Umrao Singh Captain Umrao Singh VC ( 21 November 1920 – 21 November 2005 ) was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross ( VC ) , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces . He was the only non - commissioned officer in the Royal Artillery or the Royal Indian Artillery to be awarded the Victoria Cross during the Second World War , and the last survivor of only 40 Indian soldiers to be awarded the VC between 1912 , when Indians first became eligible to be awarded the VC , to Indian independence in 1947 . Early life . Umrao Singh , son of Mohar Singh , was born into a Hindu Yadav family in Palra , a small village in Jhajjar district in Haryana ( then the Rohtak district of undivided Punjab ) , 50 km north of Delhi . Different sources give his ancestry as Ahir He attended a local school and joined the Indian Army during World War II in November 1939 . He was promoted to Havildar ( Sergeant ) in the Royal Indian Artillery , Indian Army in 1942 . Award . On the night of 15 to 16 December 1944 in the Kaladan valley , Burma , Umrao Singh was a field gun detachment commander in an advanced section of the 33 Mountain Battery , 30th Mountain Regiment , Indian Artillery , serving on detachment as part of the 81st West African Division in Viscount Slim ' s British 14th Army , supporting the advance of the XV Corps on the Arakan . Singh ' s gun was in an advanced position , supporting the 8th Gold Coast Regiment . After a 90 minute sustained bombardment from 75 mm guns and mortars from the Japanese 28th Army , Singh ' s gun position was attacked by at least two companies of Japanese infantry . He used a Bren light machine gun and directed the rifle fire of the gunners , holding off the assault . He was wounded by two grenades . A second wave of attackers killed all but Singh and two other gunners , but was also beaten off . The three soldiers had only a few bullets remaining , and these were rapidly exhausted in the initial stages of the assault by a third wave of attackers . Undaunted , Singh picked up a " gun bearer " ( a heavy iron rod , similar to a crow bar ) and used that as a weapon in hand to hand fighting . He was seen to strike down three infantrymen , fatally wounded , before succumbing to a rain of blows . Six hours later , after a counter - attack , he was found alive but unconscious near to his artillery piece , almost unrecognisable from a head injury , still clutching his gun bearer . Ten Japanese soldiers lay dead nearby . His field gun was back in action later that day . Later life . Singh was presented with his VC by King George VI at Buckingham Palace on 15 October 1945 . The citation reads " Havildar Umrao Singh set a supreme example of gallantry and devotion to duty . " He was promoted to Subedar Major after recovering from his wounds . He retired from the British Indian army in 1946 , but rejoined the army in 1947 following independence , and served until 1965 . After leaving the army a second time , he returned to farm his family ' s 2 acre ( 8 , 000 m² ) smallholding . He was made an honorary captain in 1970 . At the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of VE Day in London in 1995 , he was almost turned away from the VIP tent because his name was not on the correct list , but Brigadier Tom Longland , who had organised the event , recognised his medal and gave orders for him to be admitted . After the event , Singh complained to British Prime Minister John Major about the meagre pension of £168 per year paid to the then ten surviving Indian VC holders . The amount had remained fixed since 1960 , but Major subsequently arranged for the pension to be raised to £1 , 300 per year . He attended the service of dedication of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Memorial in Westminster Abbey on 14 May 2003 . After being diagnosed with prostate cancer in July 2005 , he died , aged 85 , at the Army Research and Referral hospital in New Delhi 21 November 2005 . He was cremated in his native village with full military honours , attended by Bhupinder Singh Hooda ( Chief Minister of Haryana ) , General Joginder Jaswant Singh ( Army Chief ) , and Lt Gen Charanjit Singh ( Director General of Artillery ) . His wife , Vimla pre - deceased him , but he was survived by two sons and a daughter . In spite of personal hardship and receiving substantial offers , Singh refused to sell his medal during his lifetime , saying that selling the medal would " stain the honour of those who fell in battle " .