TOPIC:

Picture courtesy of Noonan's

QSA bronze (13 Syce Cundasawmy S. & T. Corps.)

Hi Owen, I am uncertain how it could be done. I will check with them & see what can be done.
ATB
David

The two bronze QSAs sold at Noonan's yesterday:

Syce Cundasawmy sold for a hammer price of GBP 340. Totals (VAT UK only): GBP 438. R9,800. Au$860. Can$790. US$560

Muleteer Shah Nawaz sold for a hammer price of GBP 300. Totals (VAT UK only): GBP 386. R8,700. Au$760. Can$700. US$500

David Grant wrote: Hi Owen, I am uncertain how it could be done. I will check with them & see what can be done.
ATB
David

Thanks David, much appreciated and sorry for late reply.

Owen

Scarce Sweeper’s Bronze Queens South Africa Medal

I thought I would share this, my one and only, bronze medal - a past Christmas present to myself. There is not much here by way of military action, this is more about Caste and Pride.

“Bravery is not the Birthright of Caste, Colour, Religion or Creed. It Rests Somewhere Between Honour and Desperation” (From "Sweeper the Brave", by Major General Syed
Ali Hamid ( www.koi-hai.com/Default.aspx?id=588126 )

Scarce Indian Army Sweeper’s Bronze Queens South Africa Medal to 150 Sweeper KHAIRATEE, Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Cawnpore, Oudh District

Introduction
I could not resist this bronze medal, not because of any heroic deeds, nor for any lofty rank, in fact a ‘Sweeper’ was considered the lowest of the low, not for any famous
regiment, nor famous battle. I have medals covering all these bases, so, no, the reason I wanted this very humble medal, was for the very reasons mentioned, the recipient was
considered to be the lowest of the low, an ‘untouchable’, who like many out-caste Indians, had only one name, and was 'rewarded' with humble bronze.


During the 2nd Anglo Boer War, the British Indian Army provided the Imperial Forces there with a contingent of camp followers; the dhobi (washer man), the cook, the Bhishti
(water carrier), the mess waiter, the cobbler, the barber, the canteen contractor, etc., and, beneath all of these, the Sweeper.

Another reason for wanting this medal was its condition, retaining what appears to be its original, and now very fragile, ribbon, roughly sewn, and heavily polished, i.e., a
cherished medal to a proud Sweeper who appears to have worn it, or at least polished it, over a long period of time. That such a medal has survived at all is in itself a wonder. I
am a sucker for such ribbons and such condition.

The sales description threw me at first:

• “QSA Medal Sweeper Charalee J&J Corps Oudh District. Bronze. Indian Recipient. On offer is a Bronze Queen’s South Africa Medal as issued to Indian recipients during the Anglo Boer War. It is highly polished and has a very worn length of original ribbon. I rather like to think of Charalee wearing his medal every day of his life, hence the excessive amount of polishing! However, the rim remains in great condition with the
usual beautifully engraved naming as found on bronze medals to Indian recipients”

I was also interested in its scarcity. Pre-purchase I didn’t know how many Bronze QSA’s were issued to Sweepers, but had a sense they were scarce. I downloaded the Indian Army QSA medal rolls from The National Archives (more on these later), to look for Charalee, of the J & J Corps, and check numbers awarded to Sweepers. I counted 106 QSA medals, across all the Indian Army rolls, but could not find a Charalee, nor a J&J Corps. I wasn’t too concerned because, even though the single seller image of the naming was poor, it showed that naming was correct and appeared original (untampered with), and once I had the medal in hand, I could check the naming and corps myself and spend more time on the rolls.

Whats in a name
Well everything really, especially when it comes to the medal rolls. Once I had the medal, I put the naming etc under the microscope and found that it was not J & J Corps, but S & T Corps (Supply and Transport Corps), but more importantly it was not Charalee, but Khairatee, and even more importantly, there was an army number for him “150”. Now, I hit the medal rolls again, and found 150 Sweeper KHAIRATE under Bengal Command, Oudh District (Cawnpore). So, not a double ‘E’ at the end, but no doubt about him being ‘our’ man – as his medal is named to him with a double ‘E’, I am using that version in this write-up.


