Mahmood Khan Durrani

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lieutenant-Colonel Mahmood Khan Durrani (1 July 1914–1995) was awarded the George Cross for his heroism in withstanding Japanese torture during the Second World War [1]. He was the only prisoner of war taken by the Japanese to both be awarded the George Cross and survive his captivity.

A captain at the time of his ordeal, born on 1 July 1914 in Multan in the Western Punjab, he was attached to the 1st Bahawalpur Infantry of the Indian State Forces. During the retreat in Malaya in 1942 he and small party of soldiers managed to evade capture for three months before their location was betrayed to the Japanese sponsored Indian Nationalist Army. He refused to co-operate with the INA and worked to counter their attempts to infiltrate agents into India. In May of 1944 he was arrested and systematically starved and tortured by the Japanese but refused to betray his comrades. He was then handed over by the Japanese to the INA where he was again brutally tortured and, at one point, sentenced to death. He stood firm throughout his ordeal although his health was affected for many years after he regained his freedom at the end of the war.

The London Gazette announced the award on 23 May 1946 [2] with the citation noting that "His outstanding example of deliberate cold-blooded bravery is most fully deserving of the highest award." Captain Durrani was presented with his George Cross by Field Marshal Lord Wavell. He wrote an autobiography "The Sixth Column" which was published in Great Britain in 1955. After the partition of India he resumed his military career in the Pakistan Army, retiring in 1971. He died in 1995, aged 81.

His George Cross is on display in the Imperial War Museum's Victoria & George Cross Gallery.