Archive for January, 2013

Sam Manekshaw on Officers Then and Now …

Posted on January 9, 2013. Filed under: From a Services Career, Personalities, Uncategorized |

This is from the Lecture given by Field Marshal Manekshaw at the Staff College some 25 years after he retired –

Question: The Army has changed and progressed. Do you find any difference in the mental makeup of the young officers compared to your time?

FM:  Over the years, things have changed…… there is a lot of difference, dear.

In my time, my father used to support me until I became a Lieutenant Colonel.  I used to get an allowance to be able to live. Today, the young officer has not only to keep himself but has to send money home.

In my time, we did not have all these courses. The only course I ever did, (of course, we had the four rounds of courses that every officer had to do), but we had mules there so I had to do a course in training mountain mules.

Today the young officer hardly stays in his regiment. He is sent from one place to another to do this course and that course, and he does not get a chance of knowing his men.

We knew our men.

Also there wasn’t so much work in those days. We got up in the mornings, did Physical Training for half an hour , came back ,dressed, had breakfast , then went to our company lines and spent all our time avoiding the Commanding Officer.

Those Commanding Officers were nasty chaps. They did not give a damn for anybody. I will give an example of the Commanding OfficeI was made quartermaster of my battalion. The Commanding Officer sent for the Adjutant and myself.  He said, I want to take the battalion out tomorrow morning for an exercise. We did not have motor cars, we had to indent for mules, so, I as quartermaster indented for a company of mules. He said we were going to leave for the exercise at 6:30, so I ordered the company of mules to arrive at six.

At eleven o’clock at night, the commanding officer changed his mind. He said, “I will not go at 6:30, we will go at nine o’clock”. There was nothing I could do. I got on my bicycle, went off to the lines, where the mules had arrived. I told them to unsaddle, and go into the shade, when who should arrive on a horse but the Cavalry Officer with his daughter!

I touched my hat. He said, “What are those animals doing here, young man?” I said that we were going out on an exercise. “When are you going?” “Nine o’clock.” He tore strips off me – “going at nine o’clock and you have the animals waiting here at six o’clock”. He was riding with his daughter on a horse. What could I say to a General officer, I had two pips on my shoulder.

Suddenly, who should be coming on a bicycle, but the Commanding Officer! He touched his hat, said, “Morning, General.” Turning to me, he said, “What is the matter, Sam?” I said, “Sir, the General is angry with me because we are going out at nine o’clock and the mules are here at six.”

He turned round to face the General, and said, “I will thank you General to know who commands this regiment. Me, and not this young man. I will not have you ticketing him off in front of your daughter.”

He turned back to me and said, “Have you had your breakfast, Sam?” “No.” “Go along. Have your breakfast.”

I was delighted to go off. But when we came back from the exercise, at about eight o’clock in the evening, in my letter rack, was a letter from the General’s wife, inviting me to tea the next day. Now, I did not want to have tea with the General’s wife! But that’s the sort of thing that happens”.

When I became the field Marshal, I was the guest of her majesty in England. I had given a reception at India House, where the same Commanding Officer with his wife were also invited. He came in, shook hands with my wife, shook hands with me, and walked off. After about half an hour, when everybody had arrived, I walked up to him with a glass of whisky in my hand.

He turned to me, “May I call you Sam?” “Please do, Sir. You used to call me ‘bloody fool’ before and I thought that that was my Christian name!”

The difference between the officer now and then. My first confidential report was written by him. Before you went in to sign your confidential report, you had to go in front of the Adjutant, beautifully turned out. We did not have any medals in those days but w needed to have a sword to go into the CO’s office.

I walked in, saluted the Adjutant, he looked me up and down and said, “You are going to see the Colonel now? Look at you! Your bloody strap is filthy really dirty! Look at your belt, disgusting. Go and get dressed properly.” I walked out, waited for five minutes and came back.

He looked me up and down, “Much better.” Then he said, “You are going in there. Do you have a fountain pen?” I said, “Yes.” “The CO will read your report. You will initial on the left hand corner. Is that understood?” “Yes.”

I walked in there, saluted the Colonel, “Mr. Manekshaw reporting, Sir.” He looked me up and down, thrust the report on me – just one line – “This officer, I beg his pardon, this man, may someday become an officer.”  I initialed it and walked out.

Khalid Sheikh, another officer from my regiment, who became the Foreign Minister of Pakistan and a Governor later, came out.   “Khaled, what report have you got?” I asked. He said “One line – this officer tends to be irresponsible”.  I said, “That’s a bad report, Khalid.”  He said, Uh! Last year the bugger said I was irresponsible.” But we did not mind.

Today, if the commanding Officer writes and says this officer is irresponsible, the officer wants to appeal to the President of India saying he is more responsible than the Commanding Officer.

That was the difference, dear. We simply did not give a cuss.  Anything else?

Thank you Gentlemen, thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your patience.