Kalwant Singh (Indian Army general)

Lieutenant General

Kalwant Singh
Born(1905-02-23)23 February 1905[1]
Sheikhupura District, Punjab Province, British Raj
(now in Pakistan)
Died2 January 1966(1966-01-02) (aged 60)
Allegiance British India
India
Branch British Indian Army
 Indian Army
Service years1925–1959
Rank Lieutenant General
Service numberIA-556
UnitSikh Regiment
1st Punjab Regiment
CommandsGOC-in-C, Western Command
GOC, J&K Division
7/1 Punjab Regiment
Conflicts
AwardsMentioned in dispatches

Lieutenant General Kalwant Singh (23 February 1905–2 January 1966) was an Indian Army general.[2]

Career

British Indian Army

A King's Commissioned Indian Officer (KCIO), Singh was initially educated at Forman Christian College before entering the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,[2] passing out and receiving his British Indian Army commission on 29 January 1925. Among his batchmates were Sant Singh and Hira Lal Atal, both of whom would also become generals.[3] As was customary for newly commissioned Indian Army officers, Singh, along with his batchmate Atal, were attached to a regular British Army regiment for a year of training, in their case the 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders (the "Gordons").[4]

Following his attachment to the Gordons, Singh was posted to 2/1 Punjab, then stationed at Kohat, as a company officer on 7 April 1926.[5][6] Apart from leaves, he remained with the battalion over the following years. By 1931, Singh's fellow company officers included lieutenants Pran Nath Thapar and Thakur Mahadeo Singh, along with second lieutenant Udey Chand Dubey, all of whom would rise to general rank in the independent Indian Army.[7]

In 1935, by then a captain, Singh was among the few Indians to sit the examinations for and to be selected to attend Staff College, Quetta. After completing Staff College, he was appointed staff captain of 2/1 Punjab on 1 November 1938.[8] He was subsequently brigade major of the Thal Brigade through 1941, when he returned to Quetta as an instructor at the Staff College.[2] He was then appointed Assistant Quartermaster-General (Plans) with the Indian Expeditionary Force. From 1943 to 1945, as a temporary lieutenant-colonel, he commanded 7/1 Punjab before appointment as second-in-command of 114 Brigade in Burma.[2] In 1946, he was promoted acting brigadier and commanded a brigade posted in Bangkok.[9] After assisting with the resettlement of refugees, Singh was appointed Brigadier General Staff, Northern Command in June 1947, the first Indian holder of that post.[2]

Indian Army

Promoted acting major-general and appointed Director of Military Training shortly before Independence,[2] Singh was then given command of the Jammu and Kashmir Division during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, for which he was mentioned in dispatches.[10] From 8 May 1948, Singh served as Chief of the General Staff (CGS),[11] receiving promotion to substantive major general on 1 January 1950.[12]

On 3 April 1950, Singh was appointed a corps commander.[13] On 1 September 1953, he was appointed officiating GOC-in_C, Western Command,[14] and was appointed as the regular GOC-in-C of that army command on 15 May 1955,[15] retiring in May 1959.[2]

Dates of rank

Insignia Rank Component Date of rank
Second Lieutenant British Indian Army 29 January 1925[3]
Lieutenant British Indian Army 29 April 1927[16]
Captain British Indian Army 29 January 1934[17]
Major British Indian Army 1940 (acting)[1]
8 November 1940 (temporary)[1]
29 January 1942 (substantive)[18]
Lieutenant-Colonel British Indian Army 29 January 1942 (acting)
17 April 1943 (temporary)[1]
Brigadier British Indian Army 2 February 1946 (acting)[9]
Major Indian Army 15 August 1947[note 1][19]
Major-General Indian Army 2 November 1947 (acting)[11]
1 January 1950 (substantive)[12][note 1]
Major General Indian Army 26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[19][20]
Lieutenant General Indian Army 3 April 1950 (local)[13]
1 September 1953 (acting)[14]
15 May 1955 (substantive)[15]

Notes

  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d "Officers of the Indian Army". Indian Army List: April 1945. New Delhi: Manager of Publications, Government of India. 1945. p. 143.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Baranwal, Sukhdeo Prasad, ed. (1966). "Obituary: Lt-General Kalwant Singh". Military Year-Book. New Delhi: Guide Publications. pp. 819–820.
  3. ^ a b "No. 33016". The London Gazette. 30 January 1925. p. 686.
  4. ^ Indian Army List: July 1925. Calcutta: Central Publication Branch, Government of India. 1925. p. 82.
  5. ^ Indian Army List: July 1926. Calcutta: Central Publication Branch, Government of India. 1926. p. 550.
  6. ^ "No. 33175". The London Gazette. 25 June 1926. p. 4123.
  7. ^ Indian Army List: July 1931. Calcutta: Central Publication Branch, Government of India. 1931. p. 550.
  8. ^ "No. 34582". The London Gazette. 23 December 1938. p. 8185.
  9. ^ a b Quarterly Army List (Part II): December 1946. London: HM Stationery Office. 1946. pp. 2510f.
  10. ^ "The Gazette of India: Part I-Section 1" (PDF). Department of Publications, Government of India. 17 February 1951. p. 18.
  11. ^ a b Army List 1950. London: HM Stationery Office. 1950. p. 186.
  12. ^ a b "The Gazette of India: Part I-Section 4" (PDF). Department of Publications, Government of India. 24 June 1950. p. 70.
  13. ^ a b "The Gazette of India: Part I-Section 4" (PDF). Department of Publications, Government of India. 13 May 1950. p. 31.
  14. ^ a b "The Gazette of India: Part I-Section 4" (PDF). Department of Publications, Government of India. 3 October 1953. p. 216.
  15. ^ a b "The Gazette of India: Part I-Section 4" (PDF). Department of Publications, Government of India. 11 June 1955. p. 113–114.
  16. ^ "No. 33285". The London Gazette. 17 June 1927. p. 3908.
  17. ^ "No. 34031". The London Gazette. 9 March 1934. p. 1607.
  18. ^ "No. 35536". The London Gazette. 24 April 1942. p. 1813.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 February 1950. p. 227.
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