British army officer who guarded Gandhi passes away

London, July 31 (PTI) UK Lieutenant-Colonel Kenneth Hook, who guarded Mahatma Gandhi when he was imprisoned in Pune and a recipient of a Military Cross in the Burma campaign, hasdied at the age of 93.

Hook, who was born in India, commanded the squadron of the Royal Armoured Corps which played an important role in relieving Kohima and Imphal from Japanese forces in March1944.

After the relief of Kohima and Imphal, British forces went on the offensive and Hook's squadron, with infantry, artillery and sappers under his command, grew to the size of abattalion.

Hook was born at Barian, India on June 16 1915. After reading Architecture at Birkbeck College, London University, he was commissioned into the Royal Berkshire Regiment, TheDaily Telegraph said in his obituary.

Later he was transferred to command the Royal Armoured Corps squadron in India. In 1943 one of his tasks was to guardMahatma Gandhi in Pune.

He was awarded the Military Cross in 1946 and was mentioned in dispatches in the same year, the citations payingtribute to his inspirational leadership.

Hook died on July 10 and is survived by wife, two sonsand a step-son.