Desmond Hayde
| Brigadier (Indian Army) Desmond Hayde MVC | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 November 1926 |
| Died | 25 September 2013 (aged 86) |
| Allegiance |
 Republic of India |
| Service/branch |
 Indian Army |
| Rank |
 Brigadier (Indian Army) |
| Unit | 3 Jat |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 |
| Awards |
 Maha Vir Chakra |
Desmond Hayde was one of the commanding officers of 3 Jat during "1965 Riddle" and led his company of 550 men and defeated the enemy having double strength of soldiers. He was awarded Maha Vir Chakra for his contribution in war. On the night of September 21, 1965 Lieutenant Colonel Hayde made only two demands of his men:
"First: Ek bhi aadmi pichhe nahin hatega! (Not a single man will turn back!),
Second: Zinda ya murda, Dograi mein milna hai! (Dead or alive, we have to meet in Dograi!)",
before his small battalion marched 8 kilometres from their trenches to Dograi, where the Pakistan army had entrenched itself. He warned his men against retreating. "Even if all of you run away, I shall continue to stand on the battlefield alone". He is also perhaps the only soldier to be painted by the famed M F Husain on the battlefield. And it was during an address to his battalion, that Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, gave India one of its best known slogans "Jai Jawan! Jai Kisan!"
Maha Vir Chakra Citation
The citation for the Maha Vir Chakra reads as follows
Gazette Notification: 125 Pres/65,17-9-65 Operation: 1965 Riddle Date of Award: 06 Sep 1965 Citation: On 6 September 1965, when the initial attack on the lchhogil Canal in Pakistan was launched, Lieutenant Colonel Hayde, officer commanding of a battalion of Jat Regiment, captured the western bank of the canal against very stiff enemy opposition. It was primarily due to his leadership that not only did his battalion not fall back from the positions which it had occupied, but in fact moved forward in spite of continuous and heavy shelling and frequent air and ground attacks. On 9 September, when the enemy launched an attack with Patton and Sherman tanks, his battalion accounted for five enemy tanks. The performance of this battalion throughout the operations was excellent and this was largely due to the great personal courage and exceptional qualities of leadership shown by Lieutenant Colonel Desmond Hayde.[1]