Orders, Decorations and Medals

A scarce Second World War Italy operations M.M. awarded to Lance-Naik Ratan Sing Rana, 3rd Battalion, 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles, who fought a close quarters action with his P.I.A.T., killing at least two of the enemy

Military Medal, G.VI.R. (9312 L./Nk. Ratan Sing Rana, 18 R. Garh. Rif.), officially engraved naming, contact marks and a little polished, otherwise very fine £500-600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Bahadur Collection of Medals to Sikh Regiments.

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Just 19 men of the 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles were awarded the M.M. in the 1939-45 War, nine of them for Italy.

M.M. London Gazette 24 May 1945. The original recommendation for an immediate award states:

‘On the night of 14-15 December 1944, Lance-Naik Ratan Sing was in command of a P.I.A.T. detachment which was ordered to accompany a patrol to destroy an enemy tank in Colve. When the patrol reached the house they found the tank gone. The patrol commander approached the house to search it. When the patrol was within a few yards of the house heavy fire was opened from the doors and windows, and grenades were thrown from the upper windows, fatally wounding the patrol commander. Lance-Naik Ratan Sing immediately got his P.I.A.T. into action, and with one shot silenced a post in the doorway, killing the two Germans who manned it. With complete disregard for the grenades which were still falling from the upper storey, he ran up to the house, picked up the body of the patrol commander and carried it back to the patrol’s position. He then assumed command of the patrol and personally covered its withdrawal with his P.I.A.T. The courage, initiative and disregard for his personal safety of this N.C.O. are of a very high order, and throughout the action he set a magnificent example of coolness and courage to the men under his command.’