Rajendrasinhji Jadeja

Maharaj Shri Rajendra Sinhji Jadeja
Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army
In office 14 January 1953 – 1 April 1955
Preceded by	Field Marshall K M Cariappa
Succeeded by	Office Replaced by office of Chief of the Army Staff (India)
Chief of the Army Staff (India)
In office 1 April 1955 – 14 May 1955
Preceded by	Office Created
Succeeded by	General SM Shrinagesh
Personal details
Born	15 June 1899 Sarodar, Kathiawar, Nawanagar State
Died	1 January 1964 (aged 64)
Spouse(s)	Maya Kunwarba
Awards	Distinguished Service Order
Military service
Allegiance	British India  India
Service/branch	British Indian Army  Indian Army
Years of service	1921–1955
Rank	General
Unit	2nd Lancers
Commands	Chief of the Army Staff Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army Southern Army Eastern Army Western Army (then called 'Delhi and East Punjab Command') 2nd Lancers
Battles/wars	World War II Indo-Pakistani War of 1947

General Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, DSO (15 June 1899 – 1 January 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 Indian, after 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 Kathiawar region of what is now the western Indian state of Gujarat. He was the third son of Devisinhji Jadeja .^[1] The family belonged to the ruling Rajput dynasty^[2] of Nawanagar State (now Jamnagar),^[3] and Devisinhji was the elder brother of K.S. Ranjitsinhji and uncle of K.S.Duleepsinhji, two cricketing luminaries produced by that family.^[4] In 1928, Rajendrasingh wed Maya Kunwarba. The couple became the parents of three children. His son, Rajkumar Shri 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 Chhattisgarh), she was an MP of the Lok Sabha and a popular leader in her constituency.^[1]

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 Bn the 60th Rifles 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.

General Rajendrasinhji became the first Indian to be deputed to serve as Military Attaché to 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, 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.^[5] He was the first Indian to be honoured with this decoration during the Second World War.

In India

The Partition of India in 1947 caused an upheaval in both the security situation and the dynamics of the Indian army. The partition 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 anticipated 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 Lieutenant General in 1948. He served successively as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Delhi and East Punjab Command (1947–48); GOC-in-C Eastern Command (1948); and GOC-in-C Southern Command (1948–53), following the retirement of Lt. General E. N. Goddard. Operation Polo, which resulted in the integration of Hyderabad State with India, was executed during his term in office as GOC-in-C (South).

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 General (later Field Marshal) K. M. Cariappa. Rajendrasinhji received the rank of General on the same day. With effect from 1 April 1955, the President of India was constitutionally designated the Commander-in-chief of the Indian 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 14 May 1955 and was succeeded by Gen. S.M. Srinagesh. General Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji died on 1 January 1964, aged 65 Years.

Promotions and dates of rank

Service	British Indian Army									Indian Army
Rank
	Second Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Captain	Brevet Major	Major	Lieutenant-Colonel (Acting)	Lieutenant-Colonel (Temporary)	Lieutenant-Colonel	Brigadier	Major General	Lieutenant-General	General
Date	14 July 1921	14 October 1923	14 July 1929	1 January 1937	1 August 1938	29 November 1943	29 February 1944	7 June 1946	1946	1947	1948	15 January 1953

Awards and decorations

Distinguished Service Order(1941) (First Indian to be Awarded)	India General Service Medal (1941)	1939-1945 Star	Africa Star
Burma Star	War Medal 1939-1945 (with oak leaf for 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	Legion of Merit(1948) (Degree of an Officer)

Others

• Order of Yugoslavia Army Class I

References

1. Nawanagar
2. http://www.chiefacoins.com/Database/Countries/Kutch.htm
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. London Gazette 9 September 1941

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