Inderjit Singh Gill

Lieutenant General Inderjit Singh Gill, PVSM, MC (16 January 1922 – 30 May 2001)[4] was a general officer in the Indian Army. He was the officiating Director of Military Operations (DMO)[2] of the Indian Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. He retired in 1979 after serving as the Western Army Commander.

Lieutenant General

I S Gill

PVSM, MC
Born(1922-01-16)January 16, 1922[1][2]
United Kingdom[3]
DiedMay 30, 2001(2001-05-30) (aged 79)[4]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Allegiance United Kingdom
 British India
 India
Service/branch British Army
 British Indian Army
 Indian Army
Years of service1941-1979[5]
Rank Lieutenant General
Service number229329 (British Army)[6]
IC-1641 (British Indian Army/Indian Army)[7]
Unit
Commands held
Battles/wars
Awards

Early life

Gill was born in 1922 to Lieutenant Colonel Gurdial Singh Gill of the Indian Medical Service and his Scottish wife, Rena Lister.[10] Having done his schooling in India, he was studying engineering at the University of Edinburgh when the second world war broke out, and in 1941 he dropped out to enlist in the Black Watch.[2]

Military career

World War II

He was commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers as a Second Lieutenant on 5 April 1942. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 5 October 1942.

The British Special Operations Executive planned Operation Animals to deceive the Axis Powers into believing that Greece was the target of an Allied amphibious landing, instead of Sicily. Gill served in this operation, for which he was awarded the Military Cross in the London Gazette of 3 February 1944 as a Lieutenant (acting Captain). His citation (which was not made public) read:

"Capt. Gill proceeded in mufti with Maj. Barker on a reconnaissance of the railway on the South edge of the Thessaly Plain between 14 and 18 June. This reconnaissance necessitated a night journey across the Plain on horseback, and, due to enemy patrolling, for the reconnaissance to be carried out in mufti. Four days later he returned with explosives and one Andarti assistant and successfully demolished a bridge to the south of Proerna. During the reconnaissance and during the actual operation he showed the greatest coolness and courage and complete disregard for personal danger. Due to the proximity of German patrols on the railway, he was at all times in grave risk of being discovered. The successful achievement of this operation was entirely due to his personal gallantry.

During the past three months Capt. Gill’s work has been of the very highest order. He has consistently worked unsparingly and his work has been an inspiration to the Andartis with him. "

(TNA WO 373/46, 20 September 1943. A note at the bottom said: Should this award be approved, it is requested that no details should be made public or communicated to the press) [11]

He was also mentioned in dispatches in the London Gazette of 6 April 1944 for services in the Middle East.

Post-Independence

Just prior to India's independence, Gill relinquished his British commission and joined the Indian Army.[12] On 7 May 1947, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the British Indian Army (seniority from 5 July 1944) and with seniority in his former rank of second lieutenant from 5 January 1943.[13] He was promoted to captain in the newly re-designated Indian Army on 5 January 1949.[14]

Gill attended the Defence Services Staff College in 1954. In 1955, he took over command of the 1st battalion The Parachute regiment (1 Para), and was promoted to major on 5 January 1956.[15] After Brigade and Division level commands, he was appointed the Director Military Training (DMT). He was the officiating Director Military Operations (DMO) during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

Gill was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal as a Major General in 1967 and was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1972[16] for his role as the officiating Director of Military Operations in the 1971 Indo-Pak War.[17]

After the war, Gill was promoted to lieutenant-general on 1 April 1974.[18] He commanded a Corps in the eastern theater. Upon promotion to Army Commander, he served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command, and retired on 1 June 1979.[5]

Post-retirement

Upon retirement, Gill chose to reside in Chennai, where he was a trustee of various institutions set up by his father. He died on 30 May 2001.[4][19]

Dates of rank
InsigniaRankComponentDate of rank
Second LieutenantBritish Army5 April 1942 (emergency)[6][20]
LieutenantBritish Army5 October 1942 (war-substantive)[20]
CaptainBritish Army21 March 1945 (temporary)[20]
LieutenantBritish Indian Army7 May 1947 (seniority from 5 July 1944)[13][note 1]
LieutenantIndian Army15 August 1947[note 2][21]
CaptainIndian Army5 January 1949[14][note 2][21]
CaptainIndian Army26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[21][22]
MajorIndian Army5 January 1956[15]
Lieutenant-ColonelIndian Army5 January 1959
ColonelIndian Army25 November 1965[23]
BrigadierIndian Army27 August 1964 (acting)[24]
1 May 1967 (substantive)[25]
Major GeneralIndian Army2 June 1969 (substantive)[26]
Lieutenant-GeneralIndian Army22 October 1973 (acting)[27]
1 April 1974 (substantive)[18]

Notes
  1. With seniority as a second lieutenant from 5 January 1943.
  2. Upon independence in 1947, India became a Dominion within the British Commonwealth of Nations. As a result, the rank insignia of the British Army, incorporating the Tudor Crown and four-pointed Bath Star ("pip"), was retained, as George VI remained Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces. After 26 January 1950, when India became a republic, the President of India became Commander-in-Chief, and the Ashoka Lion replaced the crown, with a five-pointed star being substituted for the "pip."

References
  1. Muthiah, Subiah. Born to Dare: The Life of Lt. Gen. Inderjit Singh Gill, PVSM, MC. Penguin. p. 4.
  2. "Lt. General Inderjit Singh Gill - PVSM, MC". Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  3. Barooah Pisharoty, Sangeeta. "Soldier First". The Hindu. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  4. "Remembering Lt Gen Inderjit Singh Gill, PVSM, MC". Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  5. Padmanabhan, Sundararajan. "Soldier's soldier brought to life" (PDF). The New Indian Express (The New Sunday Express). Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  6. "No. 35533". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 April 1942. p. 1800.
  7. Muthiah, Subiah. Born to Dare: The Life of Lt. Gen. Inderjit Singh Gill, PVSM, MC. Penguin. p. 90.
  8. Muthiah, Subiah. Born to Dare: The Life of Lt. Gen. Inderjit Singh Gill, PVSM, MC. Penguin. p. 143.
  9. Muthiah, Subiah. Born to Dare: The Life of Lt. Gen. Inderjit Singh Gill, PVSM, MC. Penguin. p. 95.
  10. "Madras Landmarks". Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  11. O'Connor, Bernard. Sabotage in Greece. p. 234. ISBN 978-1-291-85407-7.
  12. London Gazette 21/11/1989, page 13429 - Corps of Royal Engineers - Emergency Commn - Lt. I. S. GILL, M.C. (229329) relinquishes his commn., 6th May 1947 on appt. to Indian Army (Substituted for the notifn. in Gazette (Supplement) dated 27th Jan. 1950).
  13. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 26 January 1955. p. 44.
  14. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 9 April 1955. p. 73.
  15. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 9 February 1957. p. 33.
  16. "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  17. Ray, Sreya (5 February 2013). "Tales of an Officer and a Gentleman". Business Standard. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  18. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 15 March 1975. p. 353.
  19. Mutthiah, Subbiah. "A place in fiction". The Hindu. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  20. The Quarterly Army List (Part I) December 1946. HM Stationery Office. 1946. pp. 638q.
  21. "New Designs of Crests and Badges in the Services" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 August 2017.
  22. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 February 1950. p. 227.
  23. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 10 June 1967. p. 465.
  24. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 3 October 1964. p. 404.
  25. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 10 February 1968. p. 98.
  26. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 27 September 1969. p. 987.
  27. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 23 February 1974. p. 235.


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