Rajendrasinhji Jadeja
Encyclopedia
General Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, DSO
(June 15, 1899-January 1, 1964), also known as Kumar Sri Rajendrasinhji and K.S. Rajendrasinhji, was the first Chief of Army Staff
of the Indian army
, and the second India
n, after Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa, to become Commander-in-Chief of the Indian armed forces and head the Indian Army.
region of what is now the western India
n state of Gujarat. He was the third son of Devisinhji Jadeja . The family belonged to the ruling dynasty of Nawanagar
princely state
(now Jamnagar
), and Devisinhji was the elder brother of K.S. Ranjitsinhji
and uncle of K.S.Duleepsinhji, two cricket
ing luminaries produced by that family. In 1928, Rajendrasingh wed Maya Kunwarba. The couple became the parents of three children. His Son Maharaj Sukhdevsinhji married the daughter of the ruler of Masuda in Rajputana Rajkumari Vijaylakshmi Masuda, his youngest daughter was married to HH the Raja Sahib of the erstwhile princely state of Khairagarh in then Madhya Pradesh (present day Chattisgarh), she was sitting MP with Lok Sabha and a popular leader in her constituency.
and then, having resolved upon pursuing a military career, he joined the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 2nd Royal Lancers in 1922. As a King's Commissioned Indian Officer
, he held various ranks and offices in the British Indian Army
and served with distinction during World War II
.
General Rajendrasinhji became the first Indian to be deputed to serve as Military Attaché to Washington DC in 1945-46.
as a squadron commander of the 2nd Lancers. During the course action, his brigade was surrounded at Mechili
by numerically superior Axis forces. Being encircled, the allied forces were left with no option but to hazard a headlong foray through the enemy forces, into the desert. Rajendrasinhji's squadron took the rearguard position during this operation. While the vanguard suffered much loss of life by a German tank attack, Ranjitsinhji's squadron was not seriously impacted. He led his squadron in a charge through the enemy ranks, and they gained respite in the safety of some nearby hills. The squadron essayed further action on the enemy forces after nightfall and achieved considerable success; indeed, it returned to base with sixty prisoners of war.
For his courageous leadership and determined action, Rajendrasinhji was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
(DSO) in 1941. He was the first Indian to be honoured with this decoration during World War II.
, which resulted in the integration of Hyderabad State
with India, was executed during his term in office as GOC (South).
As the senior-most serving officer in the army, Rajendrasinhji was appointed Commander-in-Chief of India on January 14, 1953, following the retirement of General (later Field Marshal) K.M. Cariappa. Rajendrasinhji received the rank of General on the same day. With effect from April 1, 1955, the President of India
was constitutionally designated the Commander-in-chief of India's armed forces. Rajendrasinhji then became the first head of the Indian army to be designated Chief of Army Staff
. He held that office until his retirement from service on May 14, 1955 and was succeeded by Gen. S.M. Srinagesh. Rajendrasinhji died on January 1, 1964, aged 64.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(June 15, 1899-January 1, 1964), also known as Kumar Sri Rajendrasinhji and K.S. Rajendrasinhji, was the first Chief of Army Staff
Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army
The Chief of the Army Staff is the commander and usually the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Army. The position is abbreviated as COAS in Indian Army cables and communication....
of the Indian army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
, and the second India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n, after Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa, to become Commander-in-Chief of the Indian armed forces and head the Indian Army.
Personal life
Rajendrasinhji was born on June 15, 1899, at Sarodar in the KathiawarKathiawar
Kathiawar or Kathiawad is a peninsula in western India, which is part of the Saurashtra region on the Arabian Sea coast of Gujarat state. It is bounded on the north by the great wetland of the Rann of Kutch, on the northwest by the Gulf of Kutch, on the west and south by the Arabian Sea, and on...
region of what is now the western India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Gujarat. He was the third son of Devisinhji Jadeja . The family belonged to the ruling dynasty of Nawanagar
Nawanagar
Navanagar was an Indian princely state, in Kathiawar region, situated on the south of the Gulf of Kutch. It was ruled by the Jadeja dynasty from its formation in c 1540 until 1948 when it succeed to newly formed, India. The district is now known as Jamnagar. It had an area of and a population...
princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
(now Jamnagar
Jamnagar
Jamnagar is a city and a municipal corporation in Jamnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city was built up substantially by Maharaja Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji in the 1920s, when the district was known as Nawanagar. The district lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch and is...
), and Devisinhji was the elder brother of K.S. Ranjitsinhji
K S Ranjitsinhji
Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar was an Indian prince and Test cricketer who played for the English cricket team...
and uncle of K.S.Duleepsinhji, two cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
ing luminaries produced by that family. In 1928, Rajendrasingh wed Maya Kunwarba. The couple became the parents of three children. His Son Maharaj Sukhdevsinhji married the daughter of the ruler of Masuda in Rajputana Rajkumari Vijaylakshmi Masuda, his youngest daughter was married to HH the Raja Sahib of the erstwhile princely state of Khairagarh in then Madhya Pradesh (present day Chattisgarh), she was sitting MP with Lok Sabha and a popular leader in her constituency.