I used the exercise of searching for Khairatee, to log all the Sweepers in the rolls and that list is below, under the section “Medal and Entitlement”.

Medal and Entitlement
With the medal in hand, we find that it is clearly and correctly / officially engraved in running script to “150 Sweeper Khairatee S & T Corps Oudh Dist”. Not mentioned by
the seller, but the suspension is loose, albeit not something I am worried about. The medal appears to retain the original old silk ribbon, sewn with thread that also looks
original. The ribbon is now frayed and fragile and has at some time (not recently) been reinforced with a clear tape which is separating from the ribbon.

I have read that the bronze medals for the Indian contingent (produced by the Royal Mint), named in running script, were sent by GOC South Africa, to India, and engraved at
the Calcutta Mint, before issue/ award in India. The “General Orders by His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief in India”, dated 25 May 1903, Army Head Quarters, Simla has the
following statement:

• “398. Medals – South Africa. It is notified for information that all claims on behalf of Native soldiers, followers and departmental establishments who served in South Africa and who are entitled to South African Medals, have been submitted by the late Controller of Military Accounts, Indian Contingent, South Africa, to the War Office, which will issue the medals in due course.”

I say at the head of this write-up that Sweeper Charalee’s QSA is scarce (to rank) - at first it was an understanding (from I know not where), but it is a claim now supported by
analysis of Sweeper numbers based on the following QSA medal rolls for the Indian Army, found at the TNA (digitised and online). These are the only rolls for the Indian Army in
South Africa, that I am aware of, and the results are discussed below. In respect of 'our' Sweeper's entitlement, we find his name entered on the roll for the Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command,
Oudh District, Cawnpore (TNA WO 100/297, part 1, page 97). The roll was signed off, at Stellenbosch, 29 December 1902, by Captain John C.C. Perkin, “Controller Military Accounts, Indian Contingent, South
African Forces”.

The Medal Rolls
WO 100/296 (download in 3 parts).
1. Part 1: 0.
2. Part 2: 1.
3. Part 3: 3 (includes 2 Hospital Sweepers).

WO 100/297 (download in 2 parts).
1. Part 1: 21 (includes 1 returned medal)
2. Part 2: 35

WO 100/298 (in 3 parts).
1. Part 1: 55 (Hospital Sweeper rank only).
2. Part 2: 9
3. Part 3: 0

Sweepers on the above rolls (number in brackets is their regimental number):

WO 100/296 (Parts 2 and 3).
1. Sweeper Baswah (8), 9th Bengal Lancers. Part 2, page 253.
2. Sweeper Jumna (no number), 40th Pathan Regiment of Bengal Infantry. Part 3, page 378.
3. Ward Sweeper Muggar (no number), 17th Bengal Lancers. Part 3, page 302.
4. Hospital Sweeper Faqirin (no number), 23rd Pioneers. Part 3, page 376.

