PRIMARY DOSSIER № 03 / 03
DYER, R. E. H.
COMMANDING OFFICER · 45TH INFANTRY BRIGADE (AMRITSAR)
Officer responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on 13 April 1919, ordering 1,650 rounds fired without warning into an unarmed gathering, killing 379 to 1,000+ civilians.
Brigadier Pension + £26,000 Public Fund raised by London Morning Post
- Morning Post public testimonial fund of £26,317 (£1.2M in 2026 value)
- Jeweled Sword of Honour presented by British imperial sympathizers
PRIMARY INVESTIGATION & FINDINGS
Marched 50 armed Gurkha and Sikh riflemen into the walled garden of Jallianwala Bagh on 13 April 1919 and ordered firing without warning on a crowd of 15,000–20,000 unarmed festival attendees.
Expended 1,650 rounds of .303 ammunition continuously for ten minutes, deliberately directing fire where crowd density was highest and trapping victims at the single narrow exit.
Enacted the 'Crawling Order' in Amritsar, forcing Indian citizens to crawl on all fours along Kucha Kurrichhan lane under armed guard.
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