CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: In his 28 years as a defence man, Colonel Prithipal Singh Gill (retired) saw it all — from World War II to the India-Pakistan War of 1965. On Friday, the only surviving officer to have served in all three wings of the armed forces turned 100.
“I was fortunate. Today, I would have been thrown out had I switched so many times,” Gill told TOIamid celebrations at his Chandigarh residence with his family and the regiment he raised.
From scanning the skies to manning the high seas, his has been a unique career. It started in 1942, when he joined the Royal Indian Air Force as a pilot, without his family’s consent. “I would fly Howard aircraft when I was posted in Karachi,” he said.
3 generations had served in the Army before Gill
So worried was his family that Lt Gen RA Savoy, a senior British army officer whom the family knew, got him transferred to the Navy in 1943. “I went on to serve on a minesweeping ship before joining INS Teer as a gazetted officer during World War II.” As a young sub lieutenant with the Navy, he attended a long range gunnery course and was graded Instructor Gunnery.
“Then, in hopes of carrying on a family tradition of serving the 1 Sikh Regiment, I joined the Army,” he said. Because of his experience as Instructor Gunnery, Gill was posted with the Gwalior Mountain Battery, equipped with 5.4 inch Howitzers, in 1951, his son Dr Ajay Pal Singh told TOI. Three generations of his family had served with Army before him — his great grandfather Nehan Singh, his grandfather Bir Singh and his father Harpal Singh.
Gill was then posted with the 34 Medium Regiment and later raised and commanded the 71 Medium Regiment. On Friday, it was 71 Medium that sent him a cake on behalf of the Indian Army to mark the occasion. Looking back, one of the best memories he has is those from the 1965 India-Pakistan War. “We retrieved four guns from enemy camp,” he said. Five years later, he retired as sector commander of Assam Rifles at Ukhrul in Manipur as a Colonel. “I have been busy since retirement. Squash, hockey, tennis,” he said.