Date of birth:

1915 (Chitrapu, British India)

Date of death:

February 1992

Service number:

23684

Nationality:

British-Indian

Col. Koka Krishna Rao Naidu was born in 1915 in Chitrapu , Orissa as the only child of Koka Balogram Narasimha Rao Naidu and Janakiamma. His father was a Engineer in the Railway and died of heatstroke when our father was only 11 days old.

Our father and his mother were brought to Kurnool by his paternal grandfather Koka Padmanabhulu Naidu who had retired as Thasildar and Huzur Sheristadar of Kurnool Dist.

By the time he turned four years old, his mother passed away. Raised by his grandfather, he moved to Bangalore for a few years. At the age of seven, his grandfather moved to Madras where he joined Loyola College and completed his Metriculation in June of 1934.

Having had a background of grand uncles who were renowned medical doctors, our father was motivated to become one too!

He joined Madras Medical College and completed his MBBS in December of 1940. Soon after, he applied to the Indian Medical Services to join World War II. He was selected and reported to the Indian Hospital Corps in Quetta, Baluchistan as a Captain.

After training, he joined the 10 Indian Casualty Clearing Station and sailed to Basra, Iraq. From there, he was transferred to 1/5 Mahratha Light Infantry in February of 1942. In June of 1942, they went to Egypt, Cairo, North Africa, Tubruk, Northern Libya. Later, he went back through the Suez Port to Iraq to train for Combined Warfare and River Crossing exercises.

He was then sent to Damscus Syria, Mt. Carmel and Tel Aviv in Israel. Then, he became a part of the 8 Indian Infantry Division under Maj. General Russel and went to Alexandria and to Italy.

It was near the Sangro river in eastern Italy, that he was awarded "Immediate Military Cross" on November 30th 1943 by Maj. Gen. Russell for his valor and impeccable call of duty to save lives even though his battalion was completely bombarded by German forces.

By July of 1944, he was flown back to India and took the position of Instructor Army Medical Training Center (AMTC)

From there, he was posted to Agra as DADMS, HQ Centeral Command from May to October 1945.He was promoted to Lt. Col. in February 1946 and was posted back to Poona to undergo training in Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

Our father married our mother, Kamakshi Naidu on the twelfth of April 1946. They had four children and raised us all in army disciplinary traditions. We were seated in the order of seniority at the dinning table and could never be seen in pyjamas at the breakfast table. We had to be given permission to be excused when done and had to push our chairs back to position.

Our father became a ful Colonel in April of 1964 and was posted as OC 151 GH in Shillong, then in Assam. He retired as ADMS HQ 54 Infantry Division in June of 1968 and retired from service on the first of December 1970.

A valiant man of such great qualities, values and experiences should not be forgotten but must live on as we dedicate this article to his life well lived.

Col. K. K. R. Naidu passed away at the age of 77 of cardiac arrest on the second of February 1992.

He is deeply missed by his surviving family.

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Captain

Unit:

1/5th Mahratta Light Infantry, 21st Indian Infantry Brigade, 8th Indian Infantry Division, British Indian Army

Awarded on:

May 4th, 1944

MAP ITALY 1:50,000 Sheet 147 I LANCIANO. (345996)
"During the assault on the Sangro positions this Battalion HQ was at one stage established in a small farmyard. The RAP was in the farmhouse. Just before dusk 30 November the enemy spotted the position and the HQ was mortared out of existence in five minutes.

Battalion HQ was soon reorganized and moved to the cover of a deep nullah but the mortaring continued on the farmhouse at intervals throughout the night.

During the whole of this time, Captain Rao remained at his RAP in the farmhouse tending the many wounded, with complete disregard for his own safety. In spite of repeated requests from the Officer i/c Battalion HQ he refused to leave until the last of the casualties had been evacuated. This was not until 0800 hrs next day.

Undoubtedly owing to Captain Rao's splendid example the RAP staff remained with him in an extremely dangerous place throughout the night."

• - https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36497/page/2044/data.pdf
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