The motorcycle displays by teams from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) during the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi drew criticism on social media. Much of the criticism, particularly from the military veterans’ community, centred on the view that the acrobatics were unmilitary and reduced the uniformed services to a caricature.
It is important to understand the genesis of the motorcycle display and the role of Despatch Riders (DRs) in war and peace, a role that continues to this day. In this week’s column, we take a look at the introduction of DRs into the Army and the birth of military DR display teams, which have since found their way into the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) as well.
Birth of the DR in wartime
The Despatch Riders trace their origins to World War I, when the British army inducted motorcycle-borne messengers to carry important despatches between headquarters and field units, giving rise to the name “Despatch Riders.” Initially, DRs were part of the Royal Engineers and, within that, the nascent communications organisation, which included the Signals branch, responsible for wire- and telegraph-based communications for British forces.
Soon after the war, the Signals branch of the Royal Engineers was formed into a separate Corps of Signals in 1920, becoming the sole repository for all means of communication for the Army’s headquarters and field formations.
Role in World War I
During World War I, DRs proved to be a dependable means of sending and receiving messages because wire-based communications were frequently intercepted or disrupted by enemy forces. Since telephone communication was the mainstay at the time, the only secure way to transmit messages from Army, Corps, and Divisional commanders at the rear to brigades and battalions at the front was through DRs.
It was a dangerous task in wartime, with many DRs facing German shelling, gas attacks, and hazardous road conditions. Their work was crucial to the war effort and to the unfolding of battles, yet the role played by DRs has often been overlooked in historical accounts.
Historical accounts available on the internet indicate that the casualty rates among DRs were very high, as they operated alone while delivering messages and were vulnerable to machine-gun fire, artillery, snipers, ambushes, and mechanical failures. The use of DRs on motorcycles for short-range messaging was a revolutionary concept at the time, often used alongside carrier pigeons, which were also employed to send messages to forward troop locations.
Thus, DRs were vital in ensuring a steady channel of communication within the command structure of that era. Triumph motorcycles were the primary mode of transportation for these riders at the time.
DRs in Indian Army, World War II and beyond
By the time World War II broke out, DRs had become an integral part of the Indian Army. They continued to carry vital messages, orders, maps, and information to and from various field formation headquarters.
From the Normandy landings and Operation Market Garden in Europe to the trials and tribulations in the deserts of North Africa and the jungles of Burma, DRs were present in all major battles, integral to every formation.
Advent of DR Display teams
According to Major General V K Singh (Retd), who has chronicled the history of the Corps of Signals, the first DR display by the “Dare Devils,” as the Signals display team is known, was organised in Shimla on March 10, 1935. The display was part of the Silver Jubilee celebrations marking the accession of King George V and Queen Mary to the British throne.
Riding while standing on the motorcycle, riding through a circle of fire, and riding while facing backwards were some of the initial stunts performed. The team’s mass motorcycle-riding displays earned them a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, a feat later replicated by other Army teams.
From 1935 to 1950, most of the major Army Signal units had small display teams of about 10 members. These teams performed at various unit functions and at military exhibitions.
Maj Gen Singh writes that because organising and training these teams, distributed in penny packets, always posed a problem, it was decided to consolidate them into a single, larger team. Maj Gen Singh says since their inception, the Dare Devils have performed hundreds of displays across the country, including at Republic Day Parades, the 1982 Asian Games, the 1987 SAF Games, the 1994 Third National Games, and the Fourth Military World Games, among many others.
The Army Service Corps (ASC) also has a DR display team called the “Tornadoes,” while the Corps of Military Police (CMP) team is known as “Shvet Ashva.” The popularity of DR displays has led the CAPFs to form their own teams, which incorporate unique features that have been criticised as “over the top.”
In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, with information warfare being fought on social media every single day, the Pakistanis did not miss an opportunity to target the Republic Day displays. They flooded the internet with AI-generated images that ridiculed the display teams and mocked their performances.
