Kanwar Bahadur Singh

Lieutenant-General Kanwar Bahadur Singh, MBE, (5 August 1910 – 8 May 2007) was a senior officer in the Indian Army.

Kanwar Bahadur Singh
Born5 August 1910
Palaitha, British Raj
Died8 May 2007(2007-05-08) (aged 96)
Allegiance India
Service/branch Indian Army
RankLieutenant-General
UnitThe Kumaon Regiment
Commands heldCentral Command
Battles/warsWorld War II
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
AwardsMBE
Other workLt. Governor of Himachal Pradesh

Early life and education

Bahadur Singh was born in the Thikana of Palaitha in the princely state of Kotah on 5 August 1910, the son of Major-General Sir Onkar Singh, KCIE, a minister for the state of Kotah. He attended the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College (RIMC) from August 1923 to 26 August 1929. During his time at the college, he became Section Commander for Kitchener Section and Cadet Captain. Following his education at RIMC, he gained entrance to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He would join Sandhurst as the top student from India.

Military career

Upon graduation from Sandhurst, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on the Unattached List for appointment to the Indian Army on 27 August 1931.[1] He was attached to the 2nd battalion, Highland Light Infantry which was stationed in India for a year before being appointed to the Indian Army and posted to the 4th battalion, 19th Hyderabad Regiment.[2][3]

He was promoted to Captain on 1 January 1939. His battalion participated in the ill-fated Malayan Campaign. Following their defeat in the Battle of Singapore, he was taken prisoner and spent the remainder of the war in a Japanese internment camp. On 9 May 1946, in recognition of gallant and distinguished services as a prisoner of war, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire.[4]

He opted for the Indian Army on partition in 1947 and rose up the ranks to serve as GOC-in-C for Central Command from 1962 to 1966 before retiring as a Lieutenant-General.

He was Colonel of the Kumaon Regiment from 16 May 1961 to 15 May 1971.[5]

Later life

After retiring from the army, Lt. Gen. K. Bahadur Singh was appointed Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Himachal Pradesh from 16 May 1967 to 24 January 1971.

He was married to Rajendra Kumari of Barwani and had five children, a son (Kr Jaivir Singh Palaitha) and 4 daughters (Jyostna, Jaya, Padmini & Durga). He died in May 2007 at the age of 97.

Dates of rank
InsigniaRankComponentDate of rank
Second LieutenantBritish Indian Army27 August 1931[6]
LieutenantBritish Indian Army29 April 1933[7]
CaptainBritish Indian Army29 January 1939[8]
MajorBritish Indian Army1946
MajorIndian Army15 August 1947[note 1][9]
Lieutenant-ColonelIndian Army1948 (temporary)[10]
ColonelIndian Army29 January 1949 (acting)[10]
1 January 1950 (substantive)[10]
BrigadierIndian Army13 December 1949 (acting)[11]
ColonelIndian Army26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[9][12]
BrigadierIndian Army29 January 1952
Major-GeneralIndian Army29 January 1956[13]
Lieutenant-GeneralIndian Army1 August 1958 (acting)[14]
29 January 1959 (substantive)[15]

Campaign medals

Notes
  1. 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
  • Mishra, S., & Singh, B. (1997). Where Gallantry is Tradition: Saga of Rastriya Indian Military College. Allied Publishers. ISBN 81-7023-649-5
  • State of Himachal Pradesh Web Site

Notes
  1. Defence Department. (1943, April). The Half Yearly Indian Army List. New Delhi: Manager of Publications, Government of India.
  2. April 1932 Indian Army List
  3. October 1942 Indian Army List
  4. "Supplement to The London Gazette", 7 May 1946, "Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood"
  5. "Official Website of Indian Army". Indianarmy.nic.in. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  6. "No. 33748". The London Gazette. 28 August 1931. p. 5624.
  7. "No. 33948". The London Gazette. 9 June 1933. p. 3877.
  8. "No. 34610". The London Gazette. 24 March 1939. p. 2013.
  9. "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.
  10. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 24 June 1950. p. 70.
  11. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 28 January 1950. p. 157.
  12. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 February 1950. p. 227.
  13. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 25 February 1956. p. 36.
  14. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 13 December 1958. p. 278.
  15. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 16 May 1959. p. 163.
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