PORT DICKSON: The late Col (Rtd) Harchand Singh had the distinction of having commanded four Royal Ranger Regiment battalions.
Till today, he still holds that record of helming the 4th, 2nd, 5th and 9th battalions.
Harchand, who turned 92 on April 7, died following an illness at his Port Dickson home on May 24 and his remains were cremated at the Sendayan Fairy Park, the next day.
At his funeral, Harchand's former student, Major-Gen (Rtd) Datuk Toh Choon Siang had high praises for his master, someone he has known for 45 years.
Harchand left a lasting impression among his charges, whom he had often described as his 'precious jewels' who fought alongside him in many battles against communist insurgents, the Confrontation (with Indonesia) and the two Emergencies.
"I had known him since the day I joined the Army way back in January 1977, when my Short-Service Commission Intake 31 batch mates and I reported for training at the Pre-Officers Cadet Training Unit (Pre-OCTU) at Sebatang Karah camp in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan.
"Harchand was the facility's commandant (as a lieutenant-colonel)," said Toh, in his eulogy at Harchand's funeral in Port Dickson, recently.
Present to pay their last respects were Harchand's widow Eva Guest and son Zoraveer Singh, Army Senior Officers Institute commandant Brig-Gen Inderjit Singh and his deputy Col Suthan Venkatachalam, Army Training and Doctrine chief of staff Col Jagjit Singh and its Colonel Doctrine Col Norulhisham Mohd Shuib, Army Infantry Directorate deputy director Col Wan Edenin Wan Mahsin, Negri Sembilan Veterans Association secretary-general Major (Rtd) Sahi Kassim and Harchand's close buddy Major (Rtd) A. R. Ramachandran.
Also there were Toh's batch mates Lt Col (Rtd) Lee Chee Kiat, Capt (Rtd) Loo Choon Chew, Capt (Rtd) Chong Phi Lip and Capt (Rtd) Steven Liew Hon Seng.
They gathered around Harchand's coffin to accord him a final salute as the 'Last Post' was played, before Toh handed over the national flag symbolically to Zoraveer.
Toh, who retired as the Sibu, Sarawak-based Army First Division commander in 2019, said Harchand's appointment to command four Ranger battalions was something anyone could pride himself of.
Reminiscing his earlier service days, Toh said between 1983 and 1985, he had the honour of serving under Harchand again as an instructor at the Army Combat Training Centre (Pulada) in Ulu Tiram, Johor.
"A true officer and gentleman, Harchand was a great commander, leader, father and elder brother to all of us in the Armed Forces.
"He sacrificed a good 33 years of his youth serving the Army with distinction," said Toh, adding that Harchand was among the first group of multiracial officers who joined the Pre-OCTU of the Federation Military College in 1952.
"Harchand was among the early ones selected for cadet training, after the famous 'Templer's 12' (12 young men hand-picked by British High Commissioner, Field Marshal Tun Sir Gerald Templer to form the nucleus of Army officers).
"After six months at Pre-OCTU, Harchand's group of 36 potential officers were initially sent to Eaton Hall, England for a six-month stint.
"He was among 24 who proceeded to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, England for another six months before being commissioned as a second-lieutenant in 1955 into the 1st Battalion Federation Regiment," said Toh.
Harchand was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1968 and first commanded the 4th battalion (based in Ipoh, Perak), then the 2nd (Kota Kinabalu, Sabah) a year later, 5th (Port Dickson) in 1972 and 9th (Penang) in 1978.
He was promoted to colonel in 1981 as Pulada commandant and retired in 1985.
"Harchand lived a long and colourful life and we are going to miss him dearly.
"Though we are sad that he has to leave us but we should be happy at the same time, because he need not have to endure anymore pain due to his recent illness.
"On behalf of all his comrades, I would like to thank Eva for having taken such good care of him all these years.
"He would not have enjoyed the good life he had, without you," Toh said.
He thanked the church for organising the wake and the funeral service.
Toh commended the 8th Battalion Royal Rangers Regiment (Parachute), led by commanding officer Lt Col Zahari Affandi Mat Noor, for arranging the pall bearers to ceremoniously send off the Malaysian flag-draped coffin of Harchand's cortege.
"Lastly, on behalf of Eva, Harchand's friends, relatives and former comrades in arms, I will like to bid him a heartfelt farewell and may you have a smooth journey to the better place.
"Rest in Peace Sir!" Toh summed up.