Daughter returns from Oz to revive martyr's memorial in Arunachal Pradesh

BENGALURU: When Cheryl Dalby got a call from old classmate Rita Joseph earlier this year, little did she know what would unfold in the coming months.
"When we were chatting, I happened to mention that my father had served in the Indian Army and died in action. She then mentioned to me about her brother George Ollapally having discovered a memorial of a soldier named Captain John Albert Dalby, who had studied at St Joseph's Boys High School.It was my father," Cheryl told STOI .
Ollapally - also part of the school's Old Boys' Association (OBA), formed in 1918 after a few old boys returned from serving in World War I - had accidentally found Dalby's memorial in remote Jaswanthgarh, Arunachal Pradesh. But the name lingered in his mind and research later revealed it was Captain Dalby who had laid down his life in the Indo-China war of 1962.
When Ollapally found the OBA hadn't honoured him, he began scouting for his family, and eventually found Cheryl through Rita, who lives in the US. "Thanks to them, I was able to come down from Perth and visit my father's memorial in Arunachal Pradesh. I have now refurbished the memorial and it looks wonderful," said Cheryl.
Cheryl said she was then invited to the artillery centre and also participated in Raising Day celebrations of her father's 5 Field Regiment.
Besides Dalby, the OBA tracked down three other martyrs who hadn't been honoured by the association. On Saturday, the OBA honoured all the four soldiers by laying wreaths at a memorial in the school and etching their names on it.
The other three soldiers are: Major Uday Shankar Ghosh from 13 Sikh Light Infantry, who died in June 1989 as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka; Major Sylvester Rajesh Ratnam, who died in Jammu and Kashmir as part of Operation Parakram in 2002 and Major Palecanda Atul Devaiah from Maratha Light Infantry, who died in Siachen Glacier during Operation Meghdoot in February 1987.
The OBA also unveiled plaques of the soldiers, which will be placed in the school. Family members of all the soldiers, retired soldiers and others took part in the ceremony. "The OBA was formed after World War I as they felt the need to celebrate friendships. It is only befitting that we have gathered to honour martyred soldiers," said the organisers.