The Butcher of Jallianwala Bagh, Punjab, Gen. Reginald Dyer' s last days and death

Navrang India January 21, 2025

British Raj and the massacre at Amritsar, India alchetron.com

On April 13, 1919  Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer  (9 October 1864 -23 July 1927) temporary Brigadier General in the British  India Army took  a premediated military action with blessing from Michael O' Dwyer, Governor of Punjab on a crowd of roughly 20000 innocent people including women and children gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh (Garden) in Amritsar city, Punjab province. His troops without warning opened fire on the crowd  for about 15 minutes that resulted in the death of about 1000 people (official figure was just 300) and equal number of people injured seriously without any medical help. Many of them were bled to die with no ambulance service.   Dyer's appalling military  action was well etched in the British-India history.  Not only it  shocked the Indians across the land, but also the western world. It made them realize that ''all is not well in the Indian Subcontinent under the Crown Administration''.  This mass killings tarnished the image of oppressive British rule in India. 

Memorial plaque at the Bagh, Amritsar,India upload.
wikipedia.com image. A.Jones, Canada

It ultimately invited wide spread condemnation from Indian  leaders and world leaders across the globe. Indians  across India  were outraged. The leaders of the Indian National Congress, who had  agreed to work with the British on constitutional reforms, now, under Gandhi's leadership opted for civil disobedience. The British government, in the wake of this worst massacre, lost the trust of the Indian freedom fighters. In the wake of widespread condemnation and public protests to accelerate freedom struggle, the Crown administration transferred Dyer back to England on retirement. 

Bullet marks Amritsar massacre, India 1919 upload.wikimedia.org
image. Dr. Graham Beards

Amritsar massacre, India 1919 upload.wikimedia.org
image. Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada 

 , 

After being relieved of his position in the British Indian Army and stripped of the honorary rank of Brigadier-General, Colonel Reginald Dyer returned to England in 1920, where his life took a quiet but deeply troubled turn. Settling into a dairy farm near Ashton Keynes in Wiltshire with his wife Annie and their son Geoff, Dyer sought seclusion from the public eye. The controversies surrounding the Jallianwala Bagh massacre haunted him, and the uproar in Britain and India left him ostracized by many, despite pockets of support from reactionary circles.

The public debate on his actions at Jallianwala Bagh divided British society. While Winston Churchill called Dyer’s conduct “monstrous,” some members of the House of Lords defended him. Supporters formed a fund-raising campaign through the Morning Post, collecting £28,000 (equivalent to millions today) as a gesture of appreciation for Dyer’s perceived defense of British authority in India. Although the funds were raised, Dyer and Annie declined to accept them at a public function, likely recognizing the ongoing backlash and the potential for further scandal.

Dyer’s physical and mental health deteriorated significantly in the years following the massacre. Diagnosed with arteriosclerosis, he suffered a stroke in 1921, which left him partially paralyzed and significantly debilitated. His speech was impaired, and his once rigid demeanor gave way to periods of silence and reflection, sitting alone in his garden at his Somerset cottage. His declining health mirrored his troubled conscience. Despite publicly defending his actions as necessary to prevent a repeat of the 1857 rebellion, Dyer privately expressed doubts, calling the massacre “horrible” during his testimony to the Hunter Commission.

The family's life in England was marked by seclusion. They moved to Somerset in an attempt to evade media scrutiny and public attention. Annie Dyer, fiercely protective of her husband, destroyed many of his personal papers, ensuring that the legacy of the man often dubbed the “Butcher of Amritsar” would remain shrouded in mystery. The Dyers' few remaining friends and supporters visited occasionally, but the couple lived largely in isolation, avoiding public engagements.

Dyer's last days. Sommerset Cottage,deccanchronicle.com


Dyer's military funeral at St Martin's,
London. deccanchronicle.com

Dyer’s final years were marred by the dual burdens of failing health and unrelenting criticism. By 1927, his condition had worsened, and on July 23, 1927, he passed away from complications related to arteriosclerosis. His funeral reflected the divided opinions about his legacy.

Two separate services were held. The first, a quiet ceremony at All Saints’ Church in Long Ashton near his Somerset home, reflected his modest retirement life. The second, more elaborate, military funeral at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London was arranged with the support of reactionary figures, including Home Secretary Sir William Joynson-Hicks. His body was cremated at Golders Green in London, and his ashes were never interred or marked with a memorial stone, leaving no physical trace of his resting place.

Dyer’s widow, Annie, made deliberate efforts to erase her husband’s memory from public discourse. She sought to shield her family, including their descendants, from the enduring infamy of his actions in India. Today, Dyer's great-grandchildren reportedly possess few, if any, personal artifacts or photographs of him, a testament to Annie’s intent to sever ties with the past.

The enduring silence of the British government over the Jallianwala Bagh massacre continues to overshadow Dyer’s legacy. The lack of an official apology for the tragedy underscores the moral failure of the British administration during that dark chapter in colonial history. Dyer’s life, marked by infamy and isolation in its final years, serves as a reminder of the far-reaching consequences of unchecked power and the weight of historical accountability. Their long silence  shows their lack of moral turpitude and scant respect for the innocent people who died in pain for no reason whatsoever. In this regard, the Britain's face remains soiled, particularly the the proposal to award Dyer with a cheque (28,000. 00 pounds) by the British newspaper and Others.  Based on the old post: