottoman troops that were moving toward Damascus. As many as 13 soldiers from Mysore Lancers, including Lingaraj Urs, were killed on October 26. According to Commonwealth Grave Commission, Lingaraj Urs was cremated at Basra memorial in Iraq. His name is also engraved in the Teen Murti Memorial at Delhi and World War I memorial in Bengaluru.

“We have the sword of Rizkalla Salim since the end of World War,” says T.V. Nagaprasanna Raje Urs (81), an agriculturist and grandson of Lingaraje Urs. According to him, the sword and a few shells along with his personal belongings were brought and handed over to the family by Capt. A. Basavaraje Urs after the Lancers returned.

Securing Suez Canal

Tracing the history, Secretary of Mysore Lancers Heritage Foundation, Anil Raje Urs, who has been chronicling achievements of the Mysore Lancers, said, “The British understood the importance of Suez Canal to keep contacts with its Empire in South, South-East, and Far East Asian regions and ensure oil supplies from Persian Gulf countries.”

The colonial power thus had very close ties with Egypt and at the onset of World War I, England declared Egypt as its protectorate, and to safeguard the Suez Canal. As a commitment to safeguard Suez Canal, England put up its own forces, and took the help of the native princely native troops – Mysore, Jodhpur, Hyderabad and other troops maintained by Indian princes. In 1918, after securing the strategic waterways, the British and Indian troops liberated the port city of Haifa (in present day Israel) which was in the control of Ottoman Turks for over 400 years.

The soldiers of Mysore Lancers were a personal force of the Mysore Maharaja Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. The force was headed by his brother-in-law Col J. Desraj Urs. The Maharaja, after he pledged troops for the war, contributed money too. He contributed ₹50 lakh from his personal account and raised 700 soldiers from his cavalry as his contribution to the war. After its integration with the Indian Army’s 61st Cavalry, the remains (buildings and land) of the Mysore Lancers regiment today rest with the Karnataka State Reserve Police.

R. Raja Chandra, the son-in-law of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, the last Maharaja of Mysore, said that the Suez Canal war in World War was fought by Mysore Lancers with spears, Amruth Mahal bullocks and bullock carts apart from horses. “Carts driven by Amruth Mahal bullocks were used as ambulance to transport the injured from the war field. It was such a significant achievement that after the killing of Rizkalla Salim by Lingaraj Urs, the disruption in the Suez Canal stopped.”

Published - September 22, 2024 03:33 pm IST