WO 100/297 (Parts 1 and 2).
1. Sweeper Dagshal (12). Supply & Transport Establishments, Bengal Command, Calcutta District. Part 1, page 58
2. Sweeper Surjoo (9), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Allahabad / Dinapore District. Part 1, page 79
3. Sweeper Cheeta (no number), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Meerut District. Part 1, page 82
4. Sweeper Gheesa (221), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Meerut District. Part 1, page 82
5. Sweeper Lahari (266), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Meerut District. Part 1, page 83
6. Sweeper Mukha (211), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Meerut District. Part 1, page 83
7. Sweeper Mangal (no number), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Meerut District. Part 1, page 83
8. Sweeper Hussaini (156), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Oudh District, Cawnpore. Part 1, page 97. (Bronze medal only).
9. Sweeper Khairate (150), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Oudh District, Cawnpore. Part 1, page 97 (Bronze medal only).
10. Sweeper Panchee (151), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Oudh District, Cawnpore. Part 1, page 99. (Bronze medal only).
11. Sweeper Ram Datt (152), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Oudh District, Cawnpore. Part 1, page 100. (Bronze medal only).
12. Sweeper Chotee (142), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Mhow District. Part 1, page 147.
13. Sweeper Choogla (78), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Mhow District. Part 1, page 147.
14. Sweeper Mangoya (80), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Mhow District. Part 1, page 149.
15. Sweeper Ram Bux (79), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Mhow District. Part 1, page 150.
16. Sweeper Lila (4), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Poona District. Part 1, page 161. His medal was returned 14 April 1909.
17. Sweeper Peeroo (3), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Poona District. Part 1, page 161.
18. Sweeper Badam (58), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Poona District. Part 1, page 170.
19. Sweeper Bhagwan (75), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Poona District. Part 1, page 170.
20. Sweeper Hansa (69), Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Poona District. Part 1, page 170.
21. Sweeper Ragavalu (525), Supply & Transport Corps, Supply & Transport Corps, Madras Command. Part 1, page 185.
22. Sweeper Arumegan (260), Supply & Transport Corps, Madras Command, Bangalore District. Part 2, page 189.
23. Sweeper Balugadee (276), Supply & Transport Corps, Madras Command, Bangalore District. Part 2, page 189.
24. Sweeper Ellapa (277), Supply & Transport Corps, Madras Command, Bangalore District. Part 2, page 191.
25. Sweeper Linga (259), Supply & Transport Corps, Madras Command, Bangalore District. Part 2, page 192.
26. Sweeper Meeniga (261), Supply & Transport Corps, Madras Command, Bangalore District. Part 2, page 193.
27. Sweeper Peethana (278), Supply & Transport Corps, Madras Command, Bangalore District. Part 2, page 194.
28. Sweeper Veeraswamy (258), Supply & Transport Corps, Madras Command, Bangalore District. Part 2, page 197.
29. Sweeper Anthony, Supply & Transport Corps, Madras Command, Bangalore District. Part 2, page 198.
30. Sweeper Nunoo (3), Supply & Transport Corps, Madras Command, Belgaum District. Part 2, page 207.
31. Sweeper Jummoo (62), Supply & Transport Corps, Madras Command, Secunderbad District. Part 2, page 240.
32. Sweeper Moula (304), Supply & Transport Corps, Madras Command, Secunderbad District. Part 2, page 240.
33. Sweeper Ord Boota (74), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Mian Meer District. Part 2, page 252.
34. Sweeper Shabrati (77), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Mian Meer District. Part 2, page 253.
35. Sweeper Dhartta (107), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi. Part 2, page 273.
36. Sweeper Geranditta (106), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi. Part 2, page 274.
37. Sweeper Hanek (105), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi. Part 2, page 274.
38. Sweeper Jumma (103), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi. Part 2, page 275.
39. Sweeper Jundra (108), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi. Part 2, page 275.
40. Sweeper Kalle (104), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi. Part 2, page 275.
41. Sweeper Labhee (109), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi. Part 2, page 275.
42. Sweeper Mewlee (110), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi. Part 2, page 275.
43. Sweeper Bhag (9), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi District, Sialkote. Part 2, page 278.
44. Sweeper Chiragh (56), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi District, Sialkote. Part 2, page 281.
45. Sweeper Dhunda (58), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi District, Sialkote. Part 2, page 281.
46. Sweeper Edda (52), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi District, Sialkote. Part 2, page 282.
47. Sweeper Imam Din (115), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi District, Sialkote. Part 2, page 284.
48. Sweeper Mahtab (57), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi District, Sialkote. Part 2, page 286.
49. Sweeper Nathu (55), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi District, Sialkote. Part 2, page 286.
50. Sweeper Pahari 113), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi District, Sialkote. Part 2, page 287.
51. Sweeper Peera (114), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi District, Sialkote. Part 2, page 287.
52. Sweeper Ram Dyal (112), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi District, Sialkote. Part 2, page 288.
53. Sweeper Savan (54), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi District, Sialkote. Part 2, page 288.
54. Sweeper Wadhwa (58), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Rawal Pindi District, Sialkote. Part 2, page 289.
55. Sweeper Budhoo (60), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Sirhind (Umballa). Part 2, page 291.
56. Sweeper Dhansiya (8), Supply & Transport Corps, Punjab Command, Sirhind (Umballa). Part 2, page 291.

