Rajendrasinhji Jadeja

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Rajendrasinh Jadeja.

Field Marshal K M Cariappa
Succeeded byOffice Replaced by office of Chief of the Army Staff (India)
Personal details
Born(1899-06-15)15 June 1899
Sarodar,
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
Operation Polo
Awards Distinguished Service Order
Spouse(s)Maya Kunwarba

Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa, to become Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army
.

Personal life

Rajendrasinhji was born on 15 June 1899, at Sarodar in the

K.S. Ranjitsinhji, uncle of K.S.Duleepsinhji, are two other cricketing luminaries produced by that family.[4] In 1928, Rajendrasinh wed Maya Kunwarba. The couple became the parents of three children. His son, Sukhdevsinhji, married the daughter of the ruler of Masuda, Rajkumari Vijaylakshmi Masuda. His youngest daughter was married to the Raja Sahib of the erstwhile princely state of Khairagarh in then Madhya Pradesh (present day Chhattisgarh). She was an MP of the Lok Sabha and a popular leader in her constituency.[5]

Career

Rajendrasinhji attended Rajkumar College, Rajkot, then at Malvern College. Having resolved upon pursuing a military career, he joined the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. In 1921, he was commissioned as a Second lieutenant onto the Unattached List for the Indian Army. He spent a year attached to the 3rd battalion the King's Royal Rifle Corps and then joined the Indian Army and was posted to the 2nd Royal Lancers. As a King's Commissioned Indian Officer, he held various ranks and offices in the British Indian Army and served with distinction during the Second World War.[6]

General Rajendrasinhji became the first Indian to be deputed to serve as

Washington DC
in 1945–46.

Second World War

In 1941, Rajendrasinhji was sent to the

Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre as a squadron commander of the 2nd Lancers. In April 1941, his brigade, the 3rd Indian Motor 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, Rajendrasinhji'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.[7][8]

For his courageous leadership and determined action, Rajendrasinhji was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1941.[9] He was the first Indian to be honoured with this decoration during the Second World War.

Returning to India in October 1942, Rajendrasinhji was appointed commandant of 2 Royal Lancers in 1943.

Major General on 30 July 1947.[10]

In India

The

Operation Polo, which resulted in the integration of Hyderabad State with India, was executed during his term in office as GOC-in-C (South).[12]

As the senior-most serving officer in the army, Gen. Rajendrasinhji was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army on 14 January 1953, following the retirement of

Chief of Army Staff. He held that office until his retirement from service on 14 May 1955 and was succeeded by Gen. S.M. Srinagesh.[13]

Death

General Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji died on 1 January 1964, aged 65 years.[14]

Awards and decorations

Distinguished Service Order (1941)
(First Indian to be awarded in WW2) 		India General Service Medal (1936-39)
1939-1945 Star
 Africa Star
Burma Star
MID
1941) 		Defence Medal (1945) Indian Independence Medal (1947)
King George V Silver Jubilee Medal (1935) King George VI Coronation Medal (1937) Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953) Legion of Merit (1948)
(Degree of an Officer)

Others

  • Order of Yugoslavia Army Class I

Dates of rank

Insignia Rank Component Date of rank
Second Lieutenant British Indian Army 14 July 1921[15]
Lieutenant British Indian Army 14 October 1923[16]
Captain British Indian Army 14 July 1929[17]
Major British Indian Army 1 January 1937 (brevet)[18]
1 August 1938 (substantive)[19]
Lieutenant-Colonel British Indian Army 29 November 1943 (acting)
29 February 1944 (temporary)[20]
14 July 1947 (substantive)[21]
Colonel British Indian Army 11 May 1945 (acting)[20]
Brigadier British Indian Army 1946
Lieutenant-Colonel Indian Army 15 August 1947[note 1][22]
Major-General Indian Army 30 July 1947[note 1][10]
Lieutenant-General
 Indian Army 16 January 1948 (acting)[11][note 1]
Lieutenant-General
 Indian Army 26 January 1950 (acting, recommissioning and change in insignia)[22][23][24]
General
(C-in-C, IA)		 Indian Army 15 January 1953[25]
General
(COAS)		 Indian Army 3 May 1955[25]

Notes

  1. ^
    Ashoka Lion
    replaced the crown, with a five-pointed star being substituted for the "pip."

References

  1. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 27 May 1950. p. 41.
  2. ^ Nawanagar
  3. ^ Gazette of India. 1953. p. 1475. Major General M. S. Pratapsinhji; 2. Major General M. S. Himatsinhji; 3. Maharaj Shri Duleepsinhji; and 4. Lieutenant General M. S. Rajendrasinhji; members of the family of the Ruler of Nawanagar for the purposes...
  4. ^ India at a glance: a comprehensive reference book on India 1954 - Page 1725
  5. ISBN 978-93-80607-31-3
    .
  6. ^ Board 2014, p. 21.
  7. ^ "DR. RAJENDRASINH JADEJA". Marwadi University. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Who was the first Indian Chief of Army Staff of the". examveda.com. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  9. ^ London Gazette 9 September 1941
  10. ^ a b c d e "Press Communique" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Changes in Army Commands" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 20 January 1948. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Who was Field Marshal KM Cariappa?". The Indian Express. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  13. ^ Grewal, Kairvy (15 May 2020). "Field Marshal KM Cariappa, the man who told Pakistan not to release his captured son". ThePrint. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Pin by Examlover on Today In History June 2018 | Indian army, Army, Indian". Pinterest. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  15. ^ "No. 32804". The London Gazette. 9 March 1923. p. 1915.
  16. ^ "No. 32999". The London Gazette. 5 December 1924. p. 8866.
  17. ^ "No. 33530". The London Gazette. 30 August 1929. p. 5648.
  18. ^ "No. 34356". The London Gazette. 1 January 1937. p. 14.
  19. ^ "No. 34608". The London Gazette. 17 March 1939. p. 1851.
  20. ^ a b Indian Army List for October 1945 (Part I). Government of India Press. 1945. p. 131.
  21. ^ "No. 38118". The London Gazette. 7 November 1947. p. 5248.
  22. ^ a b "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.
  23. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 February 1950. p. 227.
  24. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 27 May 1950. p. 41.
  25. ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 June 1955. p. 113.

Bibliography

External links
Military offices
Preceded by
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command

1948-1948 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Command

1948-1953 		Succeeded by
S. M. Shrinagesh
Preceded by
Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army

1953-1955 		Office abolished
New title
New Office
Chief of the Army Staff

1955-1955 		Succeeded by
S. M. Shrinagesh


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