Tracing General Dyer’s footprints in Jalandhar

Rachna Khaira

General Reginald Dyer, known for his role in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that took place on the day of Baisakhi, on April 13, 1919, had come only a year before to Jalandhar.

Although he arrived in the city as a temporary Brigade General of the 45th Infantry Brigade stationed at Jalandhar, he seemed to be unaware of the massacre that would take place the very next year of his posting to India. Even 98 years after the incident, his house is still located on ‘The Mall’ inside the cantonment with a beautiful dome constructed by him on top and a Silver Oak tree planted by him.

Walking down the memory lane, Jalandhar Tribune brings to you from the history files, the footprints of General Dyer left by him in the city.

By March 1918, General Reginald Dyer was back in Punjab from England, this time appointed to the permanent command of the 45th Infantry Brigade in Jalandhar.

Amritsar under his jurisdiction

Dyer knew Jalandhar from his days in the 29th Punjabi Brigade. His brigade and the Jullundur Garrison were part of the Third (Lahore) Division and lay some way back from the frontier in the east of Punjab, astride the truck routes to Delhi. The major town within the brigade area was Amritsar. The city was a major railway junction, but was principally known as the city of Sikhs’ holiest site, the Golden Temple. In 1919, Amritsar had a population of nearly 1.60 lakh and was the centre of commerce, particularly known for cloth trade. It had people of many races and beliefs: the Sikhs, Muslims, Hindu Punjabis, Kashmiri Muslims and North-Indian Hindu merchants who had settled there for business.

Colonial house in Cantt

Although Dyer initially settled into the Flag Staff house situated on the Mall Road inside the cantonment, he, however later decided to build a house on the colonial pattern for himself nearby and named it ‘The Long Ashton’ which is a valley to the south west of Bristol in the UK. Brig Gen Dyer and the then Lieutenant Governor Michael O Dwyer of Punjab stayed here till April 11 in 1919, before leaving to supervise the Jallianwala Bagh incident two days later on Baisakhi. Also, there is a Silver Oak tree planted by him on one side of a house which is now the mess of an Indian Army brigade.

Dyer’s serious duties in Jullundur

General Dyer settled a quarrel between some sepoys and the citizens of the town in the summers of that year and was thanked by a deputation of the elders of the city. Also, in a late 1998 incident, 50 of his men hurriedly occupied the police barracks at Phillaur at 2 am in the morning. Dyer settled the disputes between the Mohammedan and Sikh elements of the two police battalions stationed there.

Member of Jullundur Club

On November 13 in 1918, a celebratory dinner was held at the Jullundur Gymkhana Club followed by a fancy dress ball and this time, Dyer played a trick on Superintendent Donald, Jalandhar’s Chief of Police.

On an earlier occasion, Donald had fooled Dyer into thinking he was a German appearing at the club in disguise and behaving in a highly arrogant manner with Dyer, who had lost his temper and was about to have him arrested when Donald revealed his real identity. Dyer’s revenge was a neat one.

He arrived at the Club during the Armistice party dressed as a Baluch Sardar with two similarly dressed companions, all mounted on camels. One of his staff officers who had primed beforehand rushed into the club to inform the Chief of Police that the Sardar had cut off the head of a policeman who had tried to arrest him. He was now outside demanding to see the General. Donald marched out bristling, only to be made fun of in Persian and Urdu by Dyer and his two mounted companions, who demanded to be treated as befitted their ranks. As the berated and bemused policeman ran back into the club to have a chair for the ‘Sardar’, he saw the faces of the members and their wives watching him from the windows and enjoying the jokes at his expense!

Resignation from club in support of Indian officers

Dyer, like all brigade commanders of the station, was ex-officio a leading member of the Jullundur Club. So it was something of a shock to the Army station when he tendered his resignation. He did this something in early 1919 in support of admission to Indian officer members.

The event stemmed from the commissioning of Indian officers into certain regiments at that time. The new officers had exactly the same status in the Army as their British counterparts, so club membership hitherto strictly segregated, became a difficult issue across India. Many clubs, including Jullundur Club, refused to alter their rules and refused to admit Indian officers. Lord Wellingdon, then Governor of Bombay and later of Madras, was the most prominent official to resign from a club and went so far as to found Willingdon Clubs, open to Indians at both places.

Dyer’s resignation was indeed a brave gesture as it had cut him off to a great extent from the social life of the town. He did, however, remain a member of the Kasauli Club, his father had been a member before him and presumably had admitted Indian officers.

Was General Dyer shaken after the massacre?

Former Army officer Nigel Collet in his book, ‘The Butcher of Amritsar’, has mentioned a few incidents that proved that the General was indeed shaken and distraught! According to the testimony given by his wife, Annie Dyer, for weeks he could hardly sleep from the nightmarish memories of that scene. Also, writer Edward Thompson, who dined with him sometime later, said Dyer went to him all dazed and shaken and said that he did not know that there was no way out! His reliever, FG Puckle Dyer, said he hadn’t had a night’s sleep since the incident and he kept on seeing it all over again.