WO 100/298 (Part 1).
1. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Bidhata (280), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 19.
2. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Babu Lall (2722), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 19.To be removed - was a Ward Servant, not Sweeper (see thread comments
below).
3. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Baboo Lall (3087), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 19.
4. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Chadee (1244), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 19.
5. Ward Sweeper 2nd Grade Deo Bakash (4140), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 19.
6. Ward Sweeper 1st Grade Edoo (181), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 19.
7. Ward Sweeper 2nd Grade Fakira (4170), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 19.
8. Ward Sweeper 1st Grade Kanonje (2857), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 20.
9. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Lutchman (1944), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 20.
10. Ward Sweeper 2nd Garde Pahari (2445), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 20.
11. Ward Sweeper 1st Grade Ram Deen (3816), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 20.
12. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Sultan (4256), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 20.
13. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Samulliah (918), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 21.
14. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Bhakhary (3134), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 24.
15. Ward Sweeper 2nd Grade Cheetur (2081), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 24.
16. Ward Sweeper 2nd Grade Girdhary (2242), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 24.
17. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Jumman (4064), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 25.
18. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Karim Khan (3719), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 25.
19. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Luchman (2876), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 26.
20. Ward Sweeper 1st Grade Peshawari (86), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 26.
21. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Ranjit (4191), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 27.
22. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Sufri (4404), Army Hospital Corps, Bengal Command. Part 1, page 27.
23. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Bunsi Kunwa (147), Army Hospital Corps, Bombay Command. Part 1, page 30.
24. Ward Sweeper 2nd Grade Chandra Sookha (159), Army Hospital Corps, Bombay Command. Part 1, page 30.
25. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Khuba Sudayan (108), Army Hospital Corps, Bombay Command. Part 1, page 30.
26. Ward Sweeper 2nd Grade Kulloo Zalem (144), Army Hospital Corps, Bombay Command. Part 1, page 30.
27. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Laljee Rawa (143), Army Hospital Corps, Bombay Command. Part 1, page 31.
28. Ward Sweeper 1st Grade Lucka Sawa (137), Army Hospital Corps, Bombay Command. Part 1, page 31.
29. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Munghal Sambhar (4), Army Hospital Corps, Bombay Command. Part 1, page 31.
30. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Mittia Sama 115), Army Hospital Corps, Bombay l Command. Part 1, page 31.
31. Ward Sweeper 2nd Grade Mangal Bansee (156), Army Hospital Corps, Bombay Command. Part 1, page 31.
32. Ward Sweeper 2nd Grade Peeroo Hookmi (14), Army Hospital Corps, Bombay Command. Part 1, page 32.
33. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Ramzan Peerbux (39), Army Hospital Corps, Bombay Command. Part 1, page 32.
34. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Rama Sandal (158), Army Hospital Corps, Bombay Command. Part 1, page 32.
35. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Sunder Phata (93), Army Hospital Corps, Bombay Command. Part 1, page 33.
36. Ward Sweeper 2nd Grade Anthony (805), Army Hospital Corps, Madras Command. Part 1, page 36.
37. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Arson (794), Army Hospital Corps, Madras Command. Part 1, page 36.
38. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Anthony (859), Army Hospital Corps, Madras Command. Part 1, page 36.
39. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Chuinacointhay (838), Army Hospital Corps, Madras Command. Part 1, page 36.
40. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Furnand (525), Army Hospital Corps, Madras Command. Part 1, page 36.
41. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Francis (856), Army Hospital Corps, Madras Command. Part 1, page 36.
42. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Gabriel (793), Army Hospital Corps, Madras Command. Part 1, page 37.
43. Ward Sweeper Moonegadoo (538), Army Hospital Corps, Madras Command. Part 1, page 37.
44. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Rago Nath (211), Army Hospital Corps, Madras Command. Part 1, page 37.
45. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Vythee (835), Army Hospital Corps, Madras Command. Part 1, page 38.
46. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Vurusawmy (819), Army Hospital Corps, Madras Command. Part 1, page 38.
47. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Chhuttan (4367), Army Hospital Corps, Punjab Command. Part 1, page 40.
48. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Hirah (3248), Army Hospital Corps, Punjab Command. Part 1, page 41.
49. Ward Sweeper 2nd Grade Hira (1698), Army Hospital Corps, Punjab Command. Part 1, page 41.
50. Ward Sweeper 2nd Grade Jhunda (1159), Army Hospital Corps, Punjab Command. Part 1, page 41.
51. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Jumman (3627), Army Hospital Corps, Punjab Command. Part 1, page 41.
52. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Kasee (3608), Army Hospital Corps, Punjab Command. Part 1, page 41.
53. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Latchman (3875), Army Hospital Corps, Punjab Command. Part 1, page 41.
54. Ward Sweeper 1st Grade Mangly (1098), Army Hospital Corps, Punjab Command. Part 1, page 42.
55. Ward Sweeper 3rd Grade Mangal (3241), Army Hospital Corps, Punjab Command. Part 1, page 42.

