Great Britain

As midnight struck on 14 August, Independence was declared amidst scenes of Jubilant celebration. As the Union Jack yielded to the saffron, green and white flag of the new India, a nation rejoiced and forgot its troubles. In less than a year, Mountbatten had achieved the impossible. The differences of the Indian leaders has been resolved and a plan for Partition agreed by all parties. Such had been Mountbatten's success that he asked to stay on as Governor-General to the new India. The celebrations were short-lived. As the realities of Partition dawned, a new wave of turmoil and bloodshed swept over the subcontinent. Gandhi's presence in Calcutta brought a brief respite from violence, but in the Punjab the slaughter continued. At the height of the troubles, Gandhi's assassination sent shock-waves throughout India and the world. As the flames of his funeral pyre subsided, the nation turned its thoughts to peace and reconciliation. The time had come for Mountbatten and Edwina to leave India having gained the love and respect of a whole nation. The echoes of those days continue to reverberate throughout the world. The legacy that Mountbatten left to India has indeed altered the course on history.