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A
SHORT BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
 Udham
Singh was one of the great patriots of India, with a burning
desire to see his motherland free from the clutches of British
colonialism and imperialism. According to British records, he
was born at Sunam Village, Patiala State, on 23 August 1901,
and was known at various stages in his relatively short life
by the following names : Sher Singh, Udham Singh, Udban Singh,
Ude Singh, Frank Brazil and Mohemed Singh Azad. Being orphaned
at the age of three, he was brought up in the Sikh or hanage
attached to Khalsa College, Amritsar. He was issued with a
passport on 20 March 1933 in Lahore in the name of Udham
Singh. In a Metropolitan Police report, file MEPO 311743,
dated 16 March 1940 (3 days after Udham Singh had been charged
with the murderof SirMichael 01 Dwyer), we find information
concerning his life, which reveals him to be a highly active,
well-travelled, politically motivated, secularminded young man
with some great purpose in his life, a supporter of Bolshevism
and driven by an ardent hatred of British rule in India. This
is how the report, runs :
SINGH served in the Army in
Basra for a year and a half and in British East Africa for two
years. He, returned thereafter to India for a few. months and
then proceeded to London in the company of one PRITAM
SINGH.The two sailed for the United States via Mexico. He
worked for two years in California and for some months in
Detroit and Chicago, whence he moved to East New York where he
lived for five years. Thereafter he shipped for voyages in
various vessels of the US Shipping Line according to his own
account as a Porto Rican, because no Indians were allowed to
be employed on US vessels. (He is known to have held a
seaman's certificate in the name of FRANK BRAZIL of Porto
Rico). From New York he made a trip to Europe, landing in
France, and thereafter visiting Belgium, Germany and going as
far as Vilna in Lithuania, returning via Hungary, Poland,
Switzerland, Italy and France, embarking there for, America.
After another few months in the USA, he took employment on
vessels plying to most of the Mediterranean ports
andthereafters'ecur-edemployment6ntheS.S. Jalapaasacarpenter.
He arrived in this vessel at Karachi injury, 1927, and
deserted from her in Calcutta.
While in America he appears
to have come under the influence of Ghadr Party [Party of
Revolt] and to have been affected by its teaching. He used to
read seditious literature Published by this party. On 27 July
192 7 he was fined at Karachi for having in his possession a
large number of obscene postcards. On 30 August 1927 he was
arrested at Amritsar as it was suspected that he was in
possession of unlicensed Arms. Two revolvers, one pistol, a
quantity of ammunition and copies of the prohibited paper,
Ghadr-i-Gunj [Voice of Revolt], were recovered from him. He
was prosecuted under section 20 of the Arms Act and was
sentenced to fii,e years rigorous imprisonment. He stated that
he had intended to murder Europeans who were ruling over
Indians and that he fully sympathised with the Bolsheviks. as
their object was to liberate India from foreign control. He
was released from gaol on 23 October 1931.
He visited his village for a
short time in 1933 and then proceeded to London where in 1934
he Was known to be living at 9 Alder Street, Commercial Road.
On 5 July 1934, as Udham
Singh, he applied in London for endorsements to his passport
no. 52753, issued in Lahore: he gave his address as 4, Best
Lane, Canterbury, Kent, and said he had a business as a sports
outfitter in India5, but that he had not worked since his
arrival some nine months previously. (There is,
however,evidence to show that he had been pursuing the calling
of a peddler). He announced that he wished to travel by
motor-cycle via Germany, Belgium and Poland to Russia, across
Russia to Odessa, where he would take ship for Constantinople
en route for India. This was considered rather strange, in
view of the fact he had recently broken his arm, but as he had
not at that time been identified as an Indian of extremist
views no objections could be raised.
On 12 May 1936, he applied in
London for endorsements for Holland, Germany, Poland, Austria,
Hungary and Italy, giving the address 4, Duke Street,
Spitalfields, E. The application was granted.
On 16 May 1936 he applied in
Berlin for further endorsements including the Eastern European
countries and the USSR. In view of the fact that he had not
asked for these at the time of his application in London four
days earlier, he was informed that his case would have to be
referred to London, where upon he withdrew his application.
On 25 June 1936 he was
reported as arriving in London from Leningrad, and in the
following November it was reported that he was living with a
white woman in the West End of London and was working at
intervals on crowd scenes at film studios. On several
occasions he is reported to have expressed extreme views and
he is known to have boasted that he had smuggled arms into
India.
In August,1938, UDHAM SINGH
was charged in London with demanding money with menaces. The
Jury disagreed at the first trial and he was acquitted at the
second trial.
He has not come under notice
at meetings organised by Indian extremist movements in London.
On National Registration day
he registered in the name of AZAD Singh, under Serial No. EACK
/ 305 / 7, giving his occupation as carpenter, and stating
that he was born on 23 October 1905. His address was given as
: 581 Wimbome Road, Bournemouth.
A further record of
antecedents was supplied by the prisoner to Detective Sergeant
Lisney and this is also attached.
It appears his last
employment terminated on 7th November, 1939, sincewhenhehas
beenreceiving 17/-perweekunemployment benefit in the name of
SINGH AZAD.
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