WO 100/298 (Part2).
1. Sweeper Muttoo (R.P.1), 57th Battery Royal Field Artillery. Part 2, page 114.
2. Sweeper Jewan (121), No. 2 Mountain Battery Royal Garrison Artillery. Part 2, page 123.
3. Sweeper Mata Buksh (120), No. 2 Mountain Battery Royal Garrison Artillery. Part 2, page 123.
4. Sweeper Shadi (122), No. 2 Mountain Battery Royal Garrison Artillery. Part 2, page 123.
5. Sweeper Bassan (R.P.4), 2nd Kings Royal Rifle Corps. Part 2, page 125.
6. Sweeper Dalow (R.P.2), 2nd Kings Royal Rifle Corps. Part 2, page 125.
7. Sweeper Pahary (R.P.5), 2nd Kings Royal Rifle Corps. Part 2, page 125.
8. Sweeper Sohno (R.P.1), 2nd Kings Royal Rifle Corps. Part 2, page 125.
9. Sweeper Wakeel (R.P.3), 2nd Kings Royal Rifle Corps. Part 2, page 125.

'Our' Khairate was one of 4 Sweepers (out of 151 Cawnpore men on the roll) with Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Oudh District, Cawnpore. The roll was signed
off, at Stellenbosch, on 29 December 1902, by Captain John C.C. Perkin, “Controller Military Accounts, Indian Contingent, South African Forces”.

The total number of Sweeper’s across the three Indian Army QSA rolls mentioned is 67*, plus 57 Hospital Sweeper’s (should read 56, as one removed (incorrectly listed as Ward Sweeper, but was Ward Servant).

*The medal of No. 4 Sweeper Lila Supply & Transport Corps, Bengal Command, Poona District, was returned 14 April 1909.

So, "scarce" was right, with only 67 QSA medals to Sweepers, with another 57 (revised to 56) to Hospital Sweeper’s, a total of 124 (revised to 123, as per list above in green) QSA medals to Sweeper ranks. Given the thousands of QSA’s awarded, both silver and bronze, this is a tiny fraction. With Lila’s medal returned, the final number of Sweeper medals potentially ‘out there’ is only 66.

Context for Sweeper Khairatee in the prevailing social hierarchy
According to the excellent FIBIS website ( wiki.fibis.org/w/Indian_Army ), Indian Army followers were 'non-combatants', thereby receiving lesser benefits than those in the Indian Army, with two main categories of follower:

• Higher ranks of followers were listed in Rule 8 under the Indian Army Act (Act VIII of 1911) as the mule, bullock and camel drivers (singular drabi, or draby, a corruption of
the English word driver) of the Supply and Transport Corps, the Transport veterinary dafadars, lascars in Arsenals and Depots of the Ordnance Department, and men of the
Army Bearer Corps. They usually worked in their own distinct units.

