Colonel Arcot Govindaraj Rangaraj

Colonel Arcot Govindaraj Rangaraj was born on March 12, 1917. After graduating from Madras medical college, he joined the Indian Medical Service in 1941 as a Lieutenant. Shortly thereafter, he volunteered for the newly founded 50th Indian Parachute Brigade, joining the 152 (Indian) Parachute Battalion.

Rangaraj, together with Havildar Major Mathura Singh, took part in parachute course 3 which began at Delhi's Willingdon airport on December 8, 1941. In completing it, the pair became the first Indian soldiers to ever become parachute trained. Rangaraj quickly put his medical skills to good use by becoming the medical officer of the 152 Battalion. 

During the battle of Sangshak in March 1944, the 152 Battalion were forced into a desperate fight for survival in which their resupply was dropped wide, their guns ran out of ammunition, and the Brigade watering point was constantly under fire. Rangaraj and the other medics were at one point forced to use blood plasma to make plasters for the wounded, having no water left to spare. With casualties eventually reaching a total of 352 - over half of the battalion's strength - a withdrawal became inevitable. On the retreat to Imphal, Rangaraj was marching through the jungle with a couple of other ranks when they happened upon a party of startled Japanese soldiers. Fortunately, he was quicker to react and ended the encounter with a burst of fire from his submachine gun. They stumbled into Imphal filthy and tired a few days later. 

By July 1944, the tides had turned and the Japanese were in full retreat. Under command of G.L. Tarver of the Baluch regiment, the 152 Battalion now sought to enact further losses on the retreating invaders, capturing many. But the Japanese POWs, dishonoured by the shame of defeat, were now stunned by the civility of Rangaraj and the other allied medics. As the 152's Commanding Officer, Paul Hopkinson, described: "it surprised me that they still had the courage and spirit to go on fighting as they did. They all seem to have been told that if captured, they would certainly be shot. It was strange to see how astonished they looked when we gave them food and blankets and Captain Rangaraj attended to their wounds". 

Captain Rangaraj was also present during the drop of a composite Battalion at Elephant point on May 1, 1945. Whilst the 152nd were not part of the composite Battalion, Rangaraj joined as an experienced medical officer whose skills would prove invaluable. This became even more evident when Captain Merryfield, the composite Battalion's medical officer, was injured on the drop, leaving Rangaraj as the only doctor. 

Later in the day, around 3.30, a group of reserves were parachuted in over Elephant point with other medical personnel. Together with Rangaraj, they approached the main Battalion under the cover of heavy rain and with reduced visibility. The Battalion mistakenly opened fire, with Rangaraj there to witness the chaos: "It took a lot of shouting to indicate to them that we were friends and not foes! After five minutes of hell-let-loose, the firing subsided. Torches were switched on, to find Major Thornton, the anaesthetist, lying with his right trousers-leg soaked in blood. He was hit by a bullet in the thigh". Thereafter, Rangaraj and Major Dunlop, the surgeon, worked on the wounded in a cowshed with only a battery-powered lamp for illumination.