On 1 Dec 1917 the 2nd Lancers were entrenched in Kildare Lane, east of Peizieres, France. The regiment had been part of an attack by the Mhow Brigade that had driven the Germans from the trench they now occupied, but they were surrounded and in desperate need of further orders. The officer in command was Major G Knowles DSO, and he called for volunteers to carry a message to Brigade HQ. Two men were selected, Lance-Dafadar Gobind Singh and Jot Ram. Each was given the same message but Jot Ram was killed. Gobind Singh’s horse was killed but he continued on foot, or by crawling. He reached Epéhy, 2 miles away, and delivered the message to a startled Brigadier-General Neil Haig. Amazingly he returned and repeated the process a second and third time, each time having his horse killed. He volunteered for a fourth trip but was told that he had done enough. He was gazetted for the VC on 11 Jan 1918.
Govind Singh was a Rahtore Rajput, born on 7 Dec 1887 at Damoe Village, Jodhpur. He first joined the 28th Light Cavalry (3rd Madras Lancers) but was transferred to the 2nd Lancers when they went to France. When the 2nd left France for Palestine he went with them and was prominent in their charge at El Afule, said to be the first man to reach the Turkish position. On the regiment’s return to India he returned to the 28th Light Cavalry and was promoted to Risaldar. He was later commissioned and the photo shows him in the uniform of his regiment (the 7th Light Cavalry since 1923). Jemadar Gobind Singh died at Nagaur, Rajputana, on 9 Dec 1942.