• The second category, the menial followers, were the attached followers, including regimental followers, the latter being those attached to infantry or cavalry regiments.
These were either public or private followers. The public followers were those deemed essential to the mobilization of a unit as a fighting formation and therefore paid from the central exchequer, such as a langri (cook for Indian troops), sweeper, and saddler. Private followers were paid from mess funds, deductions in wages etc., barbers, dhobis (washer men), mess bearers (waiters), tailors and blacksmiths. Officers paid for their own
servants, a personal bearer (valet) and a syce (groom).

Most of the sweepers in the British Indian Army were from the cast of ‘untouchables’, (Harijans i.e. children of God as Gandhi called them) who were at the bottom of or outside the Hindu caste system. According to the ‘Koi-Hai’ website and an article there entitled “A Page from History. Sweeper the Brave”, by Maj. Gen. (Ret’d) Syed Ali Hamid ( www.koi-hai.com/Default.aspx?id=588126 ), Sweepers were
authorised to a battalion and went with the battalion wherever it went during peace and war, and they served with pride. The General tells of the memories of a British officer, who served in the Burma Campaign, and his memories of ‘Sweeper Kantu’ who was attached to his battalion mess during the war:

• “Unless in close contact with the enemy, one used the officer’s mess commode or ‘thunder box’ which was usually dug down and covered over and was serviced by the officer’s mess sweeper in battalion headquarters. During much of the fighting in Burma our officers’ Mess sweeper was a diminutive man called Kantu. He was an enlisted follower; not armed but accompanied the battalion wherever it went and was
subject to military law. He was a delightful little man, always smiling, always smart and took particular pride in his job; so much so that it was somewhat disconcerting when one had barely finished one’s daily offering to hear and see it being whipped away in preparation for the next arrival.

During the after breakfast period he was always on duty near the Officers’ Mess thunder box tent/ dug-out and on several occasions when one approached it, would
come smartly to attention, tuck his sweeper’s brush under his left armpit (as an officer might his cane, in the days when officers carried a cane), and give an immaculate
salute with the words "Commanding Officer sahib pot par hai" (The Commanding Officer is on the pot) or "Smith sahib pot par hai," etc.

Kipling captured the relationship between the upper and lower levels of the British Indian Army in his poem ‘Gunga Din’. Gunga Din was a menial water carrier, who was killed
saving the life of a British soldier (extracts):

• “The uniform ’e wore
Was nothin’ much before,
An’ rather less than ’arf o’ that be’ind,
For a piece o’ twisty rag
An’ a goatskin water-bag
Was all the field-equipment ’e could find. . .

. . . Though I've belted you and flayed you,
By the livin' Gawd that made you,
You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!”

India’s Caste System
To understand the how and the why of Sweeper Khairatee having been an ‘untouchable’, we should spend a few minutes looking at ‘caste’. India's caste system is among the
world's oldest forms of surviving social hierarchy. There is a useful BBC news article ““What is India's caste system?” which helps explain its complexities (https://
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-35650616 ). Following are quotes from the article.

• “Caste, the system which divides Hindus into rigid hierarchical groups based on their karma (work) and dharma (the Hindi word for religion, but here it means duty), is
generally accepted to be more than 3,000 years old.

Manusmriti, widely regarded to be the most important and authoritative book on Hindu law and dating back to at least 1,000 years before Christ was born,
"acknowledges and justifies the caste system as the basis of order and regularity of society".

The caste system divides Hindus into four main categories - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras.

Image is used in this BBC article but is also an image in the public domain.

At the top of the hierarchy were the Brahmins who were mainly teachers and intellectuals and are believed to have come from Brahma's head. Then came the
Kshatriyas, or the warriors and rulers, supposedly from his arms. The third slot went to the Vaishyas, or the traders, who were created from his thighs. At the bottom of the
heap were the Shudras, who came from Brahma's feet and did all the menial jobs.

The main castes were further divided into about 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, each based on their specific occupation.

Outside of this Hindu caste system were the achhoots - the Dalits or the untouchables.

How does caste work? For centuries, caste has dictated almost every aspect of Hindu religious and social life, with each group occupying a specific place in this complex
hierarchy. Rural communities have long been arranged on the basis of castes - the upper and lower castes almost always lived in segregated colonies, the water wells
were not shared, Brahmins would not accept food or drink from the Shudras, and one could marry only within one's caste.

The system bestowed many privileges on the upper castes while sanctioning repression of the lower castes by privileged groups. Often criticised for being unjust
and regressive, it remained virtually unchanged for centuries, trapping people into fixed social orders from which it was impossible to escape. Despite the obstacles, however, s
ome Dalits and other low-caste Indians, such as BR Ambedkar who authored the Indian constitution, and KR Narayanan who became the nation's first Dalit president, have
risen to hold prestigious positions in the country.

Historians, though, say that until the 18th Century, the formal distinctions of caste were of limited importance to Indians, social identities were much more flexible, and
people could move easily from one caste to another.

New research shows that hard boundaries were set by British colonial rulers who made caste India's defining social feature when they used censuses to simplify the system,
primarily to create a single society with a common law that could be easily governed.

Is the system legal? Independent India's constitution banned discrimination on the basis of caste, and, in an attempt to correct historical injustices and provide a level playing field to the traditionally disadvantaged, the authorities announced quotas in government jobs and educational institutions for scheduled castes and tribes, the lowest in the caste hierarchy, in 1950.

In 1989, quotas were extended to include a grouping called the OBCs (Other Backward Classes) which fall between the traditional upper castes and the lowest. In recent
decades, with the spread of secular education and growing urbanisation, the influence of caste has somewhat declined, especially in cities where different castes live side-
by-side and inter-caste marriages are becoming more common.

In certain southern states and in the northern state of Bihar, many people began using just one name after social reform movements. Despite the changes though, caste
identities remain strong, and last names are almost always indications of what caste a person belongs to.”

Of course, the modern situation regarding caste is interesting but is it relevant to the story of Sweeper Charalee? Well, despite what we read above, the fact is that the situation
for many Dalits has not changed much, at least according to a Time magazine article “India’s ‘Untouchables’ Are Still Being Forced to Collect Human Waste by Hand”, by
Charlie Campbell, posted on Twitter (now X) 25 August 2014 ( time.com/3172895/dalits-sewage- ... ia-caste/ ), from which the following is taken:

• “The practice of forcing low-caste people in Indian communities to remove accumulated human waste from latrines is continuing despite legal prohibitions and
must be stopped, says a leading advocacy group.

In a report released Monday, the New York City based Human Rights Watch (HRW) detailed the practice of “manual scavenging” – the collecting of excrement from
latrines by hand. The job is done by those considered to be of the lowest birth. These Dalits, or untouchables, often face threats of violence, eviction and withheld wages if
they attempt to leave the trade.

“The first day when I was cleaning the latrines and the drain, my foot slipped and my leg sank in the excrement up to my calf,” Sona, a manual scavenger in Bharatpur, a
city in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, told HRW. “I screamed and ran away. Then I came home and cried and cried. I knew there was only this work for me.”

Khairatee was a Dalit, an outcast (outcaste), an untouchable, he did the disgusting demeaning jobs that were necessary to the health and welfare of those he served.
However, unlike his peers at home in ‘civilian India’, then and now, I suspect that within the army he might at least have felt he had a worthwhile place in that ‘society’, indeed,they rewarded him with a medal, albeit bronze. Regardless of what metal his medal was, he clearly prized it and likely proud of it.

I take my hat off to Sweeper Khairatee – in the words of Rudyard Kipling he was a better man than me.


I accept that my lists of Bronze QSA's to Sweeper's will not be complete due to names that do not appear on the medal rolls I have used, and other factors. I would be grateful if anyone has a name to add (with source if possible) or for any observations on what has been written. As always, my write-ups are a work in progess and this one is still in its infancy.

Owen

A fantastic post. Many thanks, OJD!