Career
Rajendrasinhji attended Rajkumar College, RajkotRajkumar College, Rajkot
The Rajkumar College in Rajkot is one of the oldest K-12 institutions in India. RKC has a 26 acre campus located in the heart of Rajkot city.-History:...
and then, having resolved upon pursuing a military career, he joined the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 2nd Royal Lancers in 1922. As a King's Commissioned Indian Officer
King's Commissioned Indian Officer
A king's commissioned Indian officer was an Indian officer of the British Indian Army who held a full king's commission after training at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, as opposed to the Indian commissioned officers , who were trained at the Indian Military Academy at Dehra Dun, and the...
, he held various ranks and offices in the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
and served with distinction during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
General Rajendrasinhji became the first Indian to be deputed to serve as Military Attaché to Washington DC in 1945-46.
World War II
In 1941, Rajendrasinhji was sent to the North Africa theatreMiddle East Theatre of World War II
The Middle East Theatre of World War II is defined largely by reference to the British Middle East Command, which controlled Allied forces in both Southwest Asia and eastern North Africa...
as a squadron commander of the 2nd Lancers. During the course action, his brigade was surrounded at Mechili
Mechili
Mechili is a small village in Cyrenaica, Libya and the former site of a turkish fort. It’s nearly east of Benghazi, and west of Timimi.-Geography:Because of its location in the desert, Mechili suffered in the past from isolation...
by numerically superior Axis forces. Being encircled, the allied forces were left with no option but to hazard a headlong foray through the enemy forces, into the desert. Rajendrasinhji's squadron took the rearguard position during this operation. While the vanguard suffered much loss of life by a German tank attack, Ranjitsinhji's squadron was not seriously impacted. He led his squadron in a charge through the enemy ranks, and they gained respite in the safety of some nearby hills. The squadron essayed further action on the enemy forces after nightfall and achieved considerable success; indeed, it returned to base with sixty prisoners of war.
For his courageous leadership and determined action, Rajendrasinhji was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(DSO) in 1941. He was the first Indian to be honoured with this decoration during World War II.
In India
The Independence of India (1947) caused an upheaval in both the security situation and the dynamics of the Indian army. The partition of India meant the division of the Indian army, which was concurrently called upon to deal with several critical security situations arising from the partition of the country and the integration of the princely states. Also during this period, British officers who held most of the senior ranks in the Indian army were gradually disengaged, being replaced with Indian officers. During this critical period, Rajendrasinhji was called upon to shoulder many onerous responsibilities and received rapid promotion in rank commensurately. He was made Brigadier in 1946, Major-General in 1947 and Lt. General in 1948. He served successively as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Delhi and East Punjab (1947-48); GOC Eastern Command (1948); and GOC Southern Command (1948-53). Operation PoloOperation Polo
Operation Polo code name for The Hyderabad Police Action was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed Forces engaged those of the State of Hyderabad and ended the rule of Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union....
, which resulted in the integration of Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
with India, was executed during his term in office as GOC (South).
As the senior-most serving officer in the army, Rajendrasinhji was appointed Commander-in-Chief of India on January 14, 1953, following the retirement of General (later Field Marshal) K.M. Cariappa. Rajendrasinhji received the rank of General on the same day. With effect from April 1, 1955, the President of India
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
was constitutionally designated the Commander-in-chief of India's armed forces. Rajendrasinhji then became the first head of the Indian army to be designated Chief of Army Staff
Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army
The Chief of the Army Staff is the commander and usually the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Army. The position is abbreviated as COAS in Indian Army cables and communication....
. He held that office until his retirement from service on May 14, 1955 and was succeeded by Gen. S.M. Srinagesh. Rajendrasinhji died on January 1, 1964, aged 64.
Promotions and Dates of Rank
- 2nd Lieutenant, British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
(July 14, 1921) - LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
(October 14, 1923) - CaptainCaptain (British Army and Royal Marines)Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
(July 14, 1929) - BrevetBrevet (military)In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Major (January 1, 1937) - MajorMajor (UK)In the British military, major is a military rank which is used by both the British Army and Royal Marines. The rank insignia for a major is a crown...
(August 1, 1938) - Acting Lieutenant-Colonel (November 29, 1943)
- Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel (February 29, 1944)
- Lieutenant-ColonelLieutenant-Colonel (UK)Lieutenant colonel is a rank in the British Army and Royal Marines which is also used in many Commonwealth countries. The rank is superior to major, and subordinate to colonel...
(June 7, 1946) - Brigadier (1946)
- Major-General, Indian ArmyIndian ArmyThe Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
(1947) - Lieutenant-General, Indian Army (1948)
- General, Indian Army (January 15, 1953)
Decorations
- King George V Silver Jubilee MedalKing George V Silver Jubilee MedalThe King George V Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the coronation of King George V.-Issue:...
(1935) - King George VI Coronation MedalKing George VI Coronation MedalThe King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of...
(1937) - First Indian commissioned officer to be awarded the DSODistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
during World War II (1941) - Mentioned in Despatches (1941)
- India General Service Medal (1941)
- 1939-1945 Star
- Africa StarAfrica StarThe Africa Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in the Second World War.The Star was awarded for a minimum of one day service in an operational area of North Africa between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943...
- Burma StarBurma StarThe Burma Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.The medal was awarded for service in the Burma Campaign between 11 December 1941 and 2 September 1945...
- Defence Medal (1945)
- British War MedalBritish War MedalThe British War Medal was a campaign medal of the British Empire, for service in World War I.The medal was approved in 1919, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who had rendered service between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918...
(1945) - Indian Independence Medal (1947)
- Officer of the Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
of the USA (1948)