Riots in India WW2 & where to look

[Joanne]

I don't know much about my grandfathers time during WW2 only that he was at the RAF base in Mendlesham, Suffolk (not a pilot) and then towards the latter stages of the war went over to India on a troop ship as part of the Suffolk Regiment (I think) to help control the riots.  Sadly he died in 1986 aged 63 but I've recently acquired his circular tag with his name and number on.  Just wondering if anyone knew much about what occurred with the riots in India and timescales etc? Also if I paid to view his record on the Forces War Records website would I gain much information? Many thanks in advance

[sheldonesque]

There were hundreds of riots during the war in India, and the two years after (before India became Independent). Most, though not all, were linked to the Independence movement. Many were anti-British demonstartions that either ended up as riots, or were demonstrations that were defined as riots by the British so as to use physical force to disperse demonstrations.

Most of these incidents occurred from 1942 when the Quit India Movement started. Despite Gandhi's non-violence stance, violence was a common occurance (not all were aligned to Gandhi's position or his tactics).

As the war ended, the agitation resummed and became not only anti-British, but many violent incidents occurred between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. The demand for a seperate state for the Muslims caused major splits amongst the independce movement, and their supporters, and the British ended up getting stuck in the middle.

It is difficult to provide a summary of all incidents, so it maybe easier if you can give us some dates and locations. Where was he stationed and when? Many of the major incidents were reported in The Times, and others have been written about the Partition of India and Pakistan, and the hundreds of thousands killed.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that if you are interested in a general picture of Britain's involvement in Asia right after the war (including the problem of rioting in India) then I would highly recommend Forgotten Wars: The End of Britain's Asian Empire by Christopher Bayly

[Joanne]

Thank you for your reply, very interesting.  Sadly I don't know the dates or places of where he served.  I've got the number on his tags if that would be